Los Angeles Dodgers preserve some pitchers in Game 4 loss - ESPN

NEW YORK — As Game 4 evolved and the margin shrank, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was confronted with an interesting choice — the type one hardly confronts in the high-stakes environment of a World Series. One was to use his best relievers in hopes that his offense might come all the way back, giving the Dodgers the best possible opportunity to clinch a title. The other was to essentially punt, utilizing lower-leverage relievers to save his best arms for another day.

Roberts clearly chose the latter approach in Tuesday's 11-4 loss to the New York Yankees. The hope — with his team still up 3-1 and a win away from a championship — is that it will pay off in the very near future.

«It's challenging,» Roberts said. «I think you've got to be certain that you can score some runs. Certainly any guy we use tonight would have not been able to pitch tomorrow.»

The Dodgers burned through six high-leverage relievers who combined to throw 100 pitches in Monday's Game 3. It got them the victory that provided a commanding lead in this best-of-seven series, but it severely compromised the bullpen game that would be staged 24 hours later.

The Dodgers used the unheralded Ben Casparius and Landon Knack to tackle six of Game 4's first seven innings, during which they allowed only two runs. When the eighth inning arrived, L.A. trailed by just two runs. But rather than pluck from his group of high-leverage arms — fronted by Blake Treinen, who warmed up in Game 3 but did not pitch — Roberts handed the ball to Brent Honeywell, a long reliever who did yeoman's work by bailing out the bullpen in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series but is nonetheless low in the pecking order.

Honeywell proceeded to give up five runs,