MILWAUKEE — After being picked up by his teammates several times during a trying season, Blake Treinen was just happy to return the favor.
The Dodgers were an out away from winning Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, but the Brewers were not going down without a fight. Roki Sasaki, who has emerged as Los Angeles’ unlikely closer this postseason, had allowed one run on a sacrifice fly and still had runners on the corners.
Manager Dave Roberts called Treinen in from the ‘pen to get the final out. The veteran right-hander walked his first batter to load the bases, but he closed out the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory with a clutch strikeout to secure a one-game lead in the series for his team.
“Grateful,” Treinen said of his feeling after getting the final out. “Our guys have been playing great baseball. Playoffs are tough. Pitching’s tough. Our bats are doing a great job grinding out whatever arms are in there. Our starters have been amazing. So just doing my job to finish the game.”
While Treinen was brought back to the Dodgers this past offseason to reprise his role as one of the team’s top leverage arms, he struggled during the regular season, recording a 5.40 ERA across 32 appearances. He also missed more than three months with tightness in his right forearm, returning in late July.
This postseason, Sasaki, Alex Vesia and Emmet Sheehan have been considered Roberts’ most trusted arms. But Roberts still maintained some faith in Treinen, despite the uneven results.
Roberts’ faith was rewarded on Monday.
“To see Blake come in and close it out was big for his confidence,” Roberts said, “and us going forward.”
Sasaki took the mound at American Family Field with a 2-0 lead after Blake Snell had twirled eight dominant innings. But Sasaki’s velocity was down a tick, and his command was not sharp. After getting the first out of the ninth, Sasaki walked Isaac Collins, allowed a ground-rule double to Jake Bauers and yielded a fly ball to Jackson Chourio that traveled deep enough to allow the Brewers to get on the board.
It marked the first time Sasaki had allowed a run as a reliever. After he issued another walk to Christian Yelich, his night was over. It was Treinen’s game from that point on.
Treinen created a little more pressure on himself by walking William Contreras to load the bases. But after nearly hitting Brice Turang — which would have brought home the tying run — Treinen struck him out on a neck-high fastball to end the threat.
“Out of hand, I was a little bit frustrated,” Treinen said of his final pitch. “But when he swung, I was a little more happy.”
Throughout this up-and-down season, Treinen has remained confident in his abilities. All the while, Roberts’ trust has meant a lot to him.
“Dave and I’ve worked together for six years now, and he’s seen me at my best and at my worst,” Treinen said. “When he calls my name, I’m grateful that he has confidence in me, and I have confidence that he’s putting me in situations for the team to win. There’s a lot of peace in that.”
