Dodgers vs. Padres NLDS Preview

This article has 108 Comments

1. I am guessing that DJLM is LeMaheiu. I wondered that myself. And Your analysis of the matchup is exactly the same as MLB.coms.

2. Why didn’t every team in baseball not make a better play for DJLM? He’s awesome! Who hits better after they leave Colorado? I say we sweep Pads! Not enough starting pitching and Dodger bats make them pay!

3. The Dodgers are a great road team. Dodgers in 4.

4. Comparisons of both teams are in, everyone has their idea of who will win and why, my thinking is if the Dodgers hit with runners on base, they win in 4 games, if not, trouble.
   Hope Roberts has Bellinger or anyone not named Muncy in the 4th spot. Play Ball.

5. OK, I’ll bite on DJLM – he has been amazing as a Yankee, and with 429 career AB’s in Yankee Stadium, he has a .359 BA and .414 OB% – OPS is 1.042.

   In Dodger Stadium, in 198 AB’s he hits .242 with .284 OB% and .612 OPS.

   So, while I think he has been great in Yankee Stadium, I do not believe he would have been that good in Dodger Stadium. Still, probably better than Kike, CT3, and Lux!

   Just my 3 cents!

   1. I don’t think it’s the stadium. Ok, in Colorado it is, but in Los Angeles it’s the pitching. If he’s playing in Dodger Stadium he isn’t facing the Dodgers excellent pitching.

      I’ll take the Dodgers too. All the oddsmakers have the Dodgers. They are favored to make league championship by as much as 72%, so that means a little over 4 games, so, I guess I have the under on 5.

6. Let the fun begin! 2 evenly matched teams going toe to toe!!

   Cassidy said it best- if the Dodgers score more runs than the Padres each game- they’ll win. Here’s to more runs!

7. Rios and Ruiz is off the roster. Lux and Floro added.

8. Shaking my head

   Ríos and Ruiz out
   Floro and Lux in
   Gore still on roster

   Floro is the only one that makes sense to me. Can someone help me out?

   1. I never liked Gore being on the roster – period. I liked Ruiz as a third catcher in case team had to pinch hit for Barnes, but if it comes down to a LH PH then Lux makes more sense. Rios has to be shocked! Wonder if there is a physical problem? Now Muncy is the backup third baseman and that is not good defensively. Beaty may be the emergency catcher? I thought Floro should have been on the wild card roster in place of Kelly, but apparently contract value is a consideration in making that decision.

      1. I think Kike might be in the mix to be the Emergency catcher as well.

         1. Thanks. Did not realize Kiké caught, but he plays well wherever Dodgers put him. Beaty was a catcher in college (Belmont I think)

9. What a great analysis of the two teams, AC. Thank you. Looking forward to the game tonight. Glad Floro is back on roster. Not sure about Rios not on it though. Oh well, not my decision. Good luck to all the Dodgers. Have a good game and beat those Padres.

10. Rios? That’s a head scratcher!

    1. I’m asking the same question as SCB above. Is Rios injured? Otherwise, I’m very much looking forward to Doc’s explanation for keeping him off while adding Lux. We have lots of guys who can play second but very few who can play third adequately.

       1. Apparently Rios is not injured because he is on the taxi squad.
          OK, now I can officially disagree with the decision to leave him off and insert Lux. This should insure that Lux will be the series MVP.

11. The head scratcher is GORE. Why he is even a Dodger is a mystery. And from what I have read, he is simply there as a possible pinch runner. One writer said Lux was added for his defense, which I find totally puzzling since he has been very iffy in that sense this year. Kike is a much better defender than Lux. Padres have not submitted their roster yet which I thought was supposed to be in by 10 am EST. They still have not decided if Clevinger is going to be on the roster.

12. Clevinger is listed as the starting pitcher today, and if he is effective, it makes the task more difficult. I have no idea why Lux was added, but maybe he’ll suddenly become the player he was touted to be, though it seems to be a longshot in this situation.

    The Padres won that galvanizing come from behind game against St. Louis, and then went on to win the series decider. They have confidence and momentum, and are loose, nothing to prove, while the Dodgers carry the weight of expectations and past playoff losses. The Dodgers have a better team, we are 45-17 this year, and beat SD 6-4 in mostly close games this season. But we have not faced Clevinger, and in two games against Milwaukee we scored seven runs total, two on bases loaded walks. So we have to show that we can score significant runs against the better pitching staffs in a short series. I won’t make a prediction, not that I have any aversion to predicting, but there are just conflicting elements at play, and it really could go either way. I will say that whoever wins the first game will win the series, which of course is not saying anything remarkable, but isn’t always the case.

