It may seem like last night’s loss added some games to the number of games the Dodgers have to win, but it’s still the same. What shocks me is how some people absolutely lose their minds in a game like that. If you look at the boxscore, Kershaw doesn’t look great, but it’s not bad: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K’s. If you watched the game, you know that he did not have great control early and hit two batters and you also know that he had some bad luck with weakly hit balls that found openings. No excuses – it’s just the way it was.
There were two keys to that game: Strasburg and the fact that Pollock, Bellinger, and Seager did not hit. Now, the fact that Strasburg was very good impacted the second issue: Pollock, Seager, and Bellinger were shut-down by him. Someone said, “This is a guy who has an ERA over 3.00.” But, in 33 starts he gave up 4 to 9 runs eight times. However, since September 5th he has not given up more than 2 runs in 6 games. He is a streaky pitcher in the middle of a hot streak. RVS is going to have to sit down with the hitters and devise a plan to get to him because most likely, they will have to beat him once to win this series.
As a point of comparison, in 28 starts, Clayton has given up 4 or more runs just 5 times. In 27 starts, Scherzer has given up 4 or more runs 4 times. The lack of hitting was the problem and the hitters were not being as patient as they should have been. A healthy Alex Verdugo would have helped a lot, but he’s not here. Going into game three, the Dodgers have to change up a little. The Dodgers hit .156 against Max Scherzer. AJ Pollock hits .167 against him and Cody Bellinger is at .091. Corey Seager is 0-6 against him. Matt Beaty has never faced him and could get the start in LF. The Nats are hitting .185 in the playoffs and the Dodgers are at .190.
Again, the Dodger hitting coaches has better get out the VR and analytics and figure out how to hit Mad Max or they will be down 2-1 going into game 4 – that’s not a good place to be. The hitters have to have a better game plan for Game 3. Still, good pitching has been known to stop good hitting.
Why pitch Clayton in Game 2? It’s really very simple: (1) The Nats hit Kershaw pretty good – he has difficulty with them; (2) He pitches better at home; and (3) Here’s the biggie – Ryu pitches at his very best on 6 days or more of rest. Ryu should be locked and loaded Sunday with plenty of rest. I have a problem on Sunday. One of our vendors invited me, my son and our VP of Operations to the Colts-Chiefs game at Arrowhead Sunday, so hopefully, they have the Dodger game on in their suite. I’ve never been to Arrowhead, but I’ll be there in Colts Blue on Sunday.
So far in this short postseason, the Dodgers are tied with the Astros for the best ERA at 2.00. The Nats have a 3.46 ERA. The Dodgers are 8th in Batting Average at .190 – only TB and the Nats are worse. The solution to the Dodgers’ problem is to “Just Hit Baby.” Someone is going to have to step up. Freese probably starts at 1B and Beaty in LF. Pollock and Lux need to sit. Freese can hit Scherzer and Muncy already does. The Dodgers need a couple of heroes to step up. It’s that simple… and so very, very hard!
I’m holding out for a hero!
The Dogs won 7-6 in 11 innings. Omar Estevez was 0-4 with an RBI and Jeren Kendall was 0-5 with 2 more K’s. No other Dodgers played.
I dunno, it’s not just ten more wins. It’s two more loses.
Anything ANYTHING that references the impotency of last year’s World Series offense is a major concern.
17 strikeouts is obscene and insane
Game was in reach on 9th Inning. Pollock again striking out and Bellinger looking like the 2017 World Series not the MVP Version. Joc making stupid swings all over last night. Muncy showed up but putting Pollock 3rd backfired on Roberts. Dude is not 3rd hitter anymore at all. Put him 8th. Put Beaty in place of him. Painful to watch those at bats . He cant hit or lay off balls away.
Kershaw again stinks in postseason losing the game. Did kept the game within reach but historically he is just an average postseason pitcher that does not come through on clutch and pressure. Once again he has proved that. Offense did not help him or defense. Turner should have had the first hit of the game but was not ready and playing offline once again and looks to not have legs anymore out there and seems to have lost range . Pollock also seems to not have anything on his throws from left field. But Kershaw look terrible the first 2 innings.
When you have to describe CK’s pitching performance as “gutsy and gritty” that’s all you need to know about using him in game #2. What you need from a playoff pitcher is “dominance” such as the performance of Walker, Strasburg and Verlander.” Dominance wins post season games, gutsy means you did OK.
