Dodgers links: Ben Casparius, Shohei Ohtani, Michael Conforto

Ben Casparius has been asked to do more than what most rookies could imagine through their first year at the big league level.

After just three appearances with the Dodgers during last year’s regular season, Casparius was a needed cog within the Dodgers’ bullpen, helping alleviate the stress of the bullpen during a clinching win in Game 6 of the NLCS and and a blowout loss Game 4 of the World Series.

This season, with all the injuries the bullpen has and continues to sustain, Casparius has been right there as a fixture of the bullpen, and his experience during the Dodgers’ title run has helped the rookie right-hander settle into his role as a swingman after being a career starter in the minor leagues, per Dan Arritt of the Orange County Register.

“The last thing I was thinking was he was going to strike out. … We’ve got to come up with one right there,” Roberts said. “Chasing the ball down below is something we can’t have happen.”

The Dodgers had the multiple chances with the bases loaded to give themselves the lead late in Sunday’s series finale to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers walked seven times over their last two innings at the plate, and could only muster one run on a bases loaded walk while leaving six on base to put an end to a brutal 5-4 loss that saw them leave 16 on base altogether.

Shohei Ohtani had homered to lead off the game, but against left-hander Mason Fluharty, struck out swinging at a low breaking ball before Betts grounded out to end the game. Late game whiffs are out of the equation for Dave Roberts, even from his superstars, if the Dodgers are serious about gaining ground in the division, per Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times.

“The last thing I was thinking was he was going to strike out. … We’ve got to come up with one right there,” Roberts said. “Chasing the ball down below is something we can’t have happen.”

In the inning prior to Ohtani’s strikeout, Michael Conforto came up as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded after Freddie Freeman’s RBI free pass. Conforto took three balls and strike one, and popped up the 3-1 pitch behind home plate to keep the score tied at 4 and get the Blue Jays out of the jam. Dave Roberts would also like to quickly turn the page on that missed opportunity, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

“(On) 3-1, you get a pitch that — you couldn’t put it on a tee better,” Roberts said. “We’ve got to move it forward.”