Dodgers Dugout: Dodgers-Padres Game 5 is what postseason baseball is all about

Gavin Lux celebrates with Mookie Betts after Lux’s two-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 4.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Charge up the defibrillator, Game 5 against the Padres is here.

Wow, Game 3 and 4 were certainly exciting, for different reasons. After two years of this newsletter calling out the Dodgers for lacking passion and intensity in the postseason, they have showed plenty of both this season.

Like last time, the Games 3 and 4 recaps were written as the games were going on, sort of stream of consciousness.

This is fun everyone, don’t lose sight of that.

Game 3

—Hey, the Dodgers scored first! Miracles can still happen. Maybe Jurickson Profar missing the catch on Mookie Betts’ homer is a good sign.

—The Padres didn’t score in the first inning? Miracles can still happen.

—Miracles are over. Wheels come off in the second inning. Buehler did his job, but Manny Machado was running on the grass and got in the way of Freddie Freeman‘s throw, preventing a potential double play, and Miguel Rojas made a mental error running to second for the force, missing another double play.

—Or as Yogi Berra always said, “Nobody likes Manny Machado.”

—What Machado did by running on the grass wasn’t technically illegal. It’s a judgment call by the umpire and is not reviewable. It was a smart baseball play. But, how far into the infield can runner go? Maybe he can run and tackle the pitcher when the pitcher fields the ball.

—It reminded me, and I’m sure many of you, of the Reggie Jackson play in Game 4 of the 1978 World Series, where he leaned his hip into a throw from Bill Russell, deflecting the ball into the outfield and preventing a double play. That play was obviously illegal and wasn’t called.

—Freeman discusses the play here.

—Legal or not, it would have been nice to see Dave Roberts come on to the field and argue it a little. Two reasons: It might fire his team up a bit, and it would give Walker Buehler some extra time to settle down.

—If Buehler is having that much trouble hearing, maybe just go back to flashing signs?

—And it’s 6-1. You can’t give a good team like the Padres five or six outs a game.

—Buehler has lost the ability to put away hitters when he has two strikes on them. He might regain that ability, but not now. Those six runs aren’t all on him, but the old Buehler doesn’t give up that home run to Fernando Tatis.

—As mentioned before, Teoscar Hernández rises to the moment.

—The team of the last two seasons doesn’t rally so emotionally from a 6-1 deficit on the road.

—Sad to see Rojas in pain on the bench after being removed. He’s a gamer.

—John Smoltz went to the teeter totter analogy a few times too many.

—Judging by the emails I got right after it happened, that dugout tirade by Buehler re-endeared him to a few Dodger fans.

—That was a solid effort by Buehler. If you recreate the second inning and take away the mistakes fielders made, he gives up one run. His pitching line looks much worse than what he actually did.

—The strike zone is much wider than it was in Game 2.

—Freeman gets a hit in the eighth. He’s in a lot of pain. Think about the worst sprained ankle or wrist you have had. Multiply it by 10. That is what Freeman is dealing with. He would be out six weeks if this had happened during the season.

—Once again, the Dodger bullpen is stellar. But so is the Padre bullpen.

—The Dodgers were one for 21 after Teoscar’s slam.

—After an exciting first three innings, nothing happened. The Dodgers gave the game away though. They should be up 2-1. Buehler gets the loss, but he didn’t lose it.

Game 4

—Some of you wondered, so I asked Jack Harris, who was kind enough to answer: When the Dodgers play at Petco Park, some players drive themselves down to San Diego, others take one of the Dodgers’ luxury buses. Multiple buses travel to San Diego carrying all the personnel and equipment needed.

—Betts has found his mojo again and has finally decided to hit home runs far enough so no one can catch it.

—That seemed like a complete waste of Dylan Cease. Why start him and then pull him so quickly? He’s your ace, if you thought he had to be pulled quickly, then don’t start him at all. Save him for Game 5. If the Padres lose this series, a lot of Padres fans are going to look back at this decision with some questions.

—The Dodger teams of the last couple of season would lose Game 4 meekly. This team is built differently.

—I had nice things to say about Smoltz after Game 1, and he does make some great points. But he never stops talking. It’s OK to have a second or two of dead air.

—Ohtani is the slowest-looking fast player in history.

—Tough break with the ball hitting the umpire and it landing right in front of Machado so he could throw Ohtani out at home. But it reminds me of an old saying Yogi Berra coined in the 1950s: “Nobody likes Manny Machado.”