It just seems the Astros and Nats know that to win a post season you need three big time arms (Verlander, Cole, Grienke, Strasburg, Corbin, Scherzer) and we have 2 (Walker and Ryu). I’m not throwing in the towel because who knows maybe Belli and Seager run into a couple of hits, but if we don’t win this thing you do have to wonder if AF built a great team to win the regular season, but came up short building a team to win the post season.
The AJ Pollock signing was a weird “out of the blue” FA signing that caused many of us to question it at the time. After 164 games, I’m still questioning it. All season long we’ve seen platoons, but in the playoffs Doc goes with AJ against Strasburg. Beatty AKA “professional hitter” comes off the bench at hits a single in his lone AB last night. AJ better be in the dugout Sunday.
I think it’s silly to say that a team is built for the regular season, but not the postseason. What does that even mean? It’s just a phrase that has zero meaning. If you are built to win, you are built to win anywhere. It’s simply a lack of execution.
Astros Big 3 ERA – 2.50/2.58/3.02
Nationals Big 3 ERA – 2.92/3.25/3.32
Dodgers Big 3 ERA – 2.32/3.03/3.26
To say the Dodgers don’t have Big 3 is ludicrous. While no longer the TOP pitcher in baseball, Clayton is still TOP 10.
CK is not a dominant top of the rotation pitcher anymore. Listen, I love the guy and was happy when AF extended him. He’ll retire a Dodger, as he should, he’ll go into the HOF as a Dodger, as he should and he’ll forever be a DODGER!
His post season record is now 9-11. What I’m trying to illustrate is he should not have started game #2. That should have been Ryu’s game at home where he is 10-1. In 2019, in a head-to-head pitching match-up Verlander, Grienke, Cole, Strasburg, Scherzer are all much better than the current day CK.
Although he limited the Nats to three runs he did get through 6 innings with some fortunate luck. If you think the Dodgers top 3 pitchers are equal or better than the Astros or Nats than you’re not watching the same game as I am.
Strasburg (and Scherzer for 1 inning) had our hitters confounded, off balance and swinging wildly all night. CK is good, but he’s not on par, any longer, with the likes of Verlander, Cole, Grienke, Strasburg, Scherzer and Corbin.
I agree that CK is still a quality pitcher, and it was not out of place pitching him yesterday. Mark, I remember you telling us early in the year, “this team is built for the postseason.” Is that just as silly?
Everyone goes nuts during / after a loss. It’s really disappointing when people make wild generalizations because of one game.
During the last week or so of the regular season, I was a bit concerned that regulars weren’t playing much and sure enough, it really shows at the plate.
Let’s not pretend that Kershaw did his job. He didn’t. He needs to do more than put the team in a hole early, then settle in and pitch like he’s supposed to. Sadly, he’s the reason that we’ve been to the postseason so many times over the years, and is also the reason why we haven’t won the big one at the same time. I go a little crazy with his performances, because I expect greatness, not mediocrity when he pitches.
I also put a lot of this on Bellinger, you need to be an MVP in October, not April! Poolock and Lux sucked. I would sit Lux, but I would keep Poolock in there. This is why you got him, to hit elite pitching. He’s also been the second best hitter on the team since coming off the DL. Lux just needs to sit a game to remind him to let the game come to him.
Now, on to the bright side. You can’t expect the pen to put up zeros all the time. May gave up a run, no problem, send him back out there. Other than that, they’ve been as good as you can hope for. We almost came back last night. This team doesn’t quit. The Nats had a little better luck yesterday and barely held on. They can’t only pitch Sherzer and Stras. Let’s get them on Sunday!
Well, that was disappointing. We showed character and put ourselves in position to win it after all that. Unfortunately, the team’s post season achilles heel reared its ugly head again. We’re very average with men in scoring position, and if we don’t win the WS, it will probably be the primary culprit.
I got nothing but love for Kershaw. Three runs thru 6 innings work is good work. A championship caliber team should be able to generate more than 4 runs in a game. Well, it’s just one game and we’ve been in this position before, most recently against Milwaukie last year. WA is a different animal than the Brewers, but I feel at least we don’t have to keep pace in a shoot-out with them. Strasburg was fantastic, incredible movement with his pitches and we really don’t have the type of hitters to deal with that. I wasn’t all that impressed with Scherzer the other night, specifically with his movement, and I think we knock him up pretty good. Just need Ryu to deliver a gem and we’re back in control.
