Dodgers manager Dave Roberts chose to leave a struggling Jack Flaherty on the mound in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series to preserve the bullpen. It was the right call, here’s why.
If Roberts had deployed multiple high-leverage relievers and the Dodgers still lost, the next two games of the NLCS would’ve been a disaster.
Instead, he chose to leave Flaherty in for three innings and replaced the starter with Brent Honeywell for 4.2 innings of Game 5. Flaherty gave up eight run, eight hits, four walks, and earned zero strikeouts. Honeywell gave up four earned runs.