SponsorUS Water Systems
LA Dodger Talk

It's Time for Dodger (Playoff) Baseball

I think that in an hour or two, the rosters will be out. I think it will be Pages over Keirmaier, and if you think otherwise, you aren’t paying attention. I also think Henriquez will make the cut. The Dodgers will carry 13 pitchers. No question. They need as many bullpen arms as…

By Mark Timmons2 min read20 comments

I think that in an hour or two, the rosters will be out. I think it will be Pages over Keirmaier, and if you think otherwise, you aren’t paying attention. I also think Henriquez will make the cut. The Dodgers will carry 13 pitchers. No question. They need as many bullpen arms as possible! This will be the staff the Dodgers carry: Anthony Banda, Ryan Brasier, Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty, Edgardo Henriquez, Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly, Landon Knack, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Everyone is comparing the rosters and voting on who will win… and of course, that is how the game is played: A computer ingests all the data, and the baseball writers vote on the winner, and they are anointed! Right? Of course, that is absurd, and it is just as absurd to worry about things out of your control. I am simply going to enjoy this series, and win or lose, I will go on with my life. I might be a little sadder for a couple of days, but that’s life.

I do know this: No one picked the Rangers last year, and Alana Rizzo picked the Phillies, so the fact she picked the Padres this year means Zero, Zip, Zilch, Nada! It’s a crapshoot. With 12 teams in the playoffs, anything can happen… and it does. The Padres could sweep the Dodgers, and Freddie and Mookie could gag on their bats. Shohei and Max could screw themselves into the ground on every swing, and the Dodger starters could have a 9.00 ERA… but that is not likely. I think what is more likely is that the Dodgers are going to come out breathing fire and go scorched earth on the Friars. But it’s baseball, and that is why they play the game. PLAY BALL!

I have gone to other sites, and Dodger fans are already so miserable worrying about this or that. What lunacy! Enjoy the process. What the hell is wrong with you?

Think about that one… if you are inclined!

X-CITES

https://twitter.com/THEREAL_DV/status/1841927027907027395

Discussion (20)

Disagree, not disagreeable

Be civil — moderation is real. Links may need a moment of review.

  1. Shawn MurphyOctober 6, 2024

    Holy crap – the walks made the last 2-innings nerve wracking. Treinan wasn’t his best but thankfully “good enough”. I have to think Kopech will not be as amped up the next time he pitches.

    I still do not have much faith in Evans – he is not missing any bats like earlier in the season.

    Bottom of the lineup was the reason we won – allowing Ohtani and Teo to come through in the moment.

    Hopefully Betts comes through when the opportunities come up today as you wonder if Ohtani starts getting the Barry Bonds treatment.

    You get the feeling that whoever wins this series will win the whole thing!

  2. DodgfanOctober 6, 2024

    The outcome in G1 is the exact reason why the game is played. The so called insiders/experts declared the SDP the favorites to win. How did that prediction workout? Personally, I believe the Pads made a mistake by starting Cease and not King in G1. Nevertheless, the Dodgers offense and bullpen came up big tonight. On to G2.

    Go Blue!

  3. Brian PerkinsOctober 6, 2024

    Mmkay

  4. Roger askewOctober 6, 2024

    Best takeaway from this game, Treinan coming up huge with the game on the line. But hey, we put up 7 runs on the Madres pitching staff in the opening game. HUGE confidence builder going forward without Muncy even firing up, Ohtani is just built for this stage, dude is a monster,

  5. porpoiseboyOctober 6, 2024

    Well, this sucks I had literally read and posted that if you had MLB you could listen to the FS1 and fox broadcast and now I see that I need to be part of a participating pay TV provider. Total bullshit! That likely means I will only be able to get games that are actually on the fox broadcast not the FS1. I love the Dodgers but I hate the MLB

  6. Dodger DaveOctober 5, 2024

    Mark. Are you rooting against the Mets or Phillies in that series. Or do you not care ?

  7. DanoOctober 5, 2024

    Padres might have slightly better starting pitching. But in today’s baseball, starters rarely have anything to do with the outcome. Relievers do. Case in point. Zach Wheeler. What a shame.

    Book em

  8. Andrew ForteOctober 5, 2024

    8:38 PM ET

    Padres (93-69)

    Dodgers (98-64)

    SP Dylan Cease R

    14-11 3.47 ERA

    SP Y. Yamamoto R

    7-2 3.00 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup

    DH S. Ohtani L

    RF Mookie Betts R

    1B F. Freeman L

    LF T. Hernandez R

    3B Max Muncy L

    C Will Smith R

    2B Gavin Lux L

    CF Tommy Edman S

    SS Miguel Rojas R

    81° Wind 6 mph Out

  9. DavidOctober 5, 2024

    Freeman not starting?

  10. DanoOctober 5, 2024

    The Boys in Blue have a hot date with Destiny. They are together and they are confident! Time to tailgate. Cause we are going all the way.

