Blue Jays exploit Dodgers bullpen in statement World Series win

The rubber match between Los Angeles Dodgers veteran southpaw Blake Snell and Toronto Blue Jays phenom Trey Yesavage didn’t quite go as either team had planned. Yesavage only went four innings, giving up two runs. Snell, on the other hand, was still on the mound in the sixth inning, having given up two runs as well. However, that was the point at which the Dodgers’ dominance began to unravel.

Dodgers' bullpen woes continue in meltdown fashion 

To start the sixth, Snell loaded the bases on a walk, single and hit batsman without recording an out, throwing his 100^th pitch of the night on the ball that hit Daulton Varsho. At that point, manager Dave Roberts was forced to make a familiar risky move: relying on his bullpen. Since the start of the postseason, the Dodgers have relied heavily on their All-Star rotation. Up until Friday, this formula worked in a near-flawless manner. The Dodgers had won nine of 10 postseason games. However, in forcing Snell to labor, the Blue Jays were able to access the Dodgers' greatest weakness.

At the time of Snell’s exit, the game was tied at 2-2. Emmet Sheehan would come out of the bullpen at Roberts' signal. He quickly gave up two hits and a walk to make it 5-2 Blue Jays before getting the first out of the inning. All three runs were charged to Snell, bringing his final line to five runs in five innings, with eight hits, three walks and four strikeouts.

From there, Roberts called on lefty Anthony Banda to garner the two remaining outs. But before that would happen, Banda surrendered a grand slam to Addison Barger and a two-run home run to Alejandro Kirk. The score: 11-2 Blue Jays.

This latest meltdown comes in the absence of Alex Vesia. Vesia’s 3.86 ERA in just 4.2 postseason innings this year might not be eye-popping, but it still qualified him as one of the Dodgers' more reliable bullpen arms. He is currently off the roster as a result of a family matter. 

A two-run home run from Shohei Ohtani would make it 11-4 Blue Jays in the seventh, and the game ended with that score intact. For the Blue Jays, it was a statement win, taking Game 1 of the World Series from a Dodgers team that looked indomitable. If the Dodgers are going to rebound, their starters will likely need to go deep. On the brighter side for Los Angeles, Justin Wrobleski and Will Klein made scoreless postseason debuts, possibly presenting themselves as reliable options for Roberts going forward.