Dodgers news: Dave Roberts, Jack Flaherty, Freddie Freeman

A key point in the Dodgers' Game 5 loss to the Mets on Friday, which sent the NLCS back to Los Angeles, came in the third inning when New York led 3-1 with a struggling Jack Flaherty on the mound.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had to navigate the rest of the game with an eye on what a strong bullpen effort could mean for Game 6 while also seeing Flaherty struggle in the present. Flaherty stayed in and gave up five runs, digging a hole that proved too deep for the Dodgers to overcome.

Here are some post-game reactions from those in attendance, from people who were on hand at Citi Field in New York.

From Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

“He obviously wasn’t sharp,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He was fighting something. He was a little under the weather. So I don't know if that affected the speed. I'm not sure.”

From Jack Harris in the Los Angeles Times:

If a team lacks reliable starting pitching in the playoffs, this could be a poor manager's choice.

“It’s not always fun when you go through that,” Roberts said. “Definitely from any chair. Definitely my chair.”

Just like in the Dodgers' Game 2 loss, Roberts chose the conservative route. He left Flaherty in the game and then watched in horror as what unfolded.

From Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic:

“At 5-1, I'm not going to use our leverage guys because I know there's a cost to that and I know there's more baseball to play in the series,” Roberts said. “So these are thoughts that were going through my head. But I think I have five levers that I wanted to make sure were used at the right time.”

Roberts also told reporters Friday that he will have a conversation with Freddie Freeman, who may miss Game 6 because the first baseman's badly sprained ankle has affected his play.

Here's Freeman after the game, in which he went hitless in five at-bats and had two strikeouts. From Andy McCullough of The Athletic:

“It's like running a 100-meter hurdles, I keep hitting the same hurdle and running right into it every time,” Freeman said. “It is what it is and I'm doing my best. I will have intensive treatment tomorrow and try to get this swing back in order.”

More Freeman from Juan Toribio at MLB.com: “I know what every day is like, I just wish I could go about my routine. You know I’m very experienced and I haven’t been able to do it yet.”