Oct 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks with the media before game one of the NLDS round of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Why Did Dodgers Have Blake Treinen Pitch 9th Inning Over Roki Sasaki?

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 9:56 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a bold decision in the ninth inning of NLDS Game 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies, bringing in right-hander Blake Treinen for Emmet Sheehan when the Dodgers were up 4-1.

The Dodgers got six innings from Blake Snell and two innings from Sheehan. The duo allowed one run through eight innings, another dominant outing from Los Angeles' pitching staff.

The offense did its job, working the Philadelphia pitchers into deep counts and moving runners along with good hitting.

Scoring four runs set the Dodgers up in a good spot for the bottom of the ninth inning. Sheehan gave two innings, and Roberts had the pick of the litter for the ninth.

Roberts chose Treinen, one of the team's more dependable relievers from last year's playoffs, who struggled throughout the season despite taking part in only a few games because of injuries.

Treinen faced three batters, giving up three hits and two runs, making the score 4-3 with a runner on second base.

Roberts then handed the ball to Alex Vesia, who recorded two important outs but also allowed a hit, paving the way for Roki Sasaki to earn the save.

The Dodgers were in a jam, Vesia and Treinen were both shaky, but Sasaki came in and got a key out with relative ease.

After the game, Roberts broke down the decision to bring in Treinen over Sasaki, who has been dominant in the postseason and was sharp heading into Game 2.

“I thought about it. He hasn’t gone two of three much, at all. Just figuring the run right there, Blake’s pitched some of the biggest outs, innings in the postseason for us," Roberts said.

"And felt really confident right there. And with Vesia behind him, if needed. So I didn’t want to just, kind of, preemptively put him in there. Again, I felt good with who we had with a couple of our highest-leverage relievers.

“Fortunately, he was ready when called upon. I liked him versus Trea and he got a big out for us.”

It is hard to imagine Roberts trusting Treinen in a prominent spot again, given his performance on Monday, and his place on the roster is up in the air if the Dodgers advance to the NLCS.