LOS ANGELES – It's a new experience for people like Landon Knack and Brent Honeywell. The excitement, noise, stress and tension of postseason baseball at the highest level takes some getting used to.

Sometimes it's positive, as Knack found out when he pitched the ninth inning of the Dodgers' bullpen shutout last Wednesday night in San Diego. And sometimes, like on Monday afternoon, it's a lot more rocky.

Knack entered in the second inning of Game 2 of the National League Championship Series after opener Ryan Brasier gave up a leadoff home run against Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets in the first inning, ending the Dodger pitching team's streak of scoreless innings 33 finished. He didn't go well. Knack gave up a single, a double, two walks (one intentional) and a grand slam to Mark Vientos for a 6-0 lead.

Knack “wasn't sharp overall,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, and the Vientos' hit was a situation in which Knack started 0-2, allowed the score to increase to 3-2 and then made an error with the fastball.

That would be crucial for a series-matched 7-3 win for New York. But Knack's work wasn't done even after the heavy blow. When the game went wrong, his job was to get as many outs as possible and prevent the bullpen, and especially the high-leverage hitters, from being overwhelmed.

“The guys just came over and tried to tell me something positive and give me a little support,” said Knack. “For example, 'We're going to keep going.' Let's move on.'

“In all of these games, every out is so important. So it’s about holding my ground, doing my job and getting as many outs as I can and just trying to keep it there so we have a good chance of coming back.”

“I think in that situation you still have to be able to finish the game,” Roberts said when asked about leaving Knack in the game. “You’re talking about the second inning. So you have a man on the mound who has to eat up innings. Yes, if you go to someone else, we won't be able to finish the game.

“I think where we are, it never feels good to lose. But having the feeling that you have your guys ready for the next three games is a really good feeling for me.”

In other words, sometimes you have to take one for the team. And sometimes you're asked to hold the fort, so to speak.

Honeywell, who was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in July, designated for assignment on August 18, moved straight to Triple-A on August 20 and recalled 11 days later, was also cited for soaking up innings and Outs charged, which he did from the fifth through the seventh. His job: to keep control of the game and prevent the leverage people from being used unless absolutely necessary.

The versatility of his role should be well known by now. Honeywell played in 18 games during the season, many of them in similar mid-game situations when the Dodgers needed several innings from him. He had one “start” – his first game as a Dodger on July 14 in Detroit, as an opener pitching three innings – and also had a save on two occasions. He wasn't on the roster for the Division Series against the Padres, but he was ready when he was called up here.

“These guys put me in every situation imaginable,” he said. “I just have to fight through it like the Swiss army, so to speak.

“It's my first taste of playoff baseball and I'm going to do whatever it takes to win a baseball game, whether it's playoffs, whether it's the regular season or spring training. It is what it is.

“But,” he added, “the fans were excited and they were with us the whole time and got some momentum and they felt that and so did we.”… It's seven games and I'll take this club (against) everyone. Five, seven, 14, it doesn’t matter.”

These are part of the small competitions that make up the larger game. In a seven-game series, especially one where bullpen usage is so crucial, the unsung heroes are pitchers who can carry it on a bad play or keep the game close enough to give their teammates a chance.

Sure enough, the Dodgers were within 6-3 and tied it in the sixth before Kiké Hernández hit an inning-ending double play. They had runners in scoring position in the eighth and ninth, although Starling Marte's RBI single in the ninth gave them a four-run lead.

With a bullpen game on Monday, Walker Buehler is ready to start Game 3 on Wednesday night in New York. Presumably Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be available for Game 4 on Thursday with five days' rest, and the assumption would then be Jack Flaherty in Game 5 on Friday in New York, a bullpen game in a possible Game 6 here next Sunday, and Buehler (and many other). from others) available for a Game 7, if necessary, next Monday.

Of course, that assumes a lot. Things can change dramatically in a seven-game series. However, Knack – 3-5 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in 15 regular-season appearances, including 12 as a starter – is expected to appear again in this series.

On the other hand, that is still a long way away.

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Originally published: October 14, 2024 at 7:33 p.m