McAdam: On Dave Roberts, Rich Hill, John Smoltz and more

Random observations as we wait for Game 7:

1) What, exactly, is Dave Roberts doing?

By all accounts, the former Red Sox has done a fine job in his first two seasons in the Dodgers’ dugout, leading them to two division titles and now, a National League pennant. He’s now one win from taking the Dodgers to their first title in almost 30 years. But his handling of his pitching staff has left plenty to be desired in the Series.

Twice, Roberts took Rich Hill out of games early after the lefty had allowed just one run. In Game 2, the call likely cost his team the game.

Hill had allowed a solo run in the third inning of Game 4, but had fanned seven. He had thrown just 60 pitches but didn’t come out for the fifth inning, and was replaced by Kenta Maeda.

The explanation was that the Dodgers prefer not to have their starters face a lineup a third time.

But that strategy backfired in Game 2 when the game went extra innings and Roberts was forced to pitch little-used Brandon McCarthy in the 11th with the game on the line, having run out of pitchers.

Beyond losing Game 2, how much more strain did Roberts unnecessarily place on his bullpen for future games?  Instead of getting, say, six innings from Hill and an inning each from three relievers, Roberts had to empty his pen.

In Tuesday’s Game 6, it was more of the same. Hill had allowed one run in 4.2 innings and was lifted again. The move worked – in the short-term – as Brandon Morrow got a groundout to strand runners, but again, Hill seemed fully capable of providing more innings.

It might have been a good time to give Morrow some time off, as he’s now pitched in each of the first six games of the Series. Now, if Roberts had to go to his bullpen in tonight's Game 7, how much less effective will his over-taxed relievers be?

The use of analytics is one thing – the Dodgers have data which suggests that Hill’s effectiveness dips after he goes through the lineup twice - but at some point, common sense shouldn’t be excluded from managerial decisions.

2) And speaking of Hill…

I know of no player in baseball who is easier to root for than Rich Hill. Hill has had all sorts of setbacks – having undergone both Tommy John surgery and rotator cuff surgery – and has been part of eight different organizations.

The surgeries are nothing, of course, to what Hill and his wife went through a number of years ago, having lost their infant son, Brooks, to medical complications at just a few months old.

As recently as three years ago, Hill was competing for an independent league team, hoping to attract attention from a big league team. Former Red Sox scout Jared Porter watched him pitch and recommended the organization sign him for starting pitching depth. After a short stint in Pawtucket, he made four spot starts for the Red Sox that September and used that exposure to get himself a deal with the Oakland A’s, who then traded him at the deadline to the Dodgers. Los Angeles, in turn, signed him to a multi-year deal.

Hill, a native of Milton, is the son of educators and is as down-to-earth as you can get. And his humanity was on display in Game 6 Tuesday night when he smartly stepped off the mound as the Astros’ Yuli Gurriel came to the plate for the first time at Dodger Stadium since his racist gesture toward Yu Darvish in Game 3.

Hill merely wanted to give Dodgers fans an opportunity to vent their displeasure.

“That’s a subject that’s disheartening and unfortunately, I don’t think the punishment really fits the action,’’ said Hill after the game. “And I think that, rightfully so, the fans spoke out and understood what was going on. So I gave them their time to voice their opinion.’’

3) Baseball is on a ratings winning streak

Last year’s World Series TV ratings were predictably gargantuan, with the Chicago Cubs seeking their first championship in more than a century and the Cubs-Indians offering a thrilling Series that wasn’t decided until extra innings of Game 7.

This year, there’s no such historical hook, but it doesn’t hurt that the Dodgers are looking for their first title in 29 years and come from the second-biggest TV market in the country, while the Astros, from the country’s fourth-biggest city, are on an emotional mission to lift their hometown’s spirits after September’s hurricane.

Sunday’s epic slugfest did better among viewers than Sunday Night Football, and while that doesn’t seem like much of an accomplishment – shouldn’t a championship game trounce a regular season matchup? – that hasn’t been the case in recent years.

Over the last decade or so, baseball has morphed somewhat from a sport with great national appeal to one which has great appeal for local teams all over the country. In other words, while the national events – the post-season, the All-Star Game – don’t do nearly as well as they once did in the ratings, teams now do better than ever with their local regular-season ratings. That, in turn, has fueled record-setting local TV deals with regional sports networks for a host of teams.

Still, it’s nice to see MLB attracting fans to its signature event, the World Series.

Now, if the sport could find a way to have its most exciting games end before 1:39 a.m. in the East….

4) Give me Alex Bregman any day

There’s a ton of talent on the Astros roster, enough so that they should be contenders for a number of years. Any organization would be thrilled to have shortstop Carlos Correa or center fielder George Springer, or any number of the young stars who are part of the Houston organization.

Me? I’ll take Bregman before any of them. A natural shortstop who converted to third because of the presence of Correa, Bregman has played his adopted position like a veteran, while coming through with clutch hit after clutch hit and becoming the first player to collect at least one RBI in each of his first five World Series games.

The cool with which Bregman plays – think of him cutting down Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes at the plate in Game 4 – belies his age and experience. And his walk-off hit in the Game 5 marathon Monday morning was one more example of his ability to come through in big spots.

5) John Smoltz has enhanced the World Series

With some TV analysts, the temptation is to turn down the sound on your TV. Their input actually detracts from your viewing pleasure.

That's not the case with Smoltz, who, in a short period of time, has become baseball's premier national color analyst.

Smoltz, of course, brings plenty of pitching expertise to the position, having fashioned a Hall of Fame career that saw him excel both as a starter and a reliever. But he's offered much more than pitching wisdom.

Like the best in the business, Smoltz doesn't just tell you only what you just saw, but crucially, what you might see next.

As a player, Smoltz seemed to get better in the post-season. That's true of his TV career, too.