13. Well there’s my first WTF reaction for this year’s playoff decisions. As to the 2nd round playoff roster.
    Here was my comments yesterday about the roster:
    * If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Folks can complain about Muncy, especially in the 4 hole, and they have a case on that one. But he’s gonna play. Who else would. Please don’t tell me we’d be better with Joc in left, Pollock in center and Belli at 1st. Joc is not an improvement in the line up and should be a pinch hitter only. He’s overweight, not a good defender and strikes out too much. Oh, and he can’t hit.
    * I would add Floro and drop Gore. That’s 14 pitchers and 14 position players.
    * I like the idea of keeping K-Bear as a 3rd catcher for the simple reason is when Barnes catches CK, Smith should DH and K-Bear can catch in case and can pinch hit. Yeah, I know. No experience but I like him there in case.
    Rios must be hurt or this makes zero sense. JT better not pull that hammy again. I don’t want Muncy at 3rd and Joc in left. The K-Bear deal is worse. I love Smith at DH when Barnes catches and a 3rd catcher just makes sense.
    So, yes I am second guessing this deal and it might be very true that I don’t have enough information. Like, is Rios is injured? And of coarse I don’t have any credentials to question the GM and Skipper. But I’ll stand behind my original statement yesterday: “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

14. On another note, Peter Gammons has an interesting piece in the Athletic today (subscription) on the “Randomness” of post season baseball. He has a few quotes on the Dodgers from Dave Roberts and “a Dodger Official”.
    Regarding the Dodger’s previous playoff losses – “For anyone to suggest it is the fault of Doc (Roberts) is ridiculous,” says one Dodger official. “For one thing, it is a total misrepresenting of what essentially has been a building process the last five years, and the current team has been built by a collaborative organization group. We have gone out and traded for Yu Darvish and Manny Machado to try to win it all; it didn’t happen to work.”
    Says Roberts. “If something happens to us this October, and anything is possible, then it will ignore the way these Dodger players went at it all season. They played the game hard, they played it right, they dealt with every protocol, every extra night in hotel rooms, every loss of the routine with which they’ve played all their lives was special.”
    “As the Division Series begins, there have been suggestions that if the Yankees lose, there could be questions about Aaron Boone. If the A’s lose to Houston, another Beane team bites the dust. If they beat the Astros, it will be another Dusty Baker October loss. If the Dodgers don’t win with the best team in the sport, there might be another round of questions raised about Dave Roberts.”

    1. Anything is indeed possible in postseason baseball, which is less predictable than the other major sports. But that cannot be used as an ongoing excuse for the Dodgers. The Yankees won five titles in ten years, and it wasn’t that long ago. The Cards and the Giants and the Red Sox won three or more titles in the last twenty years. The Dodgers have not won any. Rebuilding process? The Red Sox won, then had topheavy contracts, went down briefly, rebuilt, and won another title. If the Dodgers do not win the title this year–and admittedly this is a very unusual season–then something is wrong, with the manager, or the ownership and front office approach, or the clutch quality of the players on our roster, or a combination of those. if you are in a weekly poker game, and you never win at the end, then you’re not a good enough player, or the others are simply better, or they are cheating, or you’re a good player, but are doing something wrong strategically. Bad luck, or happenstance become a less likely interpretation as each unsuccessful event occurs. It’s not a perfect analogy, of course, but it is useful, because the alternative is simply to keep doing the same things, and using the excuse that you are doing all the right things, so it is ridiculous to take any blame for the result.

15. Willis Reed starting for the Padres.

    I was of the belief that Clevinger was facing TJ surgery. Cortisone shots can only do so much. If he makes it through the Dodger lineup once I’ll be surprised, but then again none of us are really privy to the medical reports and the seriousness of the injury.

16. Clevinger listed as the starter for the Padres. He has not faced any hitters in a game in over a week. Dodgers have never seen him, and he has never seen the Dodgers, that makes it even. Leaving Rios off of the roster is a mistake. Gore should not even be on the team in my estimation. Rios is not injured. He would not be on the taxi squad if he was. I do not think Lux is a better PH option. I do not think Lux is that big of an improvement defensively either. If Turner’s hammy goes south, he can be replaced on the roster, but he would have to miss the NLCS if they get that far.

