The Dodgers are back in Los Angeles after taking the first two games of the NLDS as they attempt to punch their ticket to the NLCS on Wednesday. All the success against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park came mostly without the help of Max Muncy.
Muncy had a very quiet Wild Card series against the Cincinnati Reds, tallying just one hit over the two game series. He didn’t start either of the first two games against the Phillies with the Dodgers having faced left-handers Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo. The playing time was indeed sparse, but Muncy was on board with whatever plans Dave Roberts had in store during the two games in Philadelphia, notes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
“I think right now just the net sum, it gives us the best chance to win tonight. I felt the same way in Game 1. We’ll see how tonight goes but I’ve had conversations with Max every day and he’s completely on board.”
With right-hander Aaron Nola on the mound for the Phillies on Wednesday, expect to see Muncy back in the starting lineup at third base.
The Dodgers decided to send out Blake Treinen for the bottom of the ninth inning to close out Game 2. The decision nearly backfired in catastrophic fashion (again), but after Alex Vesia managed to get two crucial outs, Roki Sasaki was once again called upon to fan the flames. Thankfully, he did just that.
Sasaki has made quite the compelling case to be the Dodgers’ postseason closer, and after recording saves in the first two games of the series, Sasaki will be the guy moving forward for closing opportunities, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
“Obviously what Roki has done, has continued to show, has been very encouraging on a lot of fronts,” Roberts said.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson is set on starting Aaron Nola over Ranger Suarez against the Dodgers for Game 3 despite Nola’s horrific regular season numbers, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
“The numbers on their lefty (hitters) are very similar, Ranger versus Nola,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “And the trust factor — I have trust in both of them, don’t get me wrong. But Nola has pitched in some really big games for us in the last couple of years.”
