Dodgers disappointed after putting Webb ‘on the ropes’ early originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts knew the challenge his team faced Wednesday night in their quest to beat the Giants on the road and improve to 6-0 on the season against their NL West rivals.
By giving the ball to 29-year-old Elieser Hernandez for the first time this season, Giants manager Bob Melvin entrusted team ace Logan Webb to get back in the win column one night after a vicious eight-run loss. Roberts acknowledged the difficulties the Dodgers faced on Webb during his pregame availability, comparing the 2023 NL Cy Young Award runner-up’s arsenal to that of a backyard pitcher throwing a wiffle ball.
“Very durable and very good competitor,” Roberts said. “It’s difficult to square him, because the ball moves everywhere. He doesn’t scare. I think he’s probably one of the most underrated starters in baseball. … Every time he gets the ball, they have a good chance to win.”
Competitor Webb shined brightest in a gutsy 4-1 Giants victoryespecially after a rough start to what looked like a possible long game in the Dodgers’ favor.
Mookie Betts led off the game by lining a low changeup from the strike zone to center field, followed by a six-pitch walk to Shohei Ohtani to bring star first baseman Freddie Freeman to the plate. Having the speed of Betts and Ohtani on the bases and Freeman in the batter’s box is never good for a pitcher, even one of Webb’s caliber. But Webb blocked and sent Freeman back to the dugout on a foul hit off catcher Curt Casali’s glove.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith then threw a nine-pitch at-bat that ended with him being hit by a pitch in the left arm. Just like that, Webb had already thrown 23 pitches in his first four batters of the game, recorded just one out and loaded the bases for Max Muncy, who entered the night with a career .375 batting average for Webb – including three home runs.
Webb struck out Muncy on four pitches and escaped a scoreless first inning after Teoscar Hernandez lined out to right fielder Mike Yastrzemski. The Dodgers walked six batters, forced Webb to throw 32 pitches and had nothing to show for it.
The first inning was the opportunity to capitalize on Webb’s mistakes, and the deficiencies of those three outs persisted after the loss.
“In the first inning we had Webb on the ropes and we couldn’t cash in right there,” Roberts said. “Then it settled in and we didn’t really threaten after that.”
A lineup of MLB All-Stars and MVP candidates has dominated opposing pitchers this season. The Dodgers before Wednesday night led the National League in batting average, hits, home runs, doubles, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS as well as walks.
But they left 11 men on base and went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.
The top of the fifth inning was the Dodgers’ second chance to get to Webb, and they again came up short. Ohtani hit a two-out single up the middle and advanced to third base on a liner from Freeman to right field, but Ohtani was stopped from scoring the Dodgers’ first run of the night when Smith threw a force to shortstop Casey Schmitt.
“We were knocking on the door several times tonight, but we couldn’t rescue them,” Smith said. “He never gives up. He has very good things. He was advancing after the first round and managed to escape with a zero.
“You just tip your cap and try to get to the next shift. I thought we followed our plan. We made it very difficult for him, we just didn’t profit in some races and that happens sometimes.”
What appeared to be a short outing for Webb ended with him throwing six scoreless innings where he gave up three hits, and also had three strikeouts while walking three. The Dodgers struck out 18 hits before recording another hit from Webb following Betts’ leadoff single. Webb after the first inning averaged just over 14 pitches in his final five innings, and two of his three strikeouts came in his final inning of the night.
“It’s over 30 shots, and I’m wondering how he’s going to get four [innings]let alone six,” said Melvin after the victory.
The Dodgers have a short flight back to Los Angeles, but that first inning will be frustrating for Roberts and others to look back on and wonder what could have been.
The Giants, at 20-25, are somehow just 1.5 games out of the NL’s third wild card spot after Wednesday’s win. Webb picked up his first career regular season home win against L.A. by hanging in there and being the bulldog the Giants needed him to be, possibly creating the perfect amount of momentum before hosting the last-place but red-hot Colorado Rockies by three games at Oracle Park.