This is a topic for the off-season, but I think for a lot of people, Belli and Seager were the two biggest disappointments last night. Someone mentioned signing Betts in the off-season. At first glance it seems a little outrageous given our projected payroll after our guys get extensions. Maybe those extensions shouldn’t be a given. Especially, if you’re essentially swapping a young, key guy for Betts via free agency. Not saying we should and I like all our guys, but some hard questions need to be asked if things don’t go our way this year.
Sometimes, for whatever reason, Kershaw struggles early. Bellinger looks tight at the plate and so does Seager. Bases loaded, game on the line, you have to make contact. Pollock is just not hitting. A bad signing, nah. He’s come Through with a lot of big hits this year, but people tend to forget that. Dodgers are up against it, Sunday is almost a must win situation. I guess modern day hitting strategy has me confused. If the shift is on, Bellinger should drop the ball down the third line. So should Seager, Lux or any other left handed hitter with speed. Put pressure on the defense and the pitcher. Hey, give the Astros credit for trading for Verlander, Cole and Greinke. Interesting article in Sports Illustrated on the Astros acquisition of Greinke. The Nats? They’ve had those big time pitchers and never won a playoff series. But they’re hot and got lucky against the Brewers. What really makes Washington dangerous is desperation. They’ll do whatever it takes to win. Will the Dodgers match that intensity? Or will they simply win because they have more talent, more depth and a better bullpen. Talent can win big games, but the talent has to produce, particularly in big moments.
The Dodgers are two games into the playoffs, one good, one bad, nothing to say at this point,let´s see what happens.
So much for staying hot. Now it’s back to getting hot again. Dang.
At some point they will have to hit the Big 3, and it’s not who plays but the approach that’s flawed. Time after time hitters took the one good fastball they were going to get that at bat as if they were not set up to hit it, instead looking breaking ball. They should do the opposite IMO, sit dead red and don’t offer at the breaking balls at all-they are mostly out of the zone anyway! If they can throw 3 breaking balls for called strikes to the same hitter hats off but they are not because they don’t have to, Dodgers hitters are chasing the breaking balls with weak swings and staring helplessly at fastballs they are not ready for. A few were swung at and fouled off but for the most part they took the best (and usually only good pitch to hit) of the AB and swung at garbage. If that changes they will hit the big 3, drive up the pitch counts and get into their bullpen. If it doesn’t it could be rough going because Sanchez may not even pitch game 4, the Nats are going to ride their Big 3 as far as they will take them. The Dodgers are the better team but have to overcome their poor approach at the plate against Sherzer and probably Corbin on the road.
Well, so much for not swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and reducing strikeouts. Same old story for the Dodgers in the playoffs. They have had 59 AB and have struck out 29 times (49%). WHAT?? This from one of the best hitting teams in baseball. All the walks in the first game and they scored only 2 runs in the first 5 innings. I know they are facing premium pitching in the playoffs, but at least make some contact. They have apparently learned nothing from their past failures. When the Nats came back to beat Milwaukee in the wildcard game I thought here comes our worst nightmare. And, so far, it has unfortunately come true. Everyone was concerned how we would do against the Astros in the WS. I thought, wait a minute, we have to get through the NL series first. I thought Washington could be a major hurdle.
Everything they worked on to improve during the season goes right out the window. Bellinger cannot not make contact premium pitching. AJ Pollack looks absolutely pathetic. Seager as well. Both came into the playoffs hitting very well and now they can’t even make contact. I’m talking about just hitting the baseball. How does this happen year after year. Max has been our only hitter that is carrying his tremendous season into the playoffs. Most of us were concerned about our bullpen going into the playoffs. It doesn’t really matter about how good our starting pitching or bullpen does when you have such unproductive ABs. Overreaction. Maybe. But, with our past history of hitting in the playoffs and the results of the first two games, maybe not. If this team can’t improve contact then they have to go from the best LA Dodger team to one of the most overrated. I’m just so disappointed in the team so far. I hope I”m very wrong.
I felt the same way after the Nats came back to win their game. Their big three scares me in a short series and I would have much rather have faced Milwaukee. The strikeout ratio is terrible, we will not win if that doesn’t change. We are swinging at too many pitches out of the zone, and not just breaking balls. Looking for a big game by Ryu and then we are back in control.
Guess home field advantage not such a great advantage. Go figure.
