No matter how badly John Smoltz might’ve wanted to convince you otherwise, I do not believe that Monday’s 18-inning marathon in Game 3 of the World Series is why Shohei Ohtani looked mortal both at the plate and on the mound in Game 4. Sure, asking Ohtani to dominate on both sides was asking a lot out of him, but I’d say Ohtani pitched better than his final line might’ve indicated. The Toronto Blue Jays are simply a really good team, and they didn’t make things easy on him.
Ohtani had a busy game on Monday, but while he reached base nine times, five of those times came via walks, and four of those walks were intentional. He only advanced past first base twice in his last five plate appearances, and one of those times came on an intentional walk to Mookie Betts. He didn’t have to run much at all in extra innings, especially since he doesn’t play the field.
While I wouldn’t say Ohtani was suffering the most from Monday’s hard-fought victory, there are several Los Angeles Dodgers who certainly appeared to be playing a little short in their frustrating Game 4 defeat.
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LHP Anthony Banda
Sure, Anthony Banda only threw three pitches on Monday, but there are a couple of reasons to suggest he might be suffering from the ill effects that come from participating in an 18-inning classic. First, pitching on back-to-back days, in the World Series no less, isn’t easy. I know Banda is a reliever and he’s used to it, but that doesn’t make it easy.
Second, the long game forced the Dodgers to use every single member of their bullpen. This resulted in a couple of their relievers not being available, thus forcing Banda into the spotlight more than Dave Roberts might’ve preferred. The results of Banda’s appearance in Game 4 would certainly indicate that, too.
The southpaw entered a tight situation with the Dodgers trailing 2-1 and the Blue Jays having runners on second and third with nobody out in the top of the seventh. But with the No. 8 and 9 hitters due up, Banda had a path out of the inning without allowing a crooked number. Instead, Banda coughed up a run-scoring single to the light-hitting Andres Gimenez to give the Jays a 3-1 lead, and allowed another run to score on a fielder’s choice. To make matters worse, both of the runners Banda allowed to reach also scored later in the frame.
Overall, Banda allowed the two runners he inherited to score, and two of his own runners to score. His night couldn’t have gone much worse.
RHP Blake Treinen
Blake Treinen was the pitcher who allowed Banda’s runs to score, allowing back-to-back singles to Bo Bichette and Addison Barger. The only out he recorded was on an Alejandro Kirk lineout. He was brought in to keep the score at a somewhat manageable 4-1, but instead allowed two runs to score before recording an out, all but ending the game right there.
This happening after Treinen retired just one of the four batters he faced in Game 3, allowing a crucial run to score in the process, really stung. Rough outings have been par for the course for the once-dominant righty, who now has an 8.31 ERA this postseason after his Game 4 clunker.
He only threw 15 pitches on Monday, so not an insane amount, but all 15 of those pitches came under a ton of stress. And knowing his struggles this postseason, it was a lot to ask of him going back out there on Tuesday. I don’t blame Roberts, given his lack of alternatives, but Monday’s thriller did not help Treinen in the slightest.
C Will Smith
He had a rough game, going 1-for-6 with four strikeouts, but Will Smith caught all 18 innings of Monday’s game. He caught two full games in one night with no break. There wasn’t even a mid-game Jonas Brothers concert to give him a blow. He deserves a ton of credit for doing that and starting the next night.
Unfortunately, Smith looked a bit off at the plate following a rough night at the office, as he went 0-for-4 in the loss. His last at-bat was an eighth-inning double play, which all but ended any hopes for a Dodgers last-ditch comeback attempt.
Smith is a huge reason why this series is tied to begin with, and again, it’s completely understandable that he was gassed after catching 18 innings. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that he was, in fact, suffering from their 18-inning hangover.
