Dave Roberts knew there “could be a cost” to having Max Scherzer close Game 5 of the National League Division Series last Thursday, and the bill came due Sunday night when Scherzer, complaining of a “dead arm,” lasted only 4-1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series.
The decision to use 20-game winner Julio Urías in the eighth inning Sunday night also came with a potential price. The Dodgers might push the left-hander’s next start from Game 3 to Game 4 to give Urías an extra day of rest after he was roughed up for two runs and three hits and failed to preserve a 4-2 lead.