Los Angeles Dodgers beginning pitcher Max Scherzer walks within the dugout in recreation three of the 2021 NLDS towards the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances through Getty ImagDodgers supervisor Dave Roberts’ resolution to tug Julio Urias as his Recreation 5 starter and as an alternative insert reliever Corey Knebel simply seven hours earlier than the scheduled 6:07 p.m. first pitch supplied a little bit of surprising gamesmanship forward of a winner-take-all affair towards the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
Baseball writers frantically weighed in on the gambit and what it might imply (when you’re imagining the Charlie conspiracy GIF from “It is At all times Sunny in Philadelphia” you are not alone). Some pointed to it as a technique to make the Giants rethink their right-handed-batter-heavy lineup by beginning a right-handed pitcher:
Others pointed to Knebel’s splits towards lefties and righties as cause for S.F. to remain the course, forcing Urias (every time he is available in) to nonetheless go up towards the right-hander-heavy lineup:
And nonetheless others disliked the transfer outright, questioning if Roberts was in reality outsmarting himself:
CBS baseball analyst Will Middlebrooks offered up doubtlessly probably the most intriguing state of affairs, nevertheless: What if Urias does not pitch in any respect?
Middlebrooks floated the potential for Dodgers ace and future Corridor of Famer Max Scherzer, who is meant to pitch a bullpen session at the moment, relieving Knebel if the Giants keep on with their right-handed bats. Urias might then nonetheless be accessible if Giants skipper Gabe Kapler shifted issues again to a lefty-heavy lineup.
Nonetheless following?
We’ll see the way it all unfolds when Recreation 5 of the Nationwide League Division Sequence will get underway.