Anyone who has played baseball, watch Cody stepping in the bucket or first base with his front foot and his front shoulder flying open. He can’t hit the outside pitch and loses power doing it this way. Why aren’t the Dodgers coaches and video people making him aware of it so changes can be made?He also has to stop trying to pull every pitch and go up the middle or left field. The Dodgers are in trouble right now and could be eliminated very easily if their hitters don’t make adjustment. What’s wrong with Pollock? He didn’t hustle on the ball hit by Zimmerman and he should not be batting third against right handers .especially power right handers..Kershaw is a shadow of himself. Two pitch pitchers are not made for a playoff run. It’s looking like the same movie we’ve all seen the last two years.
No one wants to read a lot of negativity at this point, we want to keep the faith and hope for the best. Still, even though it was just one game, it was unfortunately very much like the way our hitters looked against Boston last year. These playoff teams scout us for weeks, and our hitters have flaws. It looked like they had improved this year in laying off bad pitches, but last like they mostly looked like Little League hitters. Pollock struck out in the 9th on a 3-2 count on a pitch which was a foot and half outside, and low. He couldn’t have hit that pitch with a pole, but he swung anyway. Seager was waving at pitches. Strasburg is very good, and Scherzer is better. You face pitchers like that in the playoffs. Flaherty, Soroka, Verlander, et al, are out there. The playoffs are simply not like the regular season. And I think that you need at least two great hitters in your lineup, and the Dodgers do not have that, have not for years.
We have a bunch of guys who are either former prospects in our system, or reclamation projects. As good as we were this year, except for Bellinger, we had a bunch of .260 hitters or worse in our lineup. We got Pollock because we wanted to trade Puig, did not want to spend enough for Harper, so looked around for someone available off the lesser FA group. Turner has done great for us, but he is usually injured, and is in and out of the lineup, does not have his great past swing with power to all fields. Seager simply has not been the player who was touted as perhaps the best prospect in baseball a few years ago. He looked completely overmatched on his last at bat, did not get even one good swing though he hung in there for a while. Muncy is a solid hitter, but he is also about a .255 hitter with no speed. Bellinger had a very fine year, but has not shown any ability to come through in the postseason, for whatever reason. That’s basically our team. Would Verdugo have helped? Probably, but he has had no postseason experience, and one never can tell. And other teams have had players out,some still do. It was a very unfortunate injury, but we won 106 games with him being out the second half of the year, and we were a substantial favorite to win the NL playoffs even with Verdugo out.
I do not think we will win this series now, though we obviously have a chance. Washington is not at all the ideal team to play in a short series, particularly after they overcame their past history to pull out the WC game. As Mark stated above, we have to face probably the best pitcher in the NL in Scherzer, and then how many innings will we get out of Hill in Game 4? We’re going to see Corbin and Strasburg in relief, too, in this series, unless Corbin starts game 4. We won’t hit them, we do not hit top pitchers in the playoffs. So we would need to get great pitching in these games, and then our bullpen would need to hold a lead, of which I am doubtful. So far we’ve seen zero innings of Jansen, and one inning of Kelly, who pitched the 9th with a 6-0 lead.
Maybe the Dodgers will surprise me now, and I sure hope so. But having great regular seasons is somewhat illusory when it comes to playoffs, because there are so many mediocre teams in the regular season. Our depth and versatility are unmatched, and in a long season, it is a big edge. In the playoffs, you need at least a few great players who can come up big against anyone. The Yankees may not win it all, but their lineup is a veritable All-Star team, as is the Astros’. Not ours. We are perhaps the best team that careful financial management designed to stay at the luxury tax level can buy, also considering that we constrained ourselves by overpaying for our popular “own” players, Kershaw, Turner, Jansen. But we are not the best team in baseball as far as winning championships, as our record clearly shows, and will likely be manifested again. Having a lineup of .260 hitters which largely is drawn from versatile under-the-radar pickups, is not enough, unless the pitching were deep and great, which it is not sufficiently so. We might possibly bounce back to somehow win this series, but I don’t see how we would possibly expect to beat the top AL team, even if we got by the Braves or Cardinals in the NLCS.
