NL West Division Winner or Wild Card?
It s really as simple as that! The regular season is over and this is the Mini-Playoff to determine who wins the West. While everything is reset to Zero, I think it might be good if we list what this team did this year without Corey Seager, because frequently it was all about one of the following: What a stupid lineup Doc ran out (there were complaints yesterday and it turned
It’s really as simple as that!
The regular season is over and this is the “Mini-Playoff” to determine who wins the West. While everything is “reset to Zero,” I think it might be good if we list what this team did this year without Corey Seager, because frequently it was all about one of the following:
- What a stupid lineup Doc ran out (there were complaints yesterday and it turned out sorta’ OK);
- How the hitters can’t perform with RISP; and
- How bad the bullpen is.
The 2018 LA Dodgers NL Rankings:
- #1 in Runs Scored
- #1 in Run Differential
- #1 in Home Runs
- #1 in RBI
- #1 in Walks
- #1 OB%
- #1 in Slugging%
- #1 in OPS%
- #2 in Doubles
- #1 in ERA
- #1 in Starter ERA
- #5 in Reliever ERA (not bad for the issues that arose)
- #1 in WHIP
- #1 in Strikeouts
- #15 out of 15 in Walks by Pitchers
- #1 in Fewest Runs Allowed
This is a pretty damn good team with 12 players over .775 OPS, 10 over .800 and 3 over .900 OPS! AND (I am going to keep saying it until proven wrong), they are built for the playoffs! The guys they start, pinch hit or relieve with have mostly been battle-tested, been there, done that, got the t-shirt kind of guys. They had their hearts ripped out by their failures last year and my personal opinion was that they cruised through the season, waiting and looking-forward to this time. This time of redemption!
That their focus wasn’t always there is apparent, but it’s just as apparent what happened when they were forced to focus to fight for all the marbles. You saw total focus against the Giants (never mind their record – they were playing for pride and because they hate the Dodgers). Even Rich Hill showed total focus and pitched his best game of the season. By the way, it’s going to be good to see 22 year-old Julio Urias in the rotation next year. We can’t speculate what will happen but Buehler and Urias will for a strong #1 and #2 for years to come.
Forget the stats. Forget their record. If this team is who I think they are, they will come out and punch Colorado right in the face. They have singular focus: World Series or Bust! The 2018 season was almosta bust, but here we are… waiting and watching to see what they have in the Post-Season. Enjoy the ride…. because I think it’s going to take a while. “Are we there yet?” No, quit bothering your brother!”
Bring on Striker Buehler!
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Discussion (114)
Disagree, not disagreeable
All these metrics are in the rear view mirror! Light a candle in the church and ask the Big Dodger in the sky to help our dudes today.
Interesting article in The Athletic today about teams’ managers and changes by Ken Rosenthal. Here’s the intro:
“I swear, sometimes it seems every team operates with the same motto:
“We’re smarter than you.”
Smarter than the fans. Smarter than the media. Smarter than anyone who might dare express a dissenting viewpoint in the age of analytics.
Of course, teams are smarter than us. But they often are not as smart as they think they are. And they often get too cute with their robotic marches to efficiency.”
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True?
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Great article about Walker Buehler and his theories on pitching too:
Open on theathletic.comhttps://theathletic.com/558370/2018/10/01/sarris-as-his-arsenal-evolves-walker-buehler-is-executing-his-three-breaking-ball-plan/Those stats are impressive. And then you dig deeper, and question, as AC did, about why we are in Game 163 with those stats? I mean, with those stats, shouldn’t we be up near 100 wins?? And then you realize that any idiot who’s watched this team this season can tell you why. 1 game with 15 runs. 1 game with 2 runs. Oh wow, the Dodgers average 7.5 runs a game, they must be great!!! Oh wait, why are they 1-1 then?
Stats average out over a long period, but they don’t give you insight into the inconsistencies.
More importantly, hopefully we take these good at bats today like we did the last few days. Walks, base hits going with the pitch the other way. Getting everyone involved. And then boom. Somebody (I say Puig today) with a big 3 run shot to put the game out of reach. Let’s see if Buehler is throwing 99 and high to start the game. It means he’s amped up. I’d hope he drops down right there and does some pushups to calm himself down. Hopefully he has the anti-Kershaw big game mentality.
The Brewers, Rockies, and Dodgers all had very good Septembers and the final 10 games. For September:
Brewers – 19-7 (9-1 last 10)
Rockies – 19-9 (9-1 last 10)
Dodgers – 18-9 (7-3 last 10)
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The Cubs have not been as good in September or over the last 10 games:
Cubs – 16-12 (6-4 last 10 games) –
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Brewers/Cubs pitching matchups – Chacin v Quintana – Quintana has started 6 games against the Brewers this year with a 2.17 ERA. Chacin has pitched well with allowing 3 or fewer earned runs over his last 10 games. The game is in Chicago where the Cubs have a 51-30 record. The Brewers have a 44-37 away record. The Cubs hold a 11-8 record against the Brewers for 2018.
I think I need to have my son set up a free 7 day trial of youtube tv because it appears mlb.tv doesn’t cover the games.
Quite an impressive stat list. But if they are #1 or #2 in so many categories in such a weak NL (compared to AL), why are they in a Game 163 against the Rockies, and why do they not have home field advantage against every NL team? If the talent is so much better on the Dodgers, what is the reason they do not overwhelmingly have the best record in the NL?
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I will let FAZ evaluate Doc and his lineups and in-game decisions. But the other two categories brought up are fair.
The Dodgers were in the middle third of most RISP stats, except for K’s with RISP where they had 2nd most. So the solid hitting was very good without RISP, but very average to below average WRISP. I think it is legit to question RISP. The Dodgers were also #12 in blown saves. 26 blown saves!! If they only had 25 blown saves, there would not be a Game 163.
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But today is not a day to question . Today is a day we cheer and root the Boys in Blue on to victory. Let’s bring it home and then bring on Atlanta.
Dodgers are #3 in OBP