SAN FRANCISCO — Gabe Kapler called it the “catch of the year.”
Buster Posey said it was one of the best catches he’s seen in person.
Kevin Gausman considers it a turning point in the Giants’ remarkable 2021 season.
Mike Tauchman didn’t just bring back a potential walk-off home run when he leapt in front of the Dodger Stadium wall, he swung the momentum of the Giants-Dodgers rivalry in San Francisco’s favor.
After the Giants lost four straight games against the Dodgers to open the season, Tauchman’s May 28 robbery of future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols allowed Kapler’s club to rally for three 10th inning runs against closer Kenley Jansen in a critical victory that preceded two more wins.
“It was huge,” Gausman said before Game 1 of the NLDS at Oracle Park. ” To do it in that spot in Dodger Stadium, obviously it was a huge series, to come back and win that game, I mean, it just seems like our motto has been ‘resilient’ the whole season and that’s really what these guys have been.”
That Tauchman was even in the game for the Giants was reflective of the different styles used by Kapler and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. The outfielder who was acquired in a trade that sent reliever Wandy Peralta to the Yankees in April entered as a pinch-hitter against right-hander Blake Treinen and stayed in as part of a double switch that made him a defensive replacement for left fielder Alex Dickerson.
The move gave the Giants a platoon advantage against Treinen, freed a spot in the batting order for Kapler to eventually use Evan Longoria in a big pinch-hit at-bat later in the game and also upgraded the team’s defense. Tauchman, who was designated for assignment on July 28 after posting a .566 OPS in 166 at-bats, struck out against Treinen, but the substitution was one of the many Kapler made this season that ultimately played a huge role in determining the outcomes of several Giants wins.
It was the also the type of strategic move Roberts hasn’t had to consider much this year.
With a lineup filled mostly with hitters such as Corey Seager and Justin Turner who start against right and left-handed pitchers, the Dodgers don’t make nearly as many straight-up substitutions as a Giants team that will have a hockey-style line change when an opponent brings in a relief pitcher.
“It seems like our whole roster is, maybe not in one game, but through the course of a few games, our whole roster will probably be used,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said. “Whether it’s a pinch-hit or coming out of the bullpen or whatever it may be.”
Crawford and catcher Buster Posey are two of the few Giants starters from Game 1 of the NLDS who can count on being in the lineup for Game 2 when the Dodgers turn to southpaw Julio Urías. On Opening Day in 2020, Kapler even pinch-hit for Crawford with right-handed hitting infielder Donovan Solano when Roberts called on lefty Adam Koralek out of the bullpen.
The Giants’ veteran shortstop hit his way out of a short-lived and undesired platoon, but at most positions around the diamond, the Kapler era has featured a rotation of players depending on the handedness of an opponent’s starting pitcher.
“He’s done a great job with this team,” Roberts said of Kapler. “So what it means tendency-wise in this series, there’s tendencies, there’s trends, but when you get to the postseason where everything is more magnified it’s a little bit less predictable.”
The Giants made a slightly unpredictable move with their Game 1 lineup as Kapler could have had started left-handed hitting outfielder Steven Duggar and moved LaMonte Wade Jr. to first base to squeeze an extra lefty in against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler, but the club opted to leave Duggar on his bench and start Wilmer Flores at first base.
The decision gets Flores, who posted a .972 OPS in September, in the lineup while allowing Kapler to save Duggar and fellow left-handed hitting outfielder Alex Dickerson for pinch-hit appearances against a Dodgers bullpen that’s heavy on right-handers.
Kapler, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and other top decision-makers spend a considerable amount of time determining how to deploy their personnel before each game. Roberts, on the other hand, has had to plug a hole created when Max Muncy dislocated his elbow with a platoon between Matt Beaty and Albert Pujols at first base, but the Dodgers’ starting lineup in Game 2 on Saturday could look identical to the iteration fans saw in Game 1.
“I think the Dodgers have a lot of trust in both their bench and in their bullpen, but their starting lineup is a group that could obviously see the entire game and that wouldn’t be a surprise either,” Kapler said Friday.
To win the NLDS, the Dodgers will rely on their steady stars and the everyday starters who for the most part, will play every inning of each playoff game. The Giants will need Crawford and Posey to shine, but to take down the Dodgers, they’ll also need the same type of performances from substitutes off the bench that keyed their 107-win season.
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