To say they can’t beat the AL team is premature to say the least. The Dodgers have to go and split in DC and come home with WB in game 5, like they drew it up. The Nats are going to leave it all on the field and the Dodgers have to match that intensity. It’s the hitting approach that’s flawed and as you point out the teams have scouted the hitters and the hitters have not countered how they are being pitched. It’s not the pitching letting the team down it’s the hitting and right now I would pitch around Muncy which is what they did in the 9th inning last night. Whoever gets the call Sunday and Mon need to bring their hitting shoes and the Dodgers will be fine.
Harper is a .260 hitter. .882 OPS and all he costs is $330MM. And the Nats are playing better without him. Maybe Harper is just not the winner many of you think he is.
He wasn’t the guy for this team. Hopefully they saved that cash for Betts or Rendon.
I think we will do better on Sunday and will win with Ryuth, pitching. Even if we lose on Monday the series will be tied 2-2 and we will have Striker Buehler for the 5th game at DS. I like our chances.
In Mark’s post, I could detect the looming fear that our boys could be offed in the 1st series and end their season without the glorious payoff that all thought they would have. As Mark said, good pitching can stop good hitting. We just saw a perfect example of this. And because Scherzer is another good pitcher, there is a very good possibility that he will also stop the offense from breaking out. Our team has not done too well against the top pitchers and we’ve had this problem all season. Thank goodness there are not that many top pitchers in our Division. If they lose game 3, would you bring in Buehler to pitch game 4, and Hill in game 5? All of a sudden, this nervousness is beginning to take shape.
But hey, these are the Dodgers. The best and luckiest team in the NL. They can’t lose because their destiny has already been decided by the faithful. The faithful are never wrong, are they?
As Mike Tysen said, everyone has a plan until I punch them in the face. So our plan is to hit mistakes, wait for fastballs from pitchers who can’t throw secondary pitches for strikes. Or run up pitch counts on starters and hit the relievers. This works great against the patsies we play 19 times a year. Well, teams that make the playoffs have pitchers who throw strikes. And obviously they could not recognize the breaking pitches out of the zone and swing like they expect fastballs 95%. So so far we have zero against the starters. Likewise Bueler did his job. Example Seager swings a lot at first pitch but if not fastball usually misses by mile. Likewise Joc. Both teams not hitting much. We got the early break game one. and scored on error. Game two Kershaw not sharp. So on we go.
Ok, half of you guys are already jumping off the railing on the Titanic. C’mon, let’s get real!!! Did you really think we were going to just show up, roll a bag of balls and a few bats out there and sweep the Nats? Why do you think Doc pitched Bueller in the 1st game, because he wanted to make sure if it went five(which it might) then he has his bulldog pitching at home. Lots and lots of baseball left. The Nats are a great test for us. I think last night brought us back down to earth, and I really believe we are going to grind against Sherzer, who is not invincible. Mark called this a few days ago, and it should be on a plaque somewhere in the Dodger clubhouse. EXECUTE!! Doc can’t hit or pitch for our boys, all he can do is put what he feels is the best possible lineup out there to win. The rest is up to the players. Have faith brothers, we can do this!! Back away from the ledge!!
It’s all about execution. That’s it. Execute each pitch, each at-bat, each inning, each situation. They cut down on their strikeouts this season and now have reverted back. Everyone is trying to win it. No one person will win it. It has to be a collective effort.
… and yes, Jeff – I think they can be beat. It will depend upon who wants it most… and adapts to the situation. You can’t change the players now – they have to change what they are doing.
Pollock, Bellinger, and Seager did not execute. Each of them could have worked a walk or get the big hit on the 9th as Hudson was struggling. One question i have why didnt Friedman traded for a guy like this at deadline and instead brought Gyorko and Fat Bear White when Team needed Bullpen help. Hudson struggled yesterday but has experience and pitched great for Nationals on second half. Hey Mark what do you think of Gasolino’s performance last night ? He looked like old Baezfrom Mattingly’s days.
It’s hard to evaluate after only 12 pitches – 8 were for strikes. He didn’t walk anyone but allowed 2 hits. He’ll pitch agains on Sunday.
These knee jerk reactions are warranted considering the inept hitting we have witnessed in games 1 and 2. I agree with William we have too many mediocre hitters that struggle when up against very good to great pitching. This is a rinse and repeat from last year, better wake up fellas and you too RVS.
We still can win this series, I would say we remain slight favorites but so far what I see is concerning.
And of course our faithful host writes an article bashing the naysayers who come out after one game, well it actually it is more like 31 years. Yes we have had some bad luck over that lengthy period but also a lot of failure to execute by the players , managers and front office. This year I believe we were short sighted about our hitting at the deadline, how would a Castellanos look in this lineup right about now. Cubs acquired him for nothing..
