Dodgers Hold Off Phillies Comeback in Game 2 of NLDS | MLB on TBS

Dodgers Hold Off Phillies Comeback in Game 2 of NLDS | MLB on TBS

see what happens in game three. Now, game two here on the anniversary of Roy Holidayiday throwing a no hitter in the playoffs. His sons throwing to Carlos Ruiz Chuchch and we saw some great pitching in this one. Snell on fire early. Pedro. Yeah, I I I was really impressed. I thought Otani pitched well, but man, Blake Snell is like in mid-season form and nice and fresh. Great news for the Dodgers. Scary first inning for Lazardo and then he went crazy. Get this. Tonight was just the second game in MLB postseason history that both starters allowed one hit or less through six innings. The game of his life, but it all changed in the seventh inning, uh, Curtis, like it always seems to with the Dodgers. There’s just so many bats there, you know, one MVP after another MVP, and you just give them opportunities. Eventually, somebody’s going to get a hit. The thing is, they strung those hits together in the seventh inning like they were able to do tonight. Lazardo’s night would end with six innings pitched and five Ks. A broken bat for Kik scores to Oscar. It was the Hernandez brothers had it yet again. JR, you know that that that’s one of those plays. Look, it’s a tough play. You’re coming in. You know, you got to make the throw to get the guy, but as a shortstop, you have to make that throw up the line. Give the catcher a chance to catch the ball and block him off the plate or at least make a good tag without reaching back across. It just feels wrong that Will Smith is doing damage in Philadelphia. He’s from West Philly. That’s what I thought. Born and raised, but today he knocks it through. It would then become 40 as the Dodgers were pouring it on. We came down here, Curtis. We thought it was over and then they brought us back in. It’s not over till it’s over. Get runners on. Cause a little pressure. Anything could happen. And we thought we might see it happen as this is getting now down to a oneun lead. Castanos called safe there. on what many believe was questionable base running. And then you could raise this question again. Bryson Sto lays down the bunt, thrown out at third. I see nothing wrong with that play. I mean, you might get mad trying to play for the tie, but you’re at home. You have to win the ball game. Put yourself in position. If we tie this game here, we we can possibly go to extras. And this heart was in our throats. The skit throw there to Freeman. He digs it out. He gets the out and the Dodgers win both games in Philadelphia. The Dodgers have now won nine in a row. The beginning that top of the lineup for the Phillies, including Kyle Schwarber who is now 0 for his last 21 with 13 Ks. They can’t get it done. The comeback falls short and the Dodgers have been showing grit. Just ask Blake Snow. What can you say about the grit of the team? Just that pick by Freddy, the bunt defense. Will’s playing with a broken hand. Yeah. No, it’s unbelievable. And then uh my on the bunt to go three as well. I mean, what a wild inning, but to play here, get two wins in this environment is special. And the team’s clicking right now. It’s a lot of fun. It was a impromptu play that I just told Muki, you know, you know, St’s going to bunt. He’s a good bunner. And so, let’s just run a wheel play. Those guys executed it to perfection. And for me, that was our only chance really to win that game in that moment. I love the fight in the eighth and ninth inning. Um they fought like hell and and hopefully that carries over into Wednesday, but this is a resilient group. Our backs are against the wall. Um you just got to come out fighting. Yeah. Does it suck that we didn’t get a win here? Absolutely. But now we have to go out there. We have to focus on one game at a time. There’s no looking ahead, right? And you know, make our fight back home here in Philly cuz we’re going to be coming back to some some point. Make it worth something. All right. So, we’re out here cuz we’re going to break down the bunt, which seemed like the pivotal moment in the game. But first, we got to talk about Blake Snell. Held the first 13 batters hitless. What did you see from his stuff tonight? I I saw the typical Blake Snail when he’s healthy, when when he’s on, and uh unfortunate for the Phillies. Uh this is a guy that’s very deceiving. uh has outstanding stuff, was mixing in his pitches, and I think he learned something from Otani because I saw him take pretty much the same approach against some of the same guys attacking the strike zone, attacking the strike zone in certain areas. This is a good example right here on Turner. A lot of change ups on on Shawber. Start him up inside, finish him late on the outside part of the plate. That’s what Otani was doing. and with breaking stuff. He was really executing today. A guy, like I said, over the top, really deceiving, uh, hard to center, and Philadelphia did not do a good job of putting the balls in play against a guy that’s normally tough. And then you strike out that many times, 20 24 times, I think it was, that they struck out in the in the last two games. That’s way too many strikeouts. You can never overcome that against a good team like the Dodgers and especially having guys like Blake Snail do what what he did tonight. Heading into that ninth inning, batters two through six for the Phillies. So this is Schwarber, Harper, Bow, um Real Muto, and Castanos 0 for 15 with five Ks. Now the ninth inning, they came alive. So let’s check out tonight’s allhe heart moment presented by Thriving because it’s the one that everyone’s been talking about. Philly started off going single, double, double, shows a butt. Jimmy, what are you seeing here? Well, what what should happen is that on that first pitch, Casiano should What’s this play where the second So, so the will play means we’re giving up second base, right? We’re going to take our chance and get the out at third. Worst case scenario, he’s safe. We get the out at first. Gotcha. But as a base runner, you have to see what’s going on. Mookie isn’t really holding