17. Why Gore is on the team is unbelievable. Rios is not This is why Doc and management opens themselves to criticism. Just like putting Muncy as a lead off hitter to open the season. Just like trying Joc at 1st base. I will bet 99% of us would of started Mookie as lead off to start the season. But not Doc. I know a lot of the decisions are collaborative. However, if I am the manager, I want final say about my team. If not, they need to find someone else to manage. I just wish for the good old days.

18. No use in complaining about it now. What’s done is done. Chad Moriyama said the Pads will sweep. And he is supposed to be a Dodger guy. I just want the team to play good baseball. I want solid defense and consistency out of the hitters. Any playoff is a crapshoot. Especially this year.

19. Someone (can’t remember who) on Twitter was guessing that they plan to DH Pollock most of the series and play CT3 in left because of the huge outfield in Texas. If true, that would mean they might want an extra guy to use at second and therefore they turn to Lux.

    I would still rather have Pollock in left and CT3 at second rather than start Kike or Lux at second. I guess we’ll find out soon enough what kind of lineup Doc throws out there. The guy on Twitter could have been wrong.

20. It appears no one on this thread is in agreement with these moves. Neither am I.

    I wonder if we might get a rebuttal sometime today?

    “The guy on Twitter”?

    Regarding medical reports and the seriousness of the injury – people obfuscate, misdirect, avoid answering or flat out lie every day. Perhaps we all know of someone who is guilty of that.

    In the final analysis I doubt Lux or the lack of a down roster reliever will make a difference. We are the superior team and if we play like it we will win this series and the one to follow.

    By the way, was that 50 push up bet for only the first series? If so I expect a double or nothing offer soon, and the answer is “drop and give me 50”.

    1. I can’t believe you didn’t see Gore score the winning run in game two of the Brewer series Badger. You must have been eating your hash browns and missed it.

       Since you’re giving me a chance to define the bet, I’m saying it was for the whole post season. Gore will score the winning run in one of the games or Mark has to do 50 push ups because I lost.

       1. I believe that you are referring to Gore’s stealing of home in the bottom of the thirteenth in game three of the Brewer’s series.
          It really was a shame that fans were not allowed in that game and ESPN did not interrupt the Atlanta game to show it

       2. I think it would take Mark a week to do 50 push-ups. I can do them in 3 days.

          1. I can do 50 in 2 minutes.

             1. I can do 50 in 50 years

21. I’m not sure I really care about why Friedman didn’t pursue LaMahieu, but if I had to guess I don’t think the team puts value into 2B.

    Defensively it can be positioned effectively to offset some issues. And offensively is there really that big of a delta between the top 10% and top half? I’m wondering, I haven’t checked….

    This should be a great series, let’s hope the good guys get lucky and win.

22. I get not needing Ruiz. I have no idea why Lux was chosen over Rios, however. Maybe he has some insane splits in his short time. That’s head-scratcher.

    Floro was an easy choice.

    I don’t like keeping Gore, but I think it falls into the category of “I’d rather have him and not need him than need him and not have him.” It will be either a genius or moronic move. Stay tuned! I am betting that he is working stealing 3B very hard.

23. By the way Jeff, nice thorough write up on the teams today. Very well done. Sorry we both missed on the unusual roster moves that came out today.
    There was lots of justifiable criticism and information on Andel Hernandez yesterday. I also think CD Bucknor is behind the dish today for the Ray – Yankees. That should be a lot of fun. Nothing like having the 2 worst umpires having playoff assignments. I guess the actual or threatened discrimination suits do carry some weight with MLB.

24. I, for one, have no problem with the Dodgers choosing Lux over Rios. I’m not privy to the reasoning used by the front office and staff, and I’m going to assume they had their reasons. Rios is a nice player, but as of yet, I don’t view him as a difference maker. Moreover, if the Dodgers lose this series simply because Rios wasn’t on the roster, then folks, the Dodgers have much more serious issues to address in the future.

    1. All that might be true, but in a park as big as Arlington, his power plays more than Lux’s defense. But the main reason is probably because most of SD’s pitchers are RH, and he has reverse splits. My problem with bringing Lux onto the roster is his lack of playing time. His penchant for making mistakes in the field, at least this season. But my biggest gripe is keeping Gore on the roster. Also there is no one else besides Rios who is even close to being competent playing 3rd. If Turner goes down, they are in trouble.

