Column: Kershaw grinds and Roberts pushes the right buttons

If it wasn’t exactly redemption for Clayton Kershaw, it sure was for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Maybe Dave Roberts, too, though the jury will be out on the Dodgers manager until the moment his team finally hoists a World Series trophy.

The Dodgers didn’t just win Game 5 on Sunday night to move within a game of doing just that. They also regained the swagger that could have easily been knocked out of them in a demoralizing loss the night before.

They did it by shaking off the effect of a brutal walk off just hours earlier that might have destroyed lesser teams. They did it by getting just enough out of a pitcher whose Hall of Fame resume is lacking only one thing — a World Series ring.

And they did it behind the chess moves of a manager who makes Dodger fans nervous every time he heads out to the mound.

“I can’t get caught up with fan reactions to the decisions I make,’’ Roberts said. ”I wanted my talent out there and they made me look good tonight.’’

A night after Kenley Jansen blew a ninth inning save in a wild finish, Kershaw kept the Dodgers close into the sixth inning — and this time Roberts pushed all the right buttons. He pulled his starter when Kershaw wasn’t in trouble, brought in a string of relievers who did their jobs and — perhaps most importantly — left Jansen sitting in the bullpen for the ninth inning.

The Dodgers also scored twice in the first inning, showing they can compartmentalize about what happened the previous night as well as they can hit.

The end result was a 4-2 win closed out by Blake Treinen that moved the Dodgers to within one win of the World Series title that has eluded them since Ronald Reagan was president.

"It’s very exciting, but at the same time, we’ve got to win one more game,” Kershaw said. “And...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Column-Kershaw-grinds-and-Roberts-pushes-the-15674506.php