The strategy, according to manager Dave Roberts on Tuesday afternoon, appeared straightforward.
As the Dodgers geared up to compete against Milwaukee Brewers’ rising star Jacob Misiorowski, a right-handed pitcher known for his powerful throws and immense potential, who was marking his fifth appearance as a starter in MLB, the club’s skipper kept emphasizing a crucial point during his conversation with reporters before the game:
“Put as much pressure on him as possible.”
Considering Misiorowski’s limited experience, the objective was to extend the duration of at-bats, inflate his number of pitches, and “avoid [making] easy outs,” as described by Roberts.
The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski shouts during the sixth inning of a game against the Dodgers on Tuesday in Milwaukee. (Aaron Gash / Associated Press)
“If he’s forced to repeat his pitches frequently, there might be chances for a few base hits, some walks,” he elaborated. “Again, the objective is to apply pressure and hopefully secure a couple of significant hits.”
An impactful hit occurred early, with Shohei Ohtani initiating the game with his 31st homer this season. However, following that initial moment, the only pressure visible at American Family Field on Tuesday originated from the Dodgers’ batting lineup, which accumulated 12 strikeouts when facing Misiorowski during a 3-1 defeat to the Brewers. This marked the Dodgers’ fifth consecutive loss.
“That was exceptionally impressive,” Dodgers’ left-handed pitcher and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw commented regarding Misiorowski, a promising 23-year-old who is 14 years younger than him. “That was truly remarkable.”
The strikeouts accumulated rapidly for Misiorowski after Ohtani’s early hit (his ninth leadoff homer of the current season, which also established a Dodgers’ record for the highest number of total home runs before the All-Star break).
Mookie Betts swung and missed at a slider in his subsequent at-bat. Then, Freddie Freeman failed to connect with a curveball. Andy Pages was caught off guard by a fastball clocked at 100.8 mph, one of the 21 pitches that exceeded triple digits launched by Misiorowski from his tall and slender physique.
Subsequently, the Dodgers didn’t pose any further stress to the rookie pitcher until the sixth inning, when they failed to capitalize on having runners in scoring position with only one out.
“He has really good stuff,” Ohtani remarked, speaking through his interpreter, Will Ireton. “He was aggressive within the strike zone. However, his command and control really caught my attention. In the [third-inning] at-bat, with a runner on base, if I had driven that runner in, the score would have been 2-0. So, I believe the situation could have been quite different.”
Ultimately, the missed opportunity in the sixth inning turned into the game’s pivotal event.
The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski is doused with a sports drink by Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio after a win over the Dodgers on Tuesday in Milwaukee. (Aaron Gash / Associated Press)
Ohtani secured a walk to lead off, and Betts followed with a single that went through the infield. However, with one out, Ohtani was tagged out at home trying to score from third on Pages’ ground ball up the line, making an aggressive, but sound, decision in a game where the Dodgers had accepted that scoring would be challenging.
“It’s difficult to see the positives when a pitcher strikes out 12 of your players,” Roberts stated. “It’s never a good feeling to lose five consecutive games. But today, I think it was one of those situations where the guy’s talent was just too good, no matter who was up at bat. He performed really well tonight.”
After Michael Conforto grounded out to first base to conclude the inning, Misiorowski headed back to the dugout with a few taps on his chest, marking the end of a six-inning start in which he allowed only one run and recorded all 12 strikeouts within the first five innings (equaling the most strikeouts by any MLB pitcher in the first five innings of a game since 2008).
“I know him now, huh?” Kershaw said humorously, after mentioning the previous day that he only knew Misiorowski for his high velocity and an awkward ankle twist that ended his scoreless debut four weeks prior.
“It was truly special. I mean, everything. Obviously, the velocity, but he has four different pitches, good command of the ball, and honestly, I don’t know how you hit that. It’s just really tough.”
Kershaw also had a solid six-inning start, allowing two runs in a very different manner. With his fastball reaching only 90 mph, and the 37-year-old securing just three strikeouts in his first appearance since joining the 3,000 strikeout club last week, Kershaw navigated the Brewers’ lineup by inducing soft contact.
“I felt better for sure,” Kershaw remarked, after lowering his ERA to 3.38. “I was able to throw the ball to both sides of the plate today, which helped a lot. I just had more variety in my pitches. It wasn’t as predictable as it has been recently.”
The problem was: The Brewers still managed to build a rally in the bottom of the fourth inning.
After achieving a single on a swinging bunt down the third base line in his first plate appearance, Milwaukee catcher William Contreras repeated the play to lead off the inning. Then, Jackson Chourio beat the shift with a ground ball to the opposite side.
That set up Andrew Vaughn to hit a line-drive single on a slider over the outer part of the plate, tying the score. In the following at-bat, Isaac Collins also located a gap in the infield, sneaking another ground-ball single between Betts and Rojas on the left side of the infield, giving Milwaukee a 2-1 lead.
“Those are challenging,” Kershaw said, regarding the infield hits. “There’s not much you can do about those. But the Vaughn one was a mistake for sure.”
Even after Misiorowski left the game, a Dodgers lineup that was already missing several players (including injured veterans Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman, and Max Muncy, as well as primary catcher Will Smith, who was scheduled for a day off) couldn’t find a way to rally.
The Brewers’ bullpen retired all nine batters they faced. Sal Frelick hit a home run off Kirby Yates for an additional run in the eighth inning. And on a day when the Dodgers aimed to create pressure, they were instead dealing with the frustration of a season-high five-game losing streak.
“I don’t think we saw a fastball under 98 mph today as a team,” Kershaw noted. “So, you can talk about struggling all you want, but this was just a tough game. I can’t allow any runs. That’s just the way it is.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/article/dodgers-struggle-against-brewers-extend-022615025.html
