MILWAUKEE — Blake TreinenThe first save of the postseason was hardly a memorable performance.
He threw more balls than strikes. He walked the first batter he faced and nearly struck out the second. And he played the final on a field that was well outside the strike zone.
But he did reach the finals, keeping the Dodgers victory over 2-1 Milwaukee Brewers introductory game National League Championship Series on Monday.
And for Treinen and the bullpen he has to anchor, that counts as serious progress.
“We've done a lot of work to try to improve some things with me,” Treinen said. “Today I felt like I hit almost every pitch.”
The fixes were simple mechanical tweaks that helped tweak his presentations, he said.
“Sometimes just by catching the ball and getting a little touch on the mound, everything starts to click. And you're kind of shocked at how fine tuning can change everything,” he said.
IN DodgersThe World Series was last season, Treinen was just as vicious as the hot-tempered Doberman, going 2-0 with three saves, a 2.19 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
Not so much this year. In his first four playoff appearances, more batters struck out than struck out, and five of the 12 batters he faced reached base. This followed a disastrous September in which he went 1-5 with a 9.64 ERA.
He didn't put out fires so much as start them. The bad results began to pile on top of each other.
“Sometimes this year, when things weren't going well,[ings] “We can speed it up a little,” he said. “That’s the hardest part, keeping your thoughts down and focusing on what you’re good at.”
But the manager Dave Robertswho managed Treinen for the past five seasons, continued to give him chances to turn things around.
“I think the best way for me to understand it is whether you're a position player who's going down or a pitcher who's maybe not getting outs at the clip that you need, we all know what our abilities are,” Treinen said. “Dave has seen me at my best and worst, and so when he calls my name, I'm grateful that he trusts me.
“And I'm confident that he puts me in situations that allow the team to win. So there's a lot of peace of mind in that.”
Treinen may have been calm, but he didn't have much room to maneuver when he replaced Rocky Sasaki on the mound Monday with two out in the ninth and the Dodgers holding a one-run lead.
Sasaki, team member surprise, playoffs are closerHe had no lights out in the postseason, and only one of the 17 hitters he faced reached base. Against the Brewers, he gave up two walks, a ground-rule double and a run-scoring sacrifice fly with two outs. When Treinen came in, Milwaukee had the tying run in first and the winning run in third—and the right-hander immediately made matters worse by walking William Contreras on six pitches to load the bases.
Treinen got a quick lead off Bryce Turang, the Brewers left fielder, but got himself into trouble again when he pulled a 1-2 sweeper that nearly hit Turang. It might have resulted in a draw had Turang not instinctively stepped aside, drawing groans from the sold-out crowd.
“It's a natural reaction,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “When the ball comes towards you, it's a break, your natural reaction is to do it.
Dodgers pitcher Rocky Sasaki pitches in the ninth inning against the Brewers in Game 1 of the NLCS on Monday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“These things happen. He will learn from this situation. But it's hard.”
For Treinen, whose only good fortune of late had been bad luck, he quickly earned a break, forcing Turanga to chase down the next serve, which was lofted high, to end the game.
The turnaround brought equal parts joy and relief to Treinen, who has brought neither of those things to the Dodgers this postseason. This time, he said he was pleased to finally be able to contribute.
“Our guys are playing great baseball,” he said. “Our bats are doing great. Our starters have been amazing. So [I’m] I’m just doing my job to finish the game.”
He also got the job done in drafting Sasaki, the hero of the NL Division Series win over the Phillies, who would be the GOAT if the Dodgers lose on Monday.
“Any time you have the opportunity as a professional to pick your teammates, it makes you proud,” Treinen said. “You just want to contribute because it’s a team game.
“Obviously guys picked me up this year. To be able to pick someone else up is nice.”
And Treinen had not felt this for a long time.
