The Los Angeles Dodgers were one out away from taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the World Series, but one of the most improbable finishes in MLB history now has them facing a best-of-three against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“Obviously didn’t get the result that we wanted. Wild game, back and forth, up and down, but like we’ve said all along, we know it’s not going to be easy,” Justin Turner said after the walk-off loss in Game 4. “We know how difficult this is.”
Turner again got the Dodgers going with a solo home run, becoming the first player in MLB history to go deep in the first inning of back-to-back World Series games. The homer was Turner’s 12th of his career in the postseason, breaking a tie with Duke Snider for the franchise record.
Turner also doubled as work with Dodgers hitting coaches continues to shine through.
But his four hits — and 15 by the team overall — were washed away when the Dodgers booted the ball and allowed the Rays to score two runs on a broken-bat single into right field. “That was uncharacteristic for us,” Turner acknowledged.
While it may be natural inclination for the Dodgers to have their minds wander to what could have been, Turner is confident in the team’s ability to respond. “Show up [Sunday], get back to work and find a way to win a ballgame, just like we do every single day,” Turner said.
It was a sentiment Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Kenley Jansen also expressed. Roberts additionally took blame for sending Pedro Baez back out to pitch in the seventh inning after initially telling him that wouldn’t be the case.
“It’s tough and we’ve got to digest it,” Roberts said. “But we’ve got to turn the page. Now it’s a three-game series. We’ve got Clayton going and our focus has to turn to win [Sunday]. … This is certainly a tough one but I know our guys, know the coaches. We’re going to come in fresh.
“I think we’re very resilient, we’re playing good baseball. We got beat, but we’ll be ready to go.”
Jansen points to broken bats
Like Blake Treinen, Baez and Adam Kolarek before him, Kenley Jansen was not his sharpest. Though, Jansen was not overly critical his blown save due to the Rays’ rallying behind bloop singles.
“You can’t beat yourself. You’ve got to stay positive. I didn’t give up one hard hit. What can I do? Can’t do anything with that,” Jansen said.
“Threw the pitches where I wanted. Credit to the hitters. A broken-bat single and then a bloop single, ain’t no time to hang our heads. Tomorrow is another day.”
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