In the games that have followed clinching a fourth straight National League West division title, the Los Angeles Dodgers have held multiple auditions. That’s despite home-field advantage in the National League Division Series still hanging in the balance.
The Washington Nationals lost Friday, but the Dodgers, despite taking a 3-2 lead on Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants, were unable to capitalize. As a result, the Dodgers ended the night the same place they began it — two games back of the Nationals.
After taking their lead, Los Angeles handed the ball to Brandon McCarthy. He was following in the footsteps of fellow career starter Brett Anderson, who threw 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen Thursday night.
McCarthy didn’t fare nearly as well. He walked Angel Pagan on four pitches, then gave up back-to-back singles that loaded the bases with nobody out.
Pinch-hitter Conor Gillaspie delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double, and Bumgarner also connected for a two-run extra-base hit. Pinch-hitter Denard Span singled and McCarthy was removed after facing six batters, retiring none.
The veteran right-hander was frustrated but didn’t have much of an explanation for the poor showing, via Bill Plunkett of the OC Register:
McCarthy acknowledged that everything felt different about warming up in mid-game and entering in the sixth inning. But he offered no other explanation for why things went so badly.
“No idea,” he said. “They just hit everything I threw. I’m angry but other than that it was so quick and so violent I don’t know what other emotion to have.”
The relief appearance was McCarthy’s first since 2007 when the Texas Rangers used him out of the bullpen on one instance. Of his 53 games with the Chicago White Sox the year prior, 51 were as a reliever.
Anderson and McCarthy are widely considered to be options as long relievers for the Dodgers come the postseason. Neither has been publicly eliminated to be named their fourth starter in the NLDS, but Julio Urias appears to have an inside track to that.
