Dodgers Opinion: Roberts Outclasses Thomson in Game One of the NLDS

PHILADELPHIA, PA—After the Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up a two-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card round, their next step was a marquee match-up between them and the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Phillies, who secured the number two seed in the National League thanks to a 96-66 record and taking four critical games against Los Angeles this season, were set to host yet another postseason series at the famous Citizens Bank Park, the home of “red October” and the Fightin’ Phils.

The series was labeled and rightfully so, as must-watch TV, and Game One was a satisfying result of the elite play these two teams each possess.

However, while a battle between two top offenses, top pitching staffs, and similar struggling bullpens, sometimes the winner can come down to the two men in the dugout, and tonight was a clear indication of how Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave Los Angeles a clear advantage over Phillies manager Rob Thomson.

Despite the Dodgers getting out to an early 3-0 deficit, nobody in the dugout panicked, and unlike last October, where the Dodgers were forced to “punt” games due to a lack of pitching depth, Roberts kept Ohtani in and depended on his starter to rebound.

Ohtani gave Roberts what the Dodgers needed and more, collecting himself after a shaky second inning and ending his night with six scoreless innings while punching out nine batters.

Instead of Roberts using his usual bullpen arms like Blake Treinen or Tanner Scott after taking a 5-3 lead on a clutch three-run homer by Teoscar Hernández, he chose to go with the knife and brought in right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow, a move he suggested might happen yesterday. 

Glasnow, the likely starter for Game Four of the NLDS, has yet to pitch in the postseason, with his last appearance coming on the final weekend of the regular season.

Glasnow, gave Roberts what he could, bridging the ‘pen to newly found closer Roki Sasaki as the team would only use three pitchers in the final three innings of yesterday’s game.

However, a similar situation arose for the Phillies skipper as well.

Before Game One of the NLDS, Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced his Game Two starter would be young lefty Jesús Luzardo, with veteran lefty and the presumed Game Three starter Ranger Suárez available in the bullpen.

After the Dodgers were able to get lefty starter Cristopher Sánchez out of the game thanks to a two-out two-RBI double off the bat of Kiké Hernández, Thomson went to veteran arm David Robertson to get the final out of the inning.

After a 1-2-3 inning on the mound from Shohei Ohtani, the Phillies would send Robertson back out there for his first up-and-down of the entire season since being re-signed in mid-summer in free agency.

The results were horrid as the right-hander would allow a single to outfielder Andy Pages and hit Dodgers catcher Will Smith, putting on two runners with no outs.

In a move that shocked no one, Thomson brought his dependable left-hander, Matt Strahm, to face the left-handed bat of Ohtani, a player with whom Strahm had previous success, as evidenced by the three-time MVP going 2-for-6 with two strikeouts.

Strahm would get Ohtani to stare at strike three, giving the batter his fourth strikeout of the game, and would get a crucial out of Mookie Betts, who would fly out to third baseman Alec Bohm.

However, what happened next was disastrous for the Phillies and Teoscar Hernández, who would clip the lefty for a go-ahead three-run home run, tipping the scales in Los Angeles’ favor.

However, while Dave Roberts went with Glasnow, a pitcher from his starting rotation, despite waiting in the wings, Thomson did not bring in his left-handed starter Ranger Suárez.

While Strahm did have reverse splits this season, with right-handed hitters just hitting .196 off him this season compared to a .233 clip vs left-handers, the management of urgency in October and going against what you did in the regular season is what separates good managers from great managers.

Last season, Roberts earned his flowers winning the 2024 World Series with a depleted Dodgers rotation, and this year, with a shaky bullpen, he’s managed with that same aggressive mindset, which was the difference in winning or losing Game One.

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