There is an axiom in baseball that is as old as the game itself:

“You play for a tie at home and for a win on the road.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not ‘play for a tie at home.’

…and lost.

Down 7-1 to the NL East fourth-place Philadelphia Phillies ‘at home,’ and after arguably the greatest comeback of the month-old 2022 season, the NL West first-place Dodgers (now by only a game) took a 7-7 tie into the top of the ninth inning. But instead of playing for the tie at home by bringing in 33-year-old right-handed Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel and his minuscule 1.17 ERA, Roberts brought in 35-year-old non-closer right-hander Daniel Hudson, who entered the game with a 1-2 record. And even though Hudson entered the game with a respectable 1.96 ERA (albeit after only three innings pitched to that point), the Lynchburg, VA native and former fifth-round draft pick in 2008 by the Chicago White Sox out of Old Dominion University allowed two runs on two hits with one walk for the 9-7 Dodgers loss and now owns a less-than-stellar 3.38 ERA.

“In that inning, by the book, it’s the closer at home in a tie game,” Roberts said postgame, clearly acknowledging the old axiom. “I just felt that part of the order we could get Huddy through there, eight and nine (batters in the order), I felt good about him versus (Phillies leadoff hitter Rhys) Hoskins and (Alec) Bohm.

“He gets the first guy, and then there’s a bunt single with (Odúbel) Herrera as the pinch-hitter, we had a ground ball double play, but then he ended up deflecting it, and then it just led to the walk, and obviously the sac fly, and I was going to have Kimbrel for the heart of the order. So that was kind of my thought, and obviously, it didn’t work out,” Roberts added.

No, it did not.

As for Hudson, his explanation was a bit more believable:

“It’s just been pretty bad command, especially with my fastball, making me kind of have to lean on some other stuff, and just wasn’t very good the past two days,” Hudson told reporters postgame. “So, hopefully, I’ll bounce back from that and try to be ready to go the next time they ask me to go.”

As Dodgers fans painfully know all too well, Hudson also suffered the loss the day before against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

But there was one good part in Thursday’s ugly axiom loss, several, actually. In the bottom of the third inning, Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger slugged his team-tying (with right fielder Mookie Betts) fifth home run of the season and the 138th of his career to pass Mike Marshall and the great Jackie Robinson to become number 19 on the Dodgers’ all-time home run list.

And then there was Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who went 3-for-4 on the night with three of the Dodgers’ seven RBIs, so there’s that.

Unfortunately, because of Roberts’ decision not to go with one of baseball’s oldest axioms, Belli’s, Smith’s, and the other Dodgers highlights on Thursday night were all for naught.

Old axioms are old axioms for a reason.

Play Ball!

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