Oli in 9th inning : 'I asked (Arenado) if he wanted to end the game '

[Cusecards]

I wondered about the alignment myself leaving LF open.
But reading other posters here I agree.
LF is Nolan’s strong field. Chances were if he pulled it would be too deep and it was.
No way they throw Barrero out if that is caught.

[Bad14]

The Dodgers' klutzy reliever Ben Casparius must have taken PFP with the 2006 Detroit Tigers' WS pitching staff. He made TWO bad throws in the 9th --- Winn was spectacular, pulling a Jackie Robinson --- , eventually requiring the infield to play in, and pull in the LF'er for a home-throw grounder. Had Conforto stayed in LF I doubt that Arenado fly ball would have scored anyone...setting up a sure third misplay by Casparius. That's what you're stuck with when 15 pitchers are on your IL.

Where was Conforto on that ball? I've only seen the replay and from what I could tell, nobody who could've done anything about that ball was anywhere near it.

Extra puzzling because we, and I assume everyone else, knows that Nado is a dead pull hitter. He can't hit anything with any authority to the right side.

Agree I was totally shocked when I seen their alignment of the two outfielders against Nado.

With Nado at the plate, if you are going to play 2 OFs play the LF to pull in LF and the CF slightly to pull in CF and leave RF open. I don't think they would have thrown the runner out at the plate on that flyball, since Barrero is fast. But their alignment made no sense.

Absolutely. I could not believe what I was seeing.

[ramfandan]

While I agree that ball was deep enough(landed about 10 feet short of wall in dirt ), I do not agree with those who claim LF should be vacant . Remember the infielders were all playing IN as they had to come to home plate. Any shorter pop up type ball to LF must be caught by a LF. Arenado tendency is to pull.
Leaving RF vacant was the correct move.

BTW prior to Nado stepping in box , replay show OF in left center and then just as Nado was getting in box, someone must have signaled the OF to scoot further to CF.
My replay shows the guy taking several steps to his left more toward center field.

[renostl]

Here’s why the Dodgers aligned the way they did: the only place Arenado hits the ball with any authority today is LF. If he hits the ball in the air to LF, it’s most likely going to be deep enough to score Barrera. If he hits it in the air to LF, they’re going to lose anyway. Turns out they were right. Even if they catch that ball, Berrara walks home.

[woofy25]

The two outfielders makes sense. Putting them in left center and right center did not. Regardless, the ball was hit about 290 feet, so it didn't matter either way, except NA got credit for a hit rather than a sac fly.

[Red7]

Here’s why the Dodgers aligned the way they did: the only place Arenado hits the ball with any authority today is LF. If he hits the ball in the air to LF, it’s most likely going to be deep enough to score Barrera. If he hits it in the air to LF, they’re going to lose anyway. Turns out they were right. Even if they catch that ball, Berrara walks home.

LoL. If it is hit to any part of the OF, wouldn't Barrero score anyway?

Not necessarily. Arenado doesn’t hit the ball very hard to anywhere but LF.

[Swuhgen]

Here’s why the Dodgers aligned the way they did: the only place Arenado hits the ball with any authority today is LF. If he hits the ball in the air to LF, it’s most likely going to be deep enough to score Barrera. If he hits it in the air to LF, they’re going to lose anyway. Turns out they were right. Even if they catch that ball, Berrara walks home.

LoL. If it is hit to any part of the OF, wouldn't Barrero score anyway?

And he'd have scored on that ball even if there was a LF there to make the catch.

Probably but it wouldn’t have been a guarantee.

[Melville]

The Dodgers' klutzy reliever Ben Casparius must have taken PFP with the 2006 Detroit Tigers' WS pitching staff. He made TWO bad throws in the 9th --- Winn was spectacular, pulling a Jackie Robinson --- , eventually requiring the infield to play in, and pull in the LF'er for a home-throw grounder. Had Conforto stayed in LF I doubt that Arenado fly ball would have scored anyone...setting up a sure third misplay by Casparius. That's what you're stuck with when 15 pitchers are on your IL.

Correct.
With a defender positioned as normal in LF, it is an easy routine fly ball and there is almost zero chance STL sends the runner - which would have had high risk of a 7-2 double play.
Hernandez had already replaced Conforto at that point and he has a very, very good throwing arm.

