Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025

Well, it was not the Los Angeles Dodgers’ night. They didn’t hit, play good defense, and pitch well.

On a beautiful Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, the Philadelphia Phillies spanked the Dodgers 8-to-2.

Usually, Yoshinobu Yamamoto would mow down the Phillies, but he didn’t have his swing-a-miss stuff. He didn’t have his command. He allowed a home run, and when he allowed a home run during the regular season, he lost. The same thing happened in the NLDS. Yamamoto didn’t make it out of the fifth.

Dave Roberts learned that he could trust Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer, and Blake Treinen, who rebounded from his rough outing on Saturday.

From the start of the NLDS, some Dodger fans have begged Roberts to use the future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. On Wednesday, Roberts used Kershaw for the seventh and eighth innings after Kershaw hadn’t pitched since Sunday, September 28^th. Kershaw didn’t have any command. If Roberts trusted his bullpen, he would have lifted Kershaw after the seventh. Kershaw had a 5-run eighth.

In the fourth inning, when Yamamoto allowed three runs, Andy Pages made an ill-advised throw to third. It was a poor throw, and Yamamoto failed to back up third base, which allowed a run to score for the Phillies without earning it. The Dodgers’ defense wasn’t crisp. A couple of times, Tommy Edman didn’t move to prevent the ball from going into center field. His troublesome ankle probably diminished his range at second base, where he had won a Gold Glove while with the Saint Louis Cardinals. He also made a terrible throw, but Freddie Freeman saved the throw from becoming an error.

Offensively, Tommy Edman was responsible for both Dodgers’ runs. In the third, Edman hit a solo home run. In the ninth, he drove in Kiké Hernàndez, who singled.

If the Dodgers win the NLDS, they need Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freeman to produce offensively. Tyler Glasnow must pitch well for at least five innings. Roberts must find relievers who can shut down the potent Philly offense.