—The Dodgers are through four innings and have already used Ryan Brasier, Anthony Banda, Michael Kopech and Alex Vesia. Someone remaining is going to have to pitch more than one inning, but who? And do they trust Landon Knack, Ben Casparius or Edgardo Henriquez to pitch?

—Alex Vesia walked a tightrope in the fifth inning. But Kyle Higashioka swung at a bad pitch for strike three and Luis Arraez broke his bat. Sometimes the baseball gods smile upon you.

—The Dodgers have had chances to add insurance runs. Hopefully it doesn’t come back to haunt them.

—Another solid bunt from Tommy Edman, an old-school player and a great trade deadline pickup.

—And the Dodgers add some insurance runs. They must have hacked into this newsletter and read what I wrote two lines up.

—Weird segment about Hurricane Milton. It was basically “Hey, sorry about that hurricane. Now, back to the game.”

—8-0 final. The largest shutout victory in Dodgers postseason history, which is pretty incredible when you consider their lengthy postseason history.

—The Dodger bullpen was awesome.

—I’ll be honest, I would not have bet on a Dodger rout in this game. I figured either a narrow win or a Padre rout. But the Dylan Cease usage remains a mystery.

—But really, I knew Game 4 was in the bag when I looked at the box of pears my wife brought home from the store and noticed the box said “Distributed by Scully Packing Company.”

—My prediction remains: Dodgers in five.

Game 5

So it comes down to tonight. The Dodgers announced late Thursday that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 5. Which is an interesting choice considering Yamamoto is 0-1 against the Padres this season, with a 13.00 ERA in three starts (including Game 1). In nine innings, he has given up 13 hits, 13 runs and walked four while striking out nine.

All things considered, I’d have gone with Jack Flaherty, but as I always like to point out, the decisions I make on my couch have a 100% success rate.

Of course, it worked so well in Game 4, maybe the Dodgers should just go with bullpen games the rest of the way.

You have to figure that Flaherty, or someone from the bullpen, will be ready to go quickly if Yamamoto gets into any type of trouble. If he tips his pitches again, then it could get ugly quickly. So, get him out of there fast if need be.

Also, Rojas probably won’t play in Game 5 (but Freeman will). That means Edman moves to short, leaving center for Kiké Hernández, Chris Taylor or Andy Pages. I’d go with Hernández.

Yu Darvish goes for the Padres. He is 5-5 with a 2.27 ERA in 15 career starts against the Dodgers. Maybe they can round up some of those slick baseballs Darvish complained about after Game 7 of the 2017 World Series.

If you are going to the game, get there early and enjoy the atmosphere. Hope that you are not near any of the more drunken fans during the game. Boo, heckle, but don’t throw things. Be as loud as Padres fans were.

This is what October baseball is supposed to be like. Two great teams in a deciding game. This feels more like a league championship series than a division series.

If the Dodgers win, revel in the joy. If they lose, be disappointed and tip your cap to the Padres. Whatever happens, the sun will come up Saturday and it will be time to turn the page.

If the Dodgers win, the next newsletter will be Sunday ahead of Game 1 against the Mets. If they lose, it will be Monday and we will talk about the season. So I sign off with this: Hope to see you Sunday.

Dodgers’ NLDS schedule

Saturday: Dodgers 7, San Diego 5. WP-Ryan Brasier. LP-Adrián Morejón. Save-Blake Treinen. (box score)
Sunday: San Diego 10, Dodgers 2. WP-Yu Darvish. LP-Jack Flaherty. (box score)
Tuesday: at San Diego 6, Dodgers 5. WP-Michael King. LP-Walker Buehler. Save-Robert Suarez. (box score)
Dodgers 8, at San Diego 0. WP-Evan Phillips. LP-Dylan Cease. (box score)
Friday: San Diego (Yu Darvish) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto), 5:08 p.m., Fox

*-if necessary

In case you missed it

Yoshinobu Yamamoto to start winner-take-all NLDS Game 5 for Dodgers

Shaikin: Dodgers want fans fired up for Game 5. ‘Bring the energy, but be smart about it.’

Hernández: Don’t overthink it, Dodgers. Game 5 should be another bullpen game

Plaschke: Dodger up! Desperate Dodgers dump Padres and return to Dodger Stadium for Game 5

Shaikin: Shohei Ohtani was supposed to fix the Dodgers’ postseason woes. So why hasn’t he?

Bullpen will be tasked with saving battered and bruised Dodgers in Game 4

Dodgers’ Walker Buehler robbed of luxury watch at Santa Anita Park, 10 days before Game 3 start

And finally

“He did it! Hobbs did it!” Watch and listen here.