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| (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) |
This was not the Dodgers year, rationally speaking.
They lost 40% of the planned starting rotation for the season in April because of injuries to Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy. Jimmy Rollins underperformed. Joc Pederson fell off a cliff offensively after a great first half. Yasiel Puig was in and out of the lineup with various injuries and looked like a shell of the star we’d seen the previous two years.
Yasmani Grandal, the prized return in the Matt Kemp trade and one of the best-hitting catchers in the league to start the year, was 6-for-94 (!) to finish the season because of a left shoulder injury he played through. The bullpen was better than last year but never inspired a huge amount of confidence.
A few things did go right. Kershaw and Greinke dominated the league again. Brett Anderson stepped up and was a dependable third starter. Kenley Jansen is on the best sustained run of form for a Dodgers closer since the Game Over days of Éric Gagné.
The offense was a problem after a hot start, finishing 19th in runs scored. But it wasn’t all bad: Adrian Gonzalez hit 28 home runs, Justin Turner and the beard slowly consuming his face went from an afterthought bench player to the everyday third baseman hitting in the middle of the order. Andre Ethier had a surprising and much-needed bounce-back campaign after the Dodgers all but tried to give him away in the offseason.
And besides, when Kershaw or Greinke was starting, they usually didn’t need to score many runs anyway.
The Dodgers won the NL West going away, finishing even further ahead of the Giants than last year and again securing home-field advantage in the Division Series.
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| (Michael Goulding/Orange County Register) |
The Mets are a good team, that much was clear from the first four games, but after Kershaw came through on short rest in Game 4 and the offense scored just enough runs, it was hard not to be optimistic about Game 5.
Greinke pitching on regular rest at Dodger Stadium? I mean, sure, scoring runs off de Grom would be tough but he couldn’t possibly be as unassailable as he was in Game 1.
The Cubs victory over the Cardinals ensured that whoever emerged from Dodgers-Mets would have home-field advantage in the NLCS. Lurking in the back of my mind was a comparison of the Cubs and Dodgers, how the lineups stacked up, who would pitch each game, how many other obligations I would have to shirk to watch the series.
The Dodgers were a flawed team, yes, but if Madison Bumgarner could drag those jerks in San Francisco to a World Series last year, why not us?
Sure, it was tempting fate a little, but we’ve got this. Right?
As always, it’s the hope that kills you.
Jacob de Grom looked like he left his fastball command in New York during the first few innings, because he wasn’t the same pitcher we saw in Game 1. But after four consecutive hits in the first to score two runs, that Dodgers offense just couldn’t open the floodgates and put the game out of reach. Grandal, Kiké Hernandez, Corey Seager, Gonzalez, and Turner all struck out with runners in scoring position. Give de Grom (and later Noah Syndergaard) credit for battling, but goodness was it frustrating to watch.
And of course it came back to bite them. Daniel Murphy, who displayed distinctly Matt Carpenter-ian tendencies in this series, went from first to third on a walk because, well, just see for yourself.
Naturally, Travis d’Arnaud drove him in with a sacrifice fly on the next play. Two innings later, Murphy hit another home run, his third of the series, and that was the difference in the game. Dodger bats went from quiet to silent against Jeurys Familia in the 8th and 9th innings.
Naturally, Travis d’Arnaud drove him in with a sacrifice fly on the next play. Two innings later, Murphy hit another home run, his third of the series, and that was the difference in the game. Dodger bats went from quiet to silent against Jeurys Familia in the 8th and 9th innings.
Mets win the series, 3 games to 2. Game 1 against the Cubs is Saturday night in New York, TBS flashes on the screen.
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In a way, the best thing that can be said about this series is that there was no grand collapse. Two relatively evenly matched teams faced off, and over the course of the five games, the Mets played a little bit better. In the three games the Dodgers played at home, (where they were 55-26 in the regular season) all three were started by Kershaw or Greinke. LA won one of those games, and if the Chase Utley play had been officiated differently, they might have won zero.
In a way, the best thing that can be said about this series is that there was no grand collapse. Two relatively evenly matched teams faced off, and over the course of the five games, the Mets played a little bit better. In the three games the Dodgers played at home, (where they were 55-26 in the regular season) all three were started by Kershaw or Greinke. LA won one of those games, and if the Chase Utley play had been officiated differently, they might have won zero.
The Dodgers just weren’t good enough.
Which, fine, whatever, that’s sports.
Dodgers: have gone 9 postseason appearances without a trip to the World Series, tying the all-time mark (Athletics and Braves).
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 16, 2015
But as the World Series drought reaches its 27th year, it’s hard not to grow frustrated with a team that has won just one playoff series in three postseason trips given the talent and resources at the organization’s disposal.
It’s not just that the Dodgers haven’t won a championship in that time, it’s that they’ve never been to the World Series. Forcing a Game 6 in the 2013 NLCS is the farthest that most Dodger fans under 35 have seen their team go. I can count the number of truly memorable playoff moments on one hand:
- Jose Lima shutting out of the Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2004 NLDS.
- James Loney hitting a grand slam against the Cubs in Game 1 of the 2008 NLDS.
- Matt Holliday dropping a fly ball with two outs in the ninth in Game 2 of the 2009 NLDS, sparking a comeback victory.
- Juan Uribe’s series-winning home run against the Braves in 2013.
- Kershaw’s Game 4 start on Tuesday. I include this even though they lost the series, because he has gotten so much undeserved shit for “choking” in the playoffs, and it was satisfying to see him overcome that.
I have fond memories of all of those moments, but there’s a reason video of Kirk Gibson’s 1988 home run is so inescapable if you go to Dodger Stadium. There isn’t much else to show.
No, more common in the playoffs in the last 27 years are the collapses. Two runners being thrown out at the plate on one play. Broxton blowing NLCS games against the Phillies in back to back years. Kershaw falling apart in Game 6. Too many Matt Carpenter-inflicted wounds to keep track of. The Matt Adams home run. And now, Daniel Murphy.
No, more common in the playoffs in the last 27 years are the collapses. Two runners being thrown out at the plate on one play. Broxton blowing NLCS games against the Phillies in back to back years. Kershaw falling apart in Game 6. Too many Matt Carpenter-inflicted wounds to keep track of. The Matt Adams home run. And now, Daniel Murphy.
The Dodgers have a big advantage in the short term: the prime years of Kershaw, already an all-time great pitcher in my view. The new front office should avoid rash, impulsive decisions this offseason, but there does need to be some urgency in building a championship contender around the kind of talent that doesn’t come around very often. It would be a genuine shame if Kershaw never pitches in a World Series.
Odds are we’ll see the Dodgers win a World Series at some point, hopefully soon. But a new season means starting anew. They will have to win the division again, this time against a revamped “even year” Giants team. None of the other NL playoff teams L.A. will need to get by seem poised for an imminent drop-off, and the Cubs especially look like they’ll be perennial contenders. It will be difficult.
As it should. That's why championships are so rewarding when they do happen. And that is why we’ll do it all again next year.
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