25. Padres hit .311 at Arlington in their 2 game series earlier this season. They hit 5 homers and scored 20 runs. Of course that was against Texas pitching. The Dodgers hit .250 there, hit 5 homers and scored 16 runs in 3 games, one of which they lost when the pen imploded. As for Tatis and Machado, they hit .207, and .227 against Dodger pitching respectively. The Padres as a team hit .224 against the Dodgers with 15 homers and they scored 36 runs. The Dodgers hit .227 against the Padres and scored 46 runs, and also hit 15 homers. Myers hit .333 against the Dodgers with 3 homers, but all of them were solo shots. It should be a close series. I think the ball park, and the better pitching both teams bring to the table will limit huge offensive outputs. Dodgers in 5 and most of the games will be decided by just a couple of runs. The Dodgers had the only blowout during the regular season. An 11-2 win in San Diego. They also had the only shutout. A 6-0 game in the same series.

    1. Yep, staff, not stadium.

       Sounds like it’s Dodgers by an edge Bear. 4 or 5?

26. Marlins 4 Braves 3 in the 7th. Old friend Yimi Garcia on the mound for the Fish.

27. Eddie Van Halen dead at 65! R.I.P. Eddie

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/06/entertainment/eddie-van-halen-dead/index.html

    1. Sad day for us rockers .

28. And that’s why Yimi no longer pitching for Dodgers! Ouch!

    1. Cassidy – some players just don’t have the bottle for the big occasion.

       Yimi showed us time after time that he was one of those players. Some were disappointed to see him go. He wouldn’t have got near our BP this year.

       Feeling a little nervous about the game later. Wish our key hitters were in a little better form.

29. Jorge Castillo LA Times – ‘Ríos was excluded from the roster after suffering an unspecified injury during the Dodgers’ workout Sunday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. He won’t be available at all in the NLDS.’

    1. Why did you post this SoCalBum?!?!??

       It was so much more fun reading all the unformed ranting and postulating.

       How dare you bring real information to bear!

       1. My bad! I do not know how to delete. 🙂

       2. Hey Bluto if you read my earlier post, what part of my comment “Rios must be hurt or this makes zero sense.” do you think is “uninformed ranting and postulating”?

    2. I read in a couple of places that he was on the taxi squad. Was that incorrect?

       1. I have not seen anything about the taxi squad for this series

          1. This was posted by Gurnick:
             Taxi squad (12): LHP Scott Alexander, C Rocky Gale, RHP Josiah Gray, IF/OF Zach McKinstry, OF DJ Peters, OF Luke Raley, IF Edwin Ríos, C Keibert Ruiz, RHP Dennis Santana, RHP Josh Sborz, RHP Mitch White and LHP Alex Wood

             Maybe they just automatically list everyone on the 40-man who isn’t on the 28-man playoff roster.

             1. So if someone else suffers an unspecified injury Rios could be back?

             2. Gray and Gale are not on the 40-man roster

30. Tonight’s Dodger lineup:

    Betts RF
    Seager SS
    Turner 3B
    Muncy 1B
    Smith C
    Bellinger CF
    Pollock LF
    Pederson DH
    Taylor 2B

    Buehler SP

31. 1. Mookie RF
    2. Corey SS
    3. JT 3B
    4. Mad Max 1B
    5. Fresh Prince C
    6. Cody CF
    7. AJ LF
    8. Joc DH
    9. CT3 2B

    Striker – Pitching

32. We really need Joc or Muncy to wake up to make this lineup scary.

33. Per Doc, Rios tweaked his groin which is why he was left off the NLDS roster. Hope to have hom back for NLCS. He is better today, but probably will not be available.

    1. Sorry to hear that. What do you think we do at third base when Turner needs a rest, AC? Can Beaty play third or do we play Muncy there?

       1. Beaty has played 3rd before and so has Muncy. I saw Taylor play there once.

          1. Turner should be ok there. Ok in the fact he’s only slightly worse than average defensively. (-0.1) Muncy on the other corner infield spot is twice as worse. (-0.2)

             I watch the current Yankees and they remind me of the earlier Dodgers. I wonder if we will see those guys anytime soon.

       2. With Rios out, there is no good alternative at third base if JT gets injured. In a 5-game series he shouldn’t need a rest, but knowing how Doc likes to move things around he’ll probably get one.

