This time, Roberts removed Rich Hill after seven flawless innings versus the Marlins – this despite Hill having thrown just 89 pitches.
Advertisement
The 24-year-old Dominican came oh so close Sunday in recording all but the final out of a 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Marlins Park.
“I feel sick to my stomach”.
The American League East remains tight in MLB, while Rich Hill was denied a chance for a ideal game. “Rich had an opportunity of a lifetime”. But in starts where he pitches on at least five days rest, he is better still (3.14 ERA in 89 innings). Sandy Koufax did it on September 9, 1965.
Remember, Roberts pulled rookie Ross Stripling during his major league debut on April 8, after tossing a no hitter threw 7.1 innings, but he already had 100 pitches at the time, and no one really made much of a fuss in that case. He has just three complete games in 91 big league starts over 12 seasons.
Corey Seager: Two-run homer run.
Rich Hill was on a roll on Saturday night against the Marlins. “If he had 100-something pitches, I could nearly live with it, but 89 in seven innings?”
But the game will forever be etched in history as the controversial decision to take Hill out of the game.
“They’re all big for us”. It’s something for Dave that he is in a very hard position. You look at it and move on. “That’s all you can do”.
Hill mentioned “moving forward” more than a half-dozen times during his postgame chat with reporters. Maeda gave up a leadoff single to Dee Gordon, erased him when Ichiro Suzuki bounced a double-play grounder back to the mound and didn’t give up another hit until the fourth inning. You’d like to say the important thing is the Dodgers won the game, but that was likely anyway. I’m going to lose sleep tonight.
If it were a no-hitter, even, I wouldn’t have a problem with taking him out.
Yasiel Puig did his manager no favors.
Hill was pulled after the inning for Joe Blanton, and Jeff Francoeur broke up the ideal game in the eighth.
It was the kind of catch that becomes legendary in a ideal game.
But he did! What a diving catch! But the finger is fine.
“I get it”, Hill said. With a combined flawless game four outs away, Jeff Francoeur singled to left field off the tip of shortstop Corey Seager’s glove with reliever Joe Blanton on the mound.
It’s possible that the left-handed-hitting Ethier could make his first start of the year against Urena.
Urena fell to 2-5 in eight starts since he was shifted from the bullpen to the rotation when he gave up four runs and seven hits over five innings in a loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
“We’re looking farther past this one game and he’s going to be one of our key guys in the playoffs”.
In both instances, Roberts was making considerations for both the player and the team. Roberts chose to anger his pitcher rather than subject him to an injury risk. But not one he would admit to regretting.
Advertisement
Criticize Roberts for the rest of the day, week, or year.
