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

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had to navigate the rest of the game with an eye on what heavy bullpen usage could mean for Game 6, while also watching 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 site 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’s been fighting something. He’s a little confused. So I don’t know if that was in the stuff, the speed. I’m not sure.’

From Jack Harris in the Los Angeles Times:

If a team doesn’t have reliable starting pitching in the playoffs, these could be the unfavorable choices a manager has to make.

“It’s not always fun when you’re going through it,” Roberts said. “Certainly from someone’s chair. Definitely my seat.”

As in the Dodgers’ Game 2 loss, Roberts chose the conservative path. 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 players knowing that there is a cost on the back end and I appreciate the fact that there is still more baseball to be played in the series,” Roberts said. “So those are thoughts that went through my head. But I think I have five influential guys that I wanted to make sure you use at the right time.

Roberts also told reporters Friday that he would have a conversation with Freddie Freeman, who could be forced to play for Game 6 because of the first baseman’s severely sprained ankle that affected his play.

Here is Freeman after the game, in which he was hitless in five at bats, with two strikeouts. From Andy McCullough at The Athletic:

“It’s like running a 100-meter hurdles, I keep hitting the same hurdle and I run into it every time,” Freeman said. “It is what it is, and I do my best. I will have extensive treatment tomorrow and try to restore this swing.”

More Freeman, from Juan Toribio on MLB.com: “I know what every day is like, I wish I could do my routine. You know I’m very routine, and I haven’t been able to do that.