The Los Angeles Dodgers retain some pitchers in Game 4 loss

NEW YORK – As Game 4 unfolded and the lead dwindled, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts faced an interesting decision – the kind rarely faced in the high-stakes World Series environment. One was to use his best backup players in hopes that his offense would come all the way back, giving the Dodgers the best possible chance of winning a title. The other was essentially stabbing, using lower leverage tools to save his best arms for another day.

Roberts clearly chose the latter approach in Tuesday's 11-4 loss to the New York Yankees. The hope – with his team still up 3-1 and capable of winning a championship on the road – is that this will pay off in the near future.

“It’s a challenge,” Roberts said. “I think you have to be sure you can score some runs. Certainly any guy we put in tonight wouldn’t have been able to pitch tomorrow.”

The Dodgers prevailed in Game 3 on Monday thanks to six powerful relievers who combined for 100 pitches. That earned them a win that gave them a commanding lead in this best-of-seven series, but severely marred the bullpen game that was scheduled to be played 24 hours later.

The Dodgers used the unheralded Ben Casparius and Landon Knack to pitch six of the first seven innings of Game 4, giving up just two runs. When the eighth inning came, LA was down by two. But instead of parting ways with his group of highly effective arms — led by Blake Treinen, who warmed up but didn't pitch in Game 3 — Roberts handed the ball to Brent Honeywell, a long reliever who did the passed pawn's job by throwing Bullpen saved the ball in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, but is still far down the pecking order.

Honeywell gave up five runs and turned Game 4 into a rout.

Asked if it was tempting to go for a win in this situation, Roberts replied: “No. Not 6-4 in the eighth round, that wasn't it. No.”

The Dodgers' bullpen limitations showed up much earlier for the first time. Freddie Freeman had once again given LA an early lead with a two-run home run in the first inning and set a record by hitting a home run in six consecutive World Series games since 2021, when he was with the Atlanta Braves. But the Yankees tacked on a run in the second and put four more balls in the third against Daniel Hudson, the only high-impact reliever the Dodgers used in Game 4.

Hudson, who also threw 22 pitches in Game 3, struck out Aaron Judge, gave up a single to Jazz Chisholm Jr., walked Giancarlo Stanton and, after getting Anthony Rizzo to come up for the second out, was tagged by Anthony for a grand slam Volpe gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead. That third inning, Roberts said, was Hudson's job, no matter how it went.

“That was his inning,” Roberts said. “I think he had 20 pitches, something like that. He had Volpe on, so I'm not going to make anyone come out for Volpe in the third inning when he just popped a guy up.”

The Dodgers successfully used a bullpen game to keep their season alive in Game 4 of the NL Division Series and then clinched a pennant again in Game 6 of the NLCS. But things also backfired in Game 2 of the NLCS and Game 4 of this round. They are now finished. If the World Series extends far enough to return to Los Angeles, the Dodgers will have Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking the ball in Game 6 and Walker Buehler starting a winner-take-all game in Game 7.

Before that, Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night will feature Jack Flaherty versus Yankees star Gerrit Cole. But Flaherty will have help. Treinen, who has been used four times this postseason for four or more outs, will be four days removed from his final appearance. Brusdar Graterol, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Ryan Brasier and Michael Kopech will be available after a day off, with another to follow if necessary.

The Dodgers essentially lost a game in hopes that it would allow them to win another.

“We knew it was a bullpen game,” Roberts said. “As far as results go, I feel good about having six guys in the team who are feeling good and rested. And being 3-1 up.”