          1. According to the Dodger site, Rios is on the taxi squad, and he could be activated if Turner were to go down.

       3. While we all hope JT stays healthy, if he’s tweaked or DH’s, Muncy is the likely candidate at 3rd. In this season JT has played 32 games there, Rios 21 (and now unavailable) and Muncy 14. Nobody else has any time there at all. It makes no sense to play somebody else there who has NO reps. CT3 could do it a pinch and Kike as well in an emergency but CT3 should be at 2nd full time.
          So Muncy to 3rd, Belli to 1st, Pollock to center and Pederson to left would be the adjustment without JT.

34. More from Doc,

    Beaty is capable to play 3rd, but the first choice would be Muncy at 3rd and Beaty to 1st. Belli could also play 1st, but they do not want to take him out of CF.

    No Buehler script or pitch count. Buehler will be monitored throughout the game.

    Will Smith is currently scheduled to DH tomorrow.

    Rios is a loss. He would have been part of the discussion for DH had he not been injured.

    With Gore, it is more of an issue that what IF they needed him and he wasn’t there. He may never get in a game, but if he is needed they now have the speed to get a run IF needed.

    If needed, Doc indicated that Treinen and Kolarek are both capable of going back to back to back.

35. Can’t wait to see who steps up offensively for Dodgers. And please give some better 2strike swings! Can’t believe Clevinger will be sharp. Wait for mistakes

36. 2020 continues to be a bitch… Eddie Van Halen RIP
    Ladies and gentlemen Start your Engines!!!
    I have a half glass full feelin that Muncy plays a big part in this series… I will now go light a few votive candles…
    I know CT3 is multi dimensional but why not give him 2B for the next couple years…
    Get well Edwin!!! We will miss what could have been…

    1. Half empty and half full is the same…….I measured, just like when I timed a watched pot was the same as the one not watched. Half full , half empty is the same with what I found to be true happiness in these later years and that is an empty bladder. Sadly I’m not often real cheerful.

37. For those of us who like to follow the prospects, here’s an article from Jim Callis on how some of them did at the alternate site this summer.
    I’m really anxious to see Vogel at some point, somewhere, somehow.
    In any case, it looks like we have some guys who will be able to fill in some holes in the not-too-distant future.

    https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/dodgers-alternate-site-report

38. Posted this earlier but it seems to have disappeared so I’ll try again.
    Jim Callis posted this article about some of our better prospects and how they did at the alternate site this summer. It’s an interesting read and makes me all the more anxious to see some of these guys in action somewhere, somehow at some point.
    I’m already a big Jake Vogel fan just based on what I’ve read about him. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a comment about how hard he hits the ball and it looks like he’s a talented outfielder as well.
    Other comments in the article about Hoese, Busch, Ruiz and a lot of the pitchers.

    https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/dodgers-alternate-site-report

    1. Nice piece. Thank a You.

    2. Really enjoyed reading it, SingingTheBlue. Thank you for sharing it.

39. Gore on the team still. This is what drives me crazy about Doc. He goes with speed and defense over offensive production sometimes. Has Gore ever gotten a base hit in the major leagues.

    1. You think that was acDoc decision? I don’t. At least not solely a Doc decision.

       1. Gore on the roster probably wont cost the Dodgers a game but Doc has gone with Hernandez over a better hitter in the past based on better defense. It drives me crazy.

          Doc is the manager last time I checked.

    2. I am sure Doc was in on it, but AF and the FO likely made the decision.

       Gore will never hit in this series, so it makes no difference if he has 15 hits or 15,000, but he has 15 hits with a career .224 BA/.325 OB%.

40. Dodgers look jittery. Buehler having command problems. I’m not sure he’ll go more than 3 innings if his pitch count continues to climb. Pads seem loose, ready to have a good time. I was really surprised to see Clevinger. He doesn’t look like a Dodger. The pressure is all on our Bums.

41. Clevinger’s pre-mature exit was predictable.

42. Buehler seems to be settling down. Good sign!

43. Same ol same ol! The Dodger hitters are like the darkness. Turn up the lights and they disappear!

    1. What’s the fix?

44. I like the strategy of going with another starter after Buehler. But like most of the dodger relievers May is good against one side of the plate and bad against the other side. Actually May is DOMINATE against the right side and bad against the left side.

    I hate the three batter minimum rule.

45. The Rays hold off the Yanks, 7-5.

46. I’m sorry but Muncy, Bellinger and Pederson are just pathetic! There’s no answer for that this year!

47. 8 walks in 4.2 innings pitched by the Padres and the Dodgers have done nothing. Feels a lot like Dodger post season baseball. Come on Doyers, lets go!