him on. He’s just kind of standing right there behind him. And what I didn’t like about his lead is Castanos went straight out. You’re always taught at second base when you take your lead, you walk towards a short stop. You looked like Miyuki’s in a dead spring, right? And you’re almost at you. See, and that at that position, he can feel Mookie. He can hear Mookie. When Mookie moves, you move with him. But remember, there’s no force play. There’s no force play at third. He’s got to tag you at third. He has to tag you at third. So, they’re giving up second base. That means I can get as far as I can because no one’s going to be at second base. Always get back. He didn’t do that. He was just kind of sitting there almost like there was no game plan like what to do. If I can if I can read this bunt and it’s and it’s short, I can always get I mean and and it’s short and I can get there, I can go. If not, I can go back. I can dictate a lot of things as a runner. If I take this lead as I’m coming back, Curtis is there. He’s holding me on. Okay, perfect. The bag is here. They can’t pick me off. third base coach is watching the second baseman. I have my eyes on him because he’s probably already away from me because he has to get the first, right? So, I’m going to walk back and I and I want to see exactly where Curtis is. If there’s a pick, two things. He’s going to have to go around me and I can just cut him off right here cuz if he bumps me. If he bumps me, I get to advance to third. But also, as a play goes on, if I’m here, I’m standing here. I’m not worried about the pick at second. As Muki is hitting there and the pitcher lifts his leg, I can see the ball in the strike zone, I have to anticipate he’s going to bunt that pitch. And with no one at second base, I can get down as far as I can. The catcher is not going to run back and try to get me a second base. So, as Mookie starts to take off and he goes, I’m going right there with him as fast as I can, as far as I can because I do want to get to third. But if I see that Mookie’s four or five steps ahead of me, I can hit on the brakes. They’re going to yell third because that’s what it looks like I’m doing. Yes, I can go back to second. Now, now there’s runners on first and second and nobody out. But the most important thing for those out there, base runners, when you’re on second base, find the shortstop. Your third base coach is going to take the second baseman. We’re not worried about the pick. They showed us on the first pitch what exactly they’re doing. They’re crashing. Find the shortstop. Get in his face. I want to feel you. What’s going on, Curtis? You good? Right. Okay. The only way he can pick me is by running through me. If he runs through me, I get a free advance. But that way, like I said, I want to feel as deep as deep as you want to. You can take a deep, you could take a lead to center field if you like. Now, you can get picked off, but you can do that. They tell you to come deep. Get right next to me. And as a short stop, if we were So, if we were reversed, if you do that, I’m going to play with you. I’m going to mess with you. You come back towards me. Hey, just to get you thinking I might go there because I have to beat you here. And if you’re and if you’re deep, you’re changing my angle to third. I can’t run straight across. The deeper you get, either have to try to get you to come back or I’m going to have to stay screening. And as a third baseman, if you see the runner coming along with me and I’m looking like this. Guess what? You’re not making that throw. You are not making that throw. So, there’s a lot of things he could have done. A lot of people are questioning Rob Thompson right now in terms of bunting at all. What do you guys think? You guys are still okay with the decision to bunt. Dave Roberts said, “We knew he was bunting. That’s why they called the play.” The reason they knew he was bunting is because you have stopped facing a lefty. He’s 0 for five against him. His OPS against lefties on the season isn’t that high. It’s like around 600, I think. Yeah. You need to get the runner to third base. You need to get him 90 with no outs. And then you could put yourself. So, you’re saying it’s less about the decision to bunt and more of the reading of the base running 100%. You could always go to secondary with no I can get I can get as far as I can if I see the throw is going to beat me because he was out by by by good ways. But at some point one I see the ball in his own. I’m anticipating he was taking his lead. The ball was coming in his zone and he was breaking down to read if the bunt was going to get down. There’s no reason to cuz there’s no one at second. Even if he pops it up, guess what? Everybody no one’s going to be a second. Everybody’s going to be in here trying to catch the ball, right? There is nothing. He took a normal lead just like a normal, you know, a normal lead. Just here I am just chilling. Okay, here comes the bunt and he kind of gets there and does a normal lead stuff. Not any effort, real really true great effort to get to third. Easy. And if and even if you’re just going to take, let’s just say you just take a normal lead without going deep, but you always should. As soon as he breaks, knowing no one’s there, run as far down as you can. If he gets back, stop. No one’s at second base. You can walk to second base. It’s everything you’re talking about right now is base running game plan. Yes. And that was also because you were a great base runner. You stole a ton of bases. Nick kind of looked like someone that hasn’t had a game plan when it runs the bases like that. It didn’t look like he had a game plan there. Yeah. Yeah. And and that that that was big. You can always go back. There’s no force. You can go back. You can always have gone back to second.

MLB on TBS crew Pedro Martinez, Curtis Granderson, Jimmy Rollins, and Adam Lefkoe react to Game 2 of the NLDS between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. The crew also breaks down the crucial bunt play by the Phillies in the 9th inning.

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