Wake up boys, this Nats team is beatable but there three headed Bumgarner is coming for ya!!
I wanted Castellanos… still do. But at what price? The team he is on stayed home.
Right here, right now, this is not on the manager, coaches or front office. It is totally on the players.
This is only Friedman’s 5th year. Blaming him for the other 27 is absurd and it’s even more absurd to put it on him as he is the one who has engineered a better team every year with long-term sustainability.
Has Belly fallen so far down the playoff rabbit hole he can’t get out? Amazing how much confidence plays into a players psyche even in professional sports. It’s all hands on deck offensively on Sunday and if it’s spinning you’re taking. Brewers strategy against Scherzer was to be aggressive on first pitch fastballs and it worked. Here’s our lineup:
1. Pederson
2. Beaty
3. Turner
4. Muncy
5. Freese
6. Seager
7 Smith
8. Bellinger
And if Barnes was available I might hit him for Belly. I’m really pulling for him to break out and turn his playoff blahs around. Hit a line drive up the middle!
In the playoffs your suppose to play your best players, not your best from August to September, not your best the last 2 weeks of the season, not your best since the all star break, YOUR BEST OVERALL FOR THE WHOLE SEASON. That’s what regular season stats are for, to find out who put up the best numbers THROUGHOUT THE SEASON.
Game 1 Doc started the right 8 position players. But not game 2.
Lux vs RHP DURING THE WHOLE REGULAR SEASON 756 OPS.
Freese vs RHP during the whole regular season 1172 OPS.
Something tells me Freese should have started game 2 at 1B and Muncy at 2B.
Pollock vs RHP DURING THE WHOLE REGULAR SEASON 743 OPS.
Beaty vs RHP during the whole regular season 840 OPS.
Something tells me Beaty should have started game 2 in LF.
Doc used the bullpen good in game 1. I was impressed with how he handled innings 7 and 8. He played the OPS splits right in those 2 innings whether or not he intentionally did that or not. He used Joe Kelly in the 9th inning with a 6-0 lead, I’m not a fan of Kelly, but with a 6-0 lead so be it.
Game 2 I would have used the bullpen differently. I noticed that Doc used Urias in the 9th inning with 2 left handed hitters coming up, Urias has reverse splits, Kolarek was already used in the game and Baez has reverse splits but is dominate against both RHB and LHB. Doc should have used Urias to start the 7th inning instead of Baez then to Kolarek to get Soto which he did, then gone to Maeda who’s dominate against RHB for the bridge to get to Baez for the close. Doc got away with his decisions pretty much as only 1 run was allowed. As for using Maeda on back to back games, remember you use your best players in the best situations in the playoffs.
Anyways I was afraid of this, with the Nationals having 3 dominate starting pitchers Doc cannot afford to make decision making mistakes. Also the Dodgers can’t afford to have Bellinger in a slump. Its do or die 2 out of 3 now with the Nationals having home field advantage. Hope for the best.
1. Freese may not be able to play back-to-back games. We don’t know.
2. Whoever is in needs to execute – There is no RIGHT lineup.
3. The bullpen usage had no negative impact on the game.
“Freese may not be able to play back-to-back games. We don’t know.”
Well then lets find out.
“Whoever is in needs to execute – There is no RIGHT lineup.”
Ok then lets start Joc against LHP and lets start Martin at catcher and lets start Hernandez instead of you name who. Yes their is a right lineup. Actually there is no right lineup but there are 8 right players to start.
“The bullpen usage had no negative impact on the game.”
Your right and I pretty much said that when I said “Doc got away with his decisions pretty much as only 1 run was allowed.”
Dodgers will win and Advance for third straight World Series. Dodgers beat the Nationals in NLDS 2016. I wanted them to face Brewers but they blew the game. This series might go to 5 but Dodgers will come on top !!! If Dodgers get again to disastrous Nationals Bullpen !!!
You cannot blame this on Roberts! Cmon! If your best players don’t produce then you’re going home! And they’re not so far!
The managers job is to put players in a position where they have the best chance to succeed. Sometimes doc doesn’t seem to do that
Kershaw was fine. The loss isn’t on him.
Zero point ZERO percent of that loss is on Roberts.
