The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series last season, but now they are the ones on the verge of being swept.
They are trying to do something only done once before, by the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and come back from down 3-0. Funny enough, Dave Roberts was on that team, and he knows better than anyone how difficult it will be. However, it may become even harder than it already is if Tyler Glasnow is not amazing out of the gate.
The thing is, with their backs against the wall, the Dodgers cannot save any bullets for the next day. There may not be a next day. This is an elimination game, and Roberts will have to treat it like he did the two elimination games they played in last season against the Toronto Blue Jays. In the last two years, the Dodgers have played in a total of three elimination games, and they have rarely trailed by more than one game in a series.
If Glasnow shows signs of early struggles, Roberts may have to go to one of his best pitchers, possibly needing Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Tarik Skubal to come out of the bullpen. Yes, that would throw things off for the next game or a potential Game 6, but the Dodgers need to at least live to see those games.
If Glasnow runs into trouble early, Roberts may need to use his high-leverage arms early in the game and use starters in a close game late. If that happens, not only will they be trying to overcome a 3-0 deficit, but they will be trying to do so with a diminished staff.
On paper, the Dodgers still have the pitching advantage. If they can get a win behind Glasnow today, they have Tarik Skubal lined up for Game 5, Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game 6 and all hands on deck for Game 7. However, the Brewers have the advantage of knowing they don't have to burn their rotation if things don't go their way right away. They can stick to their plan and try to keep the series from going back to Milwaukee at all, without using Jacob Misiorowski or Logan Henderson out of the bullpen.
Roberts may not have the same luxury. On top of the possibility of having to use starters out of the bullpen to keep the series alive, the Dodgers bullpen seems to be more exposed to the Brewers staff. The Brewers have used their top relievers a ton, but Shane Drohan, Chad Patrick and Kyle Harrison have not even pitched yet.
The odds are already stacked against the Dodgers, but things are bound to get even tougher if Glasnow does not shove on Thursday.