It has been a Division Series of attrition, one with pinch hitters and relievers galore trundling out of dugouts and bullpens in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. For the Dodgers and Nationals, this series has been full of trips to the mound and calls to the ‘pen, and as starters on each side have failed to go the distance—or even get halfway there—both Dave Roberts and Dusty Baker have found themselves grinding every last bit of use out of every player on the roster.
So it was in Game 3, where both teams saw their starters exit early and turned the NLDS into bullpens on parade, trying to cobble together innings with the likes of Sammy Solis and Josh Fields and Pedro Baez.