Game 2 of the NLDS was a heart-stopping thriller between the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who already held a 1-0 series lead, and the Philadelphia Phillies, who wanted to take command of the series. And the Dodgers eventually won the game 4-3 that they could’ve lost.

After the game, everyone wanted to know why Treinen? “I thought about it. He hasn’t gone two of three much, at all,” Roberts said about Roki Sasaki as he was concerned about Sasaki’s workload, suggesting pitching two games in three days was too much.

Roberts continued, “Just figuring the run right there, Blake’s pitched some of the biggest outs, innings in the postseason for us. And felt really confident right there. And with (Alex) Vesia behind him, if needed. So I didn’t want to just, kind of, preemptively put (Sasaki) in there. Again, I felt good with who we had with a couple of our highest-leverage relievers.”

For the first six innings, the game was a classic pitchers’ duel where Dodgers ace Blake Snell and Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo were simply untouchable. But in the top of the seventh inning, the Dodgers’ offense finally broke the game open and reached a comfortable 4-0 lead. Manager Dave Roberts sent rookie pitcher Emmet Sheehan to relieve Snell and pitched a clean seventh but allowed a run in the eighth, trimming the lead to 4-1. With three outs to go, instead of calling on his in-form savior, Roki Sasaki, Roberts sent struggling veteran Blake Treinen to the mound to close the game.

The decision immediately backfired as Treinen faced three batters, allowed three hits, and watched the lead shrink to 4-3. Thankfully for Roberts, things didn’t get worse as the next pitchers were able to stop the Phillies, but the result could’ve been otherwise.

Yet, the reason behind choosing Treinen was the skipper’s trust in his past success.

Treinen has appeared over 30 times for the Boys in Blue and has a postseason ERA of 2.19 last year when the Dodgers became the eighth World Series champion. But the 37-year-old entered the postseason after ending September with a 9.64 ERA. So, clearly, Dave Roberts’ decision raised some eyebrows.

But all things aside, the Dodgers’ superstars simply refused to let the game slip away.

Here’s how the Los Angeles Dodgers saved the day

When Roberts retired Treinen, the situation was intense. With the tying run on second base and nobody out, Roberts called on Alex Vesia.

Vesia got a crucial out thanks to a brilliant defensive play from third baseman Max Muncy. Muncy charged a Stott’s bunt and threw to Mookie Betts at third base, and got Castellanos out at third. After another hit from Harrison Bader, Roberts finally called upon Roki Sasaki, who got the last at-bat, Trea Turner, to ground out.

Though the bullpen drama stole all the headlines, the Dodgers’ offense and rotation are the real reasons why they won the game.

After remaining silent for the six innings, Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman started the rally with back-to-back hits in the seventh. Then Kike Hernandez scored an RBI on a fielder’s choice when Teoscar Hernandez finally scored the opening run of the innings. After that, Will Smith delivered a clutch two-run single to make it 3-0, and after a Shohei Ohtani single, the Dodgers got their 4-0 lead in the seventh.

Then, Snell delivered six shutout innings with 9K’s and allowed only one hit.

Now, the Dodgers head home with a 2-0 series lead, but their biggest weakness has been exposed once again.

After his disastrous outing, it’s hard to imagine Roberts trusting Blake Treinen in another big spot. The good news is that Roki Sasaki is coming up with all the expectations they’ve hoped for. Plus, legendary starter Clayton Kershaw is on the roster. The potential future Hall of Famer gives Roberts a multi-inning option he can deploy in a variety of situations.