Campy’s post is nonsense. Roberts put everyone in a position to succeed. The players didn’t come through. Seager. Belli. Lux. Pollock. Joc.
Hey JOC has a homer and a double in 5 ab.’a. He’s not the problem
Fair, but the point is that it’s up to the players to produce. Not Roberts to magically “put them in a position to succeed.”
Tell me how he didn’t do that!
At this point in the season why are people still complaining about moves AF should have made during the season? Hell, we won 106 games! We have a solid, deep team. But, as mentioned above, the hitters need to execute. It’s as simple as that. It’s not the starting pitching, the bullpen, or Roberts’ decisions. Kershaw only allowed only 3 runs. People act like he got bombed. Some people expect all the pitchers to be perfect or near perfect. It ain’t going to happen. You can’t tell me the hitters didn’t have opportunities to score enough runs to win last night. Poor execution.
Someone wrote above that the hitters were watching fastballs for strikes and swinging at breaking balls out of the strike zone. That’s pitch recognition. It’s something the Dodgers have excelled on during the regular season. Now that we are in the playoffs that all goes out the window. Pollack’s last AB is a perfect example. That last pitch was a ball out of the pitcher’s hand. That changed the whole inning. He gave away a precious out and a base runner. In contrast, rookie Will Smith spits on four straight pitches to get a walk. They did that against Corbin and got him out of game early. Against Strasburg it was a different story. He was lights out and throwing strikes with all his pitches. But, he was throwing slow curves many times early in the count. Is anyone paying attention looking for patterns? Look for one type of pitch and wait for it. It will come and probably be a strike.
We are a better team on paper than the Nats. Again, we just need to execute. Everything else is secondary at this point. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Good points. Strasburg rarely threw curves that were intended to be strikes, they were intended to be chased. He got a few over but most were balls out of the zone and hitters were out in front. Just take those pitches and wait for a fastball, putting pressure to throw an actual strike and more fastball counts. If they can get 3 curves or sliders over in one AB hats off to them but they were not doing that or really trying to. We know their game plan now, time to make the adjustment. Just to be clear, I think the Dodgers take this series in 5 and celebrate on their home field.
Look pitchers have to pitch and hitters need to hit. So far three starters were excellent and one (Kershaw) so-so. Hitters on both sides being dominated so far. Our guys couldn’t figure out Strassburg, but thats why hes great. We win 106, but beat up on patsies in the west. So can they adjust? Lets hope so.
Its like college football. Sure you can score 65 points against Wagner or Gonzaga. But the bowl games show what you really have.
This is for all you “sad sacks” out there who think the Dodgers are doomed to failure and will not win the series with Washington.
When the world is on your shoulders, and your heart feels full of lead
And your stomach churns like butter, and the voice inside your head
Is reminding you of everything you’ve ever said or done
All your failures and regrets, all the times your fear has won
Take a moment to remember that you’ve survived this all before
You’ve battled and you’ve conquered when you thought you had no more
You are stronger than you realize. You are brave and wise and kind
And you know you’s so much bigger than the doubt that fills your mind
So breathe it in and let it out, allow the ebb and flow
You can win this way, you always do. You’re a warrior you know.
Written by Laura Ding Edwards
Thank you for that post DBM!
You are welcome Vegas. Just meant to say “do not give up hope”.
DC posted the other day about Johnny Podres – a guy who came up big when the Dodgers needed it most. There are certain players who have that knack – think of Sandy Koufax for instance. Others fold in the clutch like a house of cards.
The Dodgers have played in the post-season 7 years in a row. So several players have a track record. Unfortunately, many Dodger hitters have come up empty year after year in the playoffs.
Bellinger: .164/.227/.320/.547, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 132 PA
Seager: .208/.280/.340/.619, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 118 PA
Hernandez: .193/.317/.375/.692, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 104 PA
Pollock: .136/.240/.409/.649, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 25 PA
The Good:
Turner: .310/.412/.497/.909, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 221 PA
Freese: .286/.360/.538/.898, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 225 PA
Taylor: .267/.403/.475/.878, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 124 PA
Pederson: .243/.331/.505, 7 HR, 12 RBI, 122 PA
Muncy: .232/.386/.464/.850, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 70 PA
In short, I don’t think that the Dodgers can depend on Belli, Seager, Kike or AJ in the post-season. Each of them (except Pollock) have a track record of falling apart in the playoffs.
Who will step up? So far Muncy has. Anyone else?