"First, he was on short rest," Torre said. "He had to work hard every inning. The only 1-2-3 inning he had was the fifth, (but) it just looked like he was fighting his emotions the whole game. He said he felt fine. We were probably going to get only one more inning out of him anyway, pitch count-wise, and I just decided to make the move there."
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Didn't work. Reliever Clayton Kershaw, nominally a starting pitcher -- and a 20-year-old rookie to boot -- came in and gave up a walk and a single to the first two batters he faced. One of them scored. Kershaw for Lowe? That backfired.
That set in motion a scramble to the finish. Torre would use six relievers before Game 4 was finished, and two of them -- Cory Wade and Jonathan Broxton -- surrendered two-run home runs in the eighth inning. A 5-3 Dodgers lead became a 7-5 Dodgers deficit. A win became a loss. And an NLCS deadlocked at two games had become a 3-1 Phillies runaway.
Because Torre's moves didn't pan out.
If this was the first time in a long time that Torre had guessed wrong on his starting pitcher, or even the first time this series, Torre would deserve a free pass. But it wasn't. This was the continuation of a common thread.
Go back to the second game of this series, at Philadelphia. Torre, the guy who was too quick to pull ace starter Lowe in Game 4, was way too patient with Chad Billingsley in Game 2.
Even my man Scott Miller, who is most judicious with his criticisms of the men who play this decidedly difficult game, devoted his entire column from that game to Torre's mismanagement of Billingsley, who was allowed to pitch through a streak that saw nine of 10 batters reach base. Philadelphia scored eight runs off Billingsley in 2 1/3 innings, and that was the game. The Phillies didn't score again. They didn't need to. They won 8-5.
Now go back to Game 1.
Lowe on the mound. Again. Torre having to decide whether to leave him in or take him out. Again.
Torre guessing wrong.
Again.
It was the sixth inning. Lowe had a 2-0 lead, and he was cruising. And then, suddenly, he wasn't. Shane Victorino reached on an error, and Lowe came unglued. The next pitch -- the very next pitch -- was fat, and Chase Utley hammered it for a game-tying home run. Torre let Lowe stay in the game, and one batter later he fell behind 3-1 to Pat Burrell. Lowe grooved one, and Burrell hammered that one for a 3-2 Phillies lead. The Phillies wouldn't score again, but again, the Phillies didn't need to. They won 3-2.
Three games. Three Torre decisions. Three losses.
The only game in this series Torre has played correctly, from the standpoint of his starting pitcher, was Game 3. That was the game the Dodgers jumped Philadelphia for five runs in the first and sailed to victory.
Their only victory.
Joe Torre didn't mess up that one, but then again, he didn't get the chance.
