The Los Angeles Dodgers jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. But Los Angeles missed an opportunity to sweep the Phillies and advance to the Championship Series with a Game 3 flop. Questionable decisions and a Clayton Kershaw meltdown led to an ugly 8-2 loss Wednesday.
The Dodgers revamped their struggling bullpen for the playoffs, tabbing Roki Sasaki as the closer. But manager Dave Roberts has also called on Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow in relief, with varying results. The changes were necessary due to the bullpen's season-long struggles, highlighted by Tanner Scott's down year.
Despite making the NLDS roster, Scott has yet to take the mound in the playoffs. And on Wednesday, the veteran closer wasn’t even at Dodger Stadium. After Game 3 Roberts told reporters Scott was absent for personal reasons, per the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett.
Tanner Scott misses Game 3 of NLDS
“Tanner was not at the ballpark today… There was something going on. Personal. It will come out later, but he was completely unavailable,” Roberts said, via Sonja Chen of MLB.com. It is unclear if Scott will be available moving forward in the postseason.
The ninth-year veteran’s absence likely factored into Roberts’ questionable bullpen decisions in Game 3. Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed three runs on six hits and a walk in four innings. It was Yamamoto’s shortest start since June 1.
But despite the All-Star righty’s struggles, the Dodgers only trailed 3-1 after seven innings. That’s when things fell apart for LA.
Roberts called on Kershaw in the seventh and the future Hall of Famer made it through the frame unscathed – thanks to the Phillies’ base running. But the Dodgers’ manager sent Kershaw back out to the mound for the eighth inning.
The three-time Cy Young winner got touched up by Philadelphia. He allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and a walk in the inning. J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber homered off Kershaw as the Phillies broke the game open, taking an 8-1 lead.
It’s possible that Roberts would have gone to Scott at some point in the eighth had he been available. Instead the veteran manager left Kershaw in for the entire inning as the Phillies sent up nine batters and plated five runs.
Scott hasn’t pitched since September 26. In his debut season with the Dodgers, Scott led the majors with 10 blown saves.