[Melville]

The Dodgers' klutzy reliever Ben Casparius must have taken PFP with the 2006 Detroit Tigers' WS pitching staff. He made TWO bad throws in the 9th --- Winn was spectacular, pulling a Jackie Robinson --- , eventually requiring the infield to play in, and pull in the LF'er for a home-throw grounder. Had Conforto stayed in LF I doubt that Arenado fly ball would have scored anyone...setting up a sure third misplay by Casparius. That's what you're stuck with when 15 pitchers are on your IL.

Where was Conforto on that ball? I've only seen the replay and from what I could tell, nobody who could've done anything about that ball was anywhere near it.

Extra puzzling because we, and I assume everyone else, knows that Nado is a dead pull hitter. He can't hit anything with any authority to the right side.

It was complete defensive indifference.
The Dodgers played with 5 infielders and not one defender with 100 feet of that routine fly ball.
Very strange decision by the Dodgers.

[Melville]

The Dodgers' klutzy reliever Ben Casparius must have taken PFP with the 2006 Detroit Tigers' WS pitching staff. He made TWO bad throws in the 9th --- Winn was spectacular, pulling a Jackie Robinson --- , eventually requiring the infield to play in, and pull in the LF'er for a home-throw grounder. Had Conforto stayed in LF I doubt that Arenado fly ball would have scored anyone...setting up a sure third misplay by Casparius. That's what you're stuck with when 15 pitchers are on your IL.

Where was Conforto on that ball? I've only seen the replay and from what I could tell, nobody who could've done anything about that ball was anywhere near it.

Extra puzzling because we, and I assume everyone else, knows that Nado is a dead pull hitter. He can't hit anything with any authority to the right side.

Agree I was totally shocked when I seen their alignment of the two outfielders against Nado.

It was a weird call by the Dodgers.
If the wanted to leave an outfield area open, RF would have been the better option.

[Melville]

Here’s why the Dodgers aligned the way they did: the only place Arenado hits the ball with any authority today is LF. If he hits the ball in the air to LF, it’s most likely going to be deep enough to score Barrera. If he hits it in the air to LF, they’re going to lose anyway. Turns out they were right. Even if they catch that ball, Berrara walks home.

That slow, high fly ball landed about 10 feet behind the spot where the stands jut out toward the field.
A left fielder positioned as normal against Arenado would have had plenty of time to get perfectly aligned for a catch and throw - for one of the easiest outfield throws there is: the straight throw on a short line to the catcher in perfect position to catch and apply a tag.
And Hernandez, who had replaced Conforto, has a very, very good arm.
A runner may have had a 2/3 chance of making it - but there in no way that with the bases loaded and no outs that a team in that spot would have risked running into a double play.

[Strummer Jones]

The Dodgers' klutzy reliever Ben Casparius must have taken PFP with the 2006 Detroit Tigers' WS pitching staff. He made TWO bad throws in the 9th --- Winn was spectacular, pulling a Jackie Robinson --- , eventually requiring the infield to play in, and pull in the LF'er for a home-throw grounder. Had Conforto stayed in LF I doubt that Arenado fly ball would have scored anyone...setting up a sure third misplay by Casparius. That's what you're stuck with when 15 pitchers are on your IL.

Where was Conforto on that ball? I've only seen the replay and from what I could tell, nobody who could've done anything about that ball was anywhere near it.

Extra puzzling because we, and I assume everyone else, knows that Nado is a dead pull hitter. He can't hit anything with any authority to the right side.

Agree I was totally shocked when I seen their alignment of the two outfielders against Nado.

With Nado at the plate, if you are going to play 2 OFs play the LF to pull in LF and the CF slightly to pull in CF and leave RF open. I don't think they would have thrown the runner out at the plate on that flyball, since Barrero is fast. But their alignment made no sense.

I mean, yeah, that's a deep fly ball that Nado hit, but it was a long, loopy drive that he's pretty known for doing now. Even if it's still likely to score Barrero, there's no way I'd just concede that. Does Barrero probably beat the throw? Yeah. But what if he trips while on his way home? What if the left fielder can make a throw of throws to hose Barrero? There would've been plenty of time for an outfielder to get behind that fly ball, catch it on the run, and try to uncork a throw to keep the run from scoring.

Monday morning QB, I know, but I'd rather risk a right fielder in that arrangement for the same effect. And if Nado somehow goes the other way, you can at least say that he never does that and that's baseball sometimes.