Anyone who has paid even the slightest attention to the way that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has piloted his team thus far in the 2017 World Series has undoubtedly noticed that he is not managing his team in the same manner that got his team there.

I mean, why on earth would the defending 2016 National League Manager of the Year pull two of his best postseason hitters – Dodgers left fielder Kiké Hernandez (.389) and second baseman Logan Forsythe (.304) – for pinch-hitters Andre Ethier (.222) and Chase Utley (0-for-14) in the most important series of the year and unquestionably of his career? Simply put, the guy affectionately known as ‘Doc’ (because of his initials DR) is blowing it BIG time.

It’s no secret that the Dodgers, under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi, are on the cutting edge of employing baseball analytics in the way that Roberts manages and how his players play the game. All one has to do is watch the Dodgers outfielders when an opposing team themselves use a pinch-hitter. You will see them immediately pull a small laminated card out of the pants pocked that instructs them where to position themselves accordingly based on said analytics.

Now granted, it’s hard to argue that this new and revolutionary method of playing the game isn’t a huge reason why the Dodgers are even in the 2017 World Series with their MLB-best 104-58 regular season record, but former MLB manager Kevin Kennedy perhaps said it best about the Dodgers current predicament of being down two games to one in the Fall Classic.

“You have to manage with your eyes,” said the former Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox manager and current MLB Network Radio analyst. “And these cards and charts in their pockets, [the players] are losing their good baseball instincts. It’s making robots out of them.”

Perhaps a bit harsh and old-school, but impossible to dispute.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has made several uncharacteristic moves thus far through the 2017 World Series. Also thus far, not many of them have worked. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

If you recall, in game-2 (which is now being called one of the greatest games in World Series history), Roberts pulled starting pitcher Rich Hill after only four innings, this in spite of the fact that the veteran left-hander had allowed only one run on three hits while walking three and striking out seven of the 18 total batters he faced. Sure, you can argue that facing the opposing lineup a third time through the order is often a bit risky, but simply put, Rich Hill was flat out dealing and had, to that point, made only 60 pitches, of which 42 were strikes.

And then there’s Cody Bellinger.

Even the most casual baseball observer can clearly see that the 22-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona native and likely 2017 NL Rookie of the Year is pressing and struggling horribly at the absolute worst possible time. But even with his offensive woes, he is still arguably one of the best defensive first basemen in the game today, and Roberts’ decision to double-switch him out of game-2 is one that left many scratching their collective heads.

There is no gentle way to put it – so goes Cody Bellinger, so go the Dodgers. Thus far in the 2017 World Series, Belly is 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts, four of which came in game-3 on Friday night.
(Video capture courtesy of Fox Sports)

That being said, Bellinger’s game-2 pinch-hitting replacement, 28-year-old utility infielder / outfielder Charlie Culberson, did hit a crucial home run in Bellinger’s stead in the bottom of the 11th inning of that epic game. Culberson also owns the best batting average on the team (.462) through the postseason thus far, which once again suggests that Roberts is over-managing and focused more on analytical match-ups than on what is actually happening on the field before his – and our – very eyes.

To his credit, when asked if he was considering giving Bellinger a day off after his game-3 golden sombrero and 0-for-11 / 7-strikeout World Series thus far, Roberts was (very) quick to answer.

“I don’t see getting him a day off,” said the Dodgers skipper. “There were a couple good swings, but I think it’s just he’s just in that funk right now where he’s chasing balls out of the strike zone.

“I think the defense is obviously a premium and the presence of him to be in the lineup. But it’s just trying to get Cody to slow down a little bit, I think he’s being a little bit too quick,” Roberts added. “Tonight we saw balls below the zone and he was on the defensive. I think that he’s trying his hardest, trying his tail off. But yeah, I think we’ve got to get him to slow down and try to stay in the strike zone because obviously, if you look at the pitches tonight, a lot of balls [were] out of the zone.”

For you glass-half-full / silver-lining types, losing game-3 on Friday night did have one upside to it … if you can call it that. It allowed Roberts the luxury of not having to use his star closer Kenley Jansen who, quite frankly, should not have been called upon for a six-out save in game-2.

After Clayton Kershaw‘s absolute gem in game-1 of the series on Tuesday night in which the soon-to-be four-time NL Cy Young award winner had made only 83 pitches through his remarkable seven innings of work, and after a scoreless / hitless eighth inning by hard-throwing right-hander Brandon Morrow, Roberts (obviously) brought in Jansen to seal the deal. And even though Kenley made only 14 pitches (nine strikes) to earn the save, he was called upon to do so again on Wednesday night for a six-out save – and we all know how that one ended.

In addition to blowing only his second save all season, Jansen made 29 pitches over his two innings of work, something that he had done only three times during the 2017 regular season (33 pitches on May 5 and June 2, and 29 pitches on September 12). You didn’t have to be a pitching coach (or manager) to see that Jansen labored during game-2. This, coupled with Thursday’s off-day and not being used in Friday’s heartbreaking 5-3 loss to the Astros, could prove to be an absolute blessing moving forward.

Being down two games to one in the World Series most certainly does not bode well for the Dodgers. Teams that have taken a 2-1 lead in the Fall Classic have gone on to win the series 66.7 percent of the time.

That’s the bad news. The Good news is that the last three teams who entered game-4 with a two-games-to-one series lead did not go on to win the series, so the Dodgers have that going for them.

Keep that glass half full, folks.