48. Why are the Dodgers taking first strikes? It’s not like they want to run up the pitch count when the Padres are in a bullpen game. See the ball, hit the ball!

49. 5 innings and the whole team has been Muncy’d.

    But score without a hit? It’s good to be lucky.

    1. We get by with a little help from our friends.

50. So far we got more got hits than got a hit.

51. The announcers keep discussing how long Doc will stick with May. I say pitch him for a few more innings. Win this one first before worrying about games 4 and 5.

    1. Now it appears May is done. I think this is dumb.

    2. I agree with you 100%. Let May keep going.

52. Only Mookie and Cory hit against the Brewers. Now they’re regressing back to the rest of them. Must be a virus going around!

53. Why do some of the Umps look like bloated pigs? Unhealthy body, unhealthy mind. Can’t wait for the electronic strike zone.

54. Until now!

55. Walking Smith to pitch to Bellinger! WTF! Make ’em pay, Cody.

56. Pathetically incredible!

57. If anything from this game, I saw a couple nice swings by Muncy and Belly (with 2 strikes)

58. Is Bellinger actually developing a two strike approach! I like it! I know Jeff. My son was going crazy. You walk a guy that looks like a little leaguer to get to the reigning mvp! But Belly delivered!

59. Muncy is making good contact. Oh no here comes Jansen.

    1. Well they got it done.

60. Good win Great job by the pen. May was filthy. Kenley had movement. A blown strike three on Myers cost them a shutout.

    Quite a few balls to the warning track by the offense.

61. Got there in the end.

    This stadium is not gonna help the Dodgers chances.

    1. It’s big for them too

62. You got to love the way they broke out in the 6th inning. That’s situational hitting. Not just going for the long ball, keeping the line going. And the pitching was tremendous, despite Buehler not having his best command. What I liked the most:

    They didn’t give up or get discouraged. They believe that they can win any game.

    Their patience. They kept grinding it out. Even when they had no hits, they kept taking walks.

    They are having fun and staying loose. That thing that Mookie does with his hands – that double hand wave – is contagious.

    Keep it going, boys!

63. Great win, May and Gonzalez looked fantastic.

    Lets keep it rolling Kersh!

64. Gotta love the fight in Buehler. He was obviously struggling but he came up big time when he had to. Great pitching in game one. Let’s see if Kersh can keep it going tonight. Let’s see if our offense can break out against a depleted Padres staff! Make it an easy night for Kersh

65. The turning point was Buehler striking out 2 Padres after they had loaded the bases. That was critical. As for being no hit until the 6th, remember that Cueto did that to them, and then a misplayed ball in left, and they were off to the races. Turner’s oppo field single was huge, and this proves they can win with small ball too. Ball does not fly well in that park. But in Dodger Stadium, they are playing HR derby. Springer hit 2 more there yesterday and now has 5 post season HR’s in Dodger Stadium. Greinke is battling arm soreness and will not get a start today. Phillies GM stepped down. Lakers up 3-1. Close game but they won it.

66. There were lot’s of opportunities to criticize Roberts last night, but the outcome eliminated the criticism.
    • Muncy is starting to look like he is getting comfortable and with a double you see why Doc left him at #4.
    • If you thought it was dumb for Doc to take out May after 27 pitches, it was just the opposite. May is slated to start game 3 or 4 and those 27 pitches were just his “side session.” He’s fresh and rested to make his start, and go deeper into the game.
    • Jansen closed out the game just fine but his velocity is nowhere close to what it was in early September. He will not close exclusively, but he is a lefty-killer. That’s why Doc took out Trienen and had Jansen face the two lefties. Lefties OPS .518 against Jansen, while Righties have a .706 OPS. I think Doc will try and spot him for lefties.
    • In The Athletic today, Ken Rosenthal wrote this:
    “Think about it: The Dodgers parted with Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda and Rich Hill last offseason, lost David Price when he opted out of the season and traded Ross Stripling at the Aug. 31 deadline. Yet, they are one of the few teams in the game that actually can run out five quality starters, a critical advantage in these pandemic playoffs, when both the Division Series and NLCS will be played straight through, with no days off.”
    • Now, with one great start tonight, Clayton can repair his reputation immensely. He either will or he won’t but Doc has nothing to do with it. I would imagine if Clayton goes 7, Doc will not let him come out for the 8th.

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