Dodgers riding Brent Honeywell into the ground in Game 5 had better pay off

On Friday night at Citi Field, fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers were reminded of the unfortunate side effects of a planned bullpen game.

The Dodgers entered Game 5 hoping to end things with the New York Mets once and for all, but Pete Alonso and Jack Flaherty's velocity saw things differently. Though the Dodgers fought back a bit in the middle innings, ultimately the Mets were able to prevail 12-6, setting a franchise record for most runs scored in a potential elimination game, and never striking out. Not even once.

The series will continue, and Flaherty will now hand the ball to ... everyone but Brent Honeywell.

The reasoning behind Dave Roberts' surrender cobra on Friday was obvious, especially after Flaherty all but ended the game. Though the Dodgers' recent team scoreless streak tied an all-time postseason record, outside of Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, their starting pitching has been skittish at best (and even Yamamoto hasn't provided lengthy). Walker Buehler delivered in Game 3, but hasn't been reliably dominant. The other unmentioned game in every postseason series has been manned by the entire rest of the Dodgers' pitching staff.

And so, with another 'pen game looming, Roberts gave the ball to Honeywell on Friday and never looked back.

Dodgers ride Brent Honeywell for 4 2/3 innings vs. Mets in NLCS Game 5

For 4 2/3 frames, Honeywell absorbed the damage, allowing six hits and four additional earned runs before Anthony Banda blissfully emerged from the bullpen doors, recording one final out. Honeywell didn't strike anyone out ... but neither did Banda, and neither did Flaherty, in yet another historical oddity in this very bizarre contest.

Roberts made a sound and logical decision down 8-2, but Honeywell struggled to maintain the baseline he entered at, while the Dodgers actually made a game of it, thanks to Andy Pages and Mookie Betts. 10-2 became 10-6, but things never got closer, and Honeywell's sentence was never commuted.

The Dodgers entered the middle innings between a rock and a hard place, stretching their journeyman middle reliever to his limits and beyond, tossing away a road game earlier than fans likely wanted him to. There's a method to his madness, of course. But that method had better work in Game 6.