“Bullpen always trying to blow it” - Dodgers fans get anxious with pitching decisions despite victory against Nationals
Though the Los Angeles Dodgers might have edged out the Washington Nationals with their 4-1 road victory, it was closer than the scorecard suggested in the end. Alas, a win is a win, and the Dodgers won their second straight after blowing out the New York Mets on Monday.
The Dodgers were holding on to a comfortable 4-1 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth. Evan Philips was called from the pen to close out the innings and he wasn't squeaky clean, but still came up clutch in the end.
Dodgers fans were on the edge of their seats throughout this whole ninth-innings saga. They pointed out mistakes from the bullpen through their reactions on social media:
"Evan Phillips trying to give me a heart attack," another wrote.
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS SCARE ME," another asked.
Some fans saw the positive side of things as the Dodgers got some momentum going from the last few games amid a rough stretch where they went 3-7 entering this game:
"Good win! Let’s keep this win streak going," one posted.
"Good one guys," another quipped.
"Our bullpen is already shit let’s hope this is a one time thing for Phillips… good win 🙏🏾," another fan tweeted.
What happened in the ninth innings of the Dodgers' victory over the Nats?
To start the ninth, Evan Philips first struck out Nick Senzel before giving up walks to Luis Garcia Jr. and Joey Gallo. CJ Abrams then followed it up with a line drive. A good throw from Andy Pages from right field effected a rundown of Garcia Jr. between third and home as the Dodgers got their second out of the innings.
However, the Nationals still kept the innings interesting. Philips walked another batter, this time Eddie Rosario, to load up the bases. On the tying run, Jessie Winker couldn't make the most of the situation as he went down swinging, giving Evan Philips his save.
With this win, the Dodgers improved to 14-11 for the season, while the Nationals slid to 10-12. The second game of this series will be played on Wednesday at Nationals Park.