Tanner Scott Receives a Vote of Confidence Despite a Mediocre Performance

If the Los Angeles Dodgers have one weakness, it's certainly in the bullpen—and more specifically at the closer position.

In fact, the California team's top reliever entered the ninth inning of yesterday's (Saturday's) game against the Atlanta Braves with a four-run lead and came out of it with a lead of just two runs.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, they had built up a cushion thanks to a few home runs. But this still raises a number of questions about what lies ahead.

Still, Scott's role seems unlikely to change after the first game of the National League Division Series, as manager Dave Roberts expressed his confidence in his pitcher immediately after the Dodgers' 5-3 victory.

This was despite the fact that Evan Phillips had to come out of the bullpen to get the final out of the game and record his first playoff save.

I had planned to bring Evan in for Dubon from the start. With the lead we had, and knowing that the Atlanta lineup would be relying on certain left-handed hitters, I felt good about that lineup of batters for Scott. If it had been the eighth inning, I probably would have used him there, so it was more a matter of matchups and the game's score.

Let me take issue with your first statement, my little David. With a four-run lead in the ninth inning, you don't plan to bring in a reliever for just one batter at the end of the inning.

That said, it's true that this wasn't a save situation, as Scott was tasked with facing Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson to protect his team's four-run lead.

Still, this raises a host of questions about what will happen when the time actually comes for the closer to finish the job in a critical save situation.

That's something to watch for in the coming days.

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