    Book em

  11. Andrew Vincent ForteOctober 5, 2024

    Kershaw’s injured toe has not improved, and he won’t be available to pitch again in 2024 regardless of how far the Dodgers advance in the playoffs, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

    “Kershaw is dealing with a bone spur in his left big toe and hasn’t pitched since Aug. 30. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Saturday that the issue may have gotten worse as the veteran southpaw has tried to prepare for a return, and that will prevent Kershaw from pitching again this season. The future Hall of Famer was limited to a career-low seven appearances in 2024 and posted a 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 24:9 K:BB over 30 innings”.

  12. WoodyinVTOctober 5, 2024

    I still haven’t gotten over Joe Kelly breaking Hanley Ramirez’s ribs some years ago when he was on the Cardinals. Cost us any chance we had that year.

  13. NH DodgerOctober 5, 2024

    Looking forward to watching the Dodgers – Padres series. I think you could make the case that these are the two best teams in baseball. The post season has already provided some surprising results with the Orioles and Astros eliminated in sweeps courtesy of the Tigers and Royals. I feel better about the Dodgers’ chances this year than either of the last two years. One big reason is obviously Ohtani and to a lesser degree Teoscar. This line up is better than any post season line up the Dodgers have had in recent memory, in my opinion. While starting pitching is a notch below the Padres they are not running out Kershaw, Miller, and Lynn like last year. Whatever the result they have had a great year considering the injuries they have endured, especially to their pitching staff. This team has also risen to the occasion in three big series recently – winning three of four against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, winning the last two games of a four game series against Atlanta on the road after dropping the first two and taking two out of three against the Padres last week. When they have been pushed against good teams they have responded. Time will tell. Enjoy.

  14. Mark TimmonsOctober 5, 2024

    Here’s the Dodgers’ full 26-man roster.

    Starters: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, Landon Knack

    Relievers: Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Edgardo Henriquez, Michael Grove, Ryan Brasier

    Catchers: Will Smith, Austin Barnes

    Infielders: Freddie Freeman, Gavin Lux, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas, Kiké Hernández

    Outfielders: Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman, Andy Pages, Chris Taylor

    Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani

  15. BlutoOctober 5, 2024

    Roster is out.

    Yes, Ohtani made it!

    So did Henriquez. Guess they got rubber stamped by the Commissioner’s office.

    No Joe Kelly. No KK

    https://x.com/FabianArdaya/status/1842618670297874741

  16. Brian PerkinsOctober 5, 2024

    Go blue

  17. Dan in PasadenaOctober 5, 2024

    Well , “it” has finally arrived. Time to put aside all the worries and the “what if’s”.

    We all know the Dodgers have the ability in spades to beat ANY team as they demonstrated. No one knows better than they the disappoint of 2022 & 2023. Doc knows whatever he said during those series didn’t work. I see them putting it all together and putting the Padres in their place – back in San Diego. GO DODGERS!!!!

  18. SpokaneBobOctober 5, 2024

    My Daughter believes that what a person puts out to the universe through their words and thoughts (expectations) is what becomes their reality.

    I have worried about getting eliminated from the playoffs in the past. Not this year!

    Maybe having the best team in Baseball and Shohei Ohtani showing the world what he is capable of, have me thinking that we are going to win the World Series.

  19. WoodyinVTOctober 5, 2024

    Having had sprained ankles during my years as a distance runner, I was very skeptical about Freddie returning this soon. When I saw that video of him running at Dodger Stadium, he looked pretty good. Of course, he wasn’t running all out.

  20. BobbyOctober 5, 2024

    I agree the bullpen will be the key. I’ve just become accustomed to our starters going 5 innings max, so that means the pen needs to cover roughly 8 innings the next 2 days before a day off. These guys can absolutely do that!

    It is 6:30am, and I’m already packing up my blood pressure meds to take with me to Game 1. I may still need more!

More from Dodger Talk

Nothing Wrong With Back of the Rotation SP for LAD

I said it when Roki Sasaki was struggling…If not Roki, who? He finally started to pitch with more confidence and he put together a string of positive starts. Yes, there were those who forgot about his previous four excellent starts and instead focused on his CWS start. He is a…

By Jeff Dominique · June 16, 202670

Who Bats Where?

A good percentage of comments on this blog relate to “who bats where” in the batting order. “Shohei should bat cleanup.” “ Freddie should be the number three hitter.” “No, Freddie should hit second.” “Max Muncy should hit cleanup.” “Mookie should hit 9th.” … and on and on… Where…

By Mark Timmons · June 15, 2026104

Happy, Hopeful, Blessed, and Thankful

I grew up in Ohio and lived there until 1976, when I was 23 years old. I have been in Indiana for 50 years, so I consider myself a Hoosier. Now, I actually live 45 minutes from Bloomington, where the IU Hoosiers play. However, since I was nine years old, I have been a Dodger…

By Mark Timmons · June 14, 2026123

Are You True Blue?

What do I mean by true blue? Well, over the years I have seen my share of bandwagon and fair-weather fans. True blue fans stick with the team no matter what. Their allegiance to the team never waivers. Not when a favorite is traded or lost to free agency, not when the team…

By Michael "Bear" Norris · June 13, 202693