Dodgers’ Dave Roberts searches for offense after Game 1 shutout

SAN FRANCISCO — As helium watched his squad get unopen retired successful Game 1 of their NL Division Series with the San Francisco Giants, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ priorities changed.

“The discourtesy became much important,” Roberts acknowledged earlier Game 2 Saturday afternoon.

Before the bid started, Roberts said helium planned to commencement Cody Bellinger successful halfway tract successful each of the games astatine Oracle Park wherever heavy powerfulness alleys marque halfway tract a defensively demanding position.

But Roberts changed directions successful Game 2, starting Chris Taylor successful halfway tract and moving Bellinger to archetypal base. Matt Beaty (hitless successful six at-bats successful the wild-card crippled and NLDS Game 1) goes to the bench.

“After benignant of reasoning done things, I conscionable felt that we needed … I wanted to stake connected 4 bully at-bats,” Roberts said. “The idiosyncratic I cognize – results notwithstanding, recency – I’ll stake connected Chris. My aboriginal thought was, yeah, physique astir Cody successful halfway field. It changed.

“You person to beryllium acceptable to work and react. I’m not going to beryllium acceptable successful my ways.”

An All-Star for the archetypal clip successful his career, Taylor deed conscionable .223 successful the 2nd fractional and finished the play successful a 7-for-65 (.108) slump earlier hitting the walk-off location tally successful the wild-card crippled connected Wednesday night.

“Certainly, you springiness up a small spot of halfway tract defense,” Roberts said. “I wanted to get CT successful the lineup.”

But Roberts wasn’t acceptable to marque a determination successful near field, wherever AJ Pollock went 0 for 6 with 3 strikeouts successful the wild-card crippled and Game 1 of the NLDS – raising the specter of his 2019 NLDS show against the Washington Nationals. Pollock went 0 for 13 with 11 strikeouts successful that series.

Roberts cited Pollock’s regular play – helium deed .297 with 21 location runs and an .869 OPS – arsenic the main crushed for not starting Gavin Lux up of him successful near field. Lux deed .360 (18 for 50) implicit the last period of the play portion playing the outfield for the archetypal clip successful his career.

“There’s a body-of-work component,” Roberts said of sticking with Pollock. “I deliberation that Gavin swung the bat truly good and picked america up large for 2 weeks. There’s besides the constituent of the play AJ had and the acquisition that he’s had. So to benignant of conscionable default to a two-week illustration … I conscionable felt that the assemblage of enactment should triumph out.”

Roberts could surely reconsider that astatine immoderate constituent successful the bid – arsenic helium did with halfway tract – though the Giants could commencement a left-hander, Alex Wood, successful Game 3.

“I conscionable don’t deliberation that 2 games of not swinging the bat good is capable for maine with what he’s done for us,” Roberts said.

“I person a batch of assurance successful AJ. … I conscionable cognize that for america to triumph the World Series this twelvemonth he’s got to beryllium an integral portion of it. And I judge successful him.”

GAME FOUR

If the bid goes to a 4th game, the Dodgers’ pitching plans are precise overmuch undecided.

“I deliberation Tony (Gonsolin) is going to instrumentality the bulk. How we portion it unneurotic inactive a batch of it depends connected however Max (Scherzer, the Game 3 starter) comes retired of it, wherever we are astatine aft Game 3,” Roberts said earlier Saturday’s game. “I tin spot Tony pitching a lot. I tin spot him not pitching a lot.”

Roberts said the Dodgers volition see utilizing an opener earlier Gonsolin oregon immoderate different configuration of a bullpen game. He would not regularisation retired returning to Game 1 starter Walker Buehler connected conscionable 3 days’ remainder – thing Buehler has ne'er done.

“I’ll conscionable permission it astatine this – I deliberation everything’s connected the table,” Roberts said. “Depending wherever we are.”

TWIN BILL

Giants reliever Tyler Rogers has a duplicate brother, Taylor Rogers, who pitches for the Minnesota Twins. Taylor came to Game 1 astatine Oracle Park to enactment his brother.

“It was precise chill to person him here,” Tyler said Saturday. “A batch of radical mistook him for maine and adjacent similar during the crippled they were asking him wherefore helium was successful the stands.”

The disorder indispensable person gotten adjacent greater erstwhile Tyler went successful to transportation successful the eighth inning of Game 1.