GAME THREAD BRAVES/DODGERS NLDS

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by irish, Oct 2, 2018.

?

dodgers...

  1. sweep

    40.0%
  2. win 3-1

    40.0%
  3. win 3-2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. lose 3-2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. lose 3-1

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. get swept

    20.0%
  1. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    41,872
    Likes Received:
    24,570
    Trophy Points:
    228
    Same
     
    DodgerLove, irish and dodgers like this.
  2. jpldodgers

    jpldodgers DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 2012
    Messages:
    20,510
    Likes Received:
    16,421
    Trophy Points:
    198
    Hard to feel too confident about beating anyone when our closer is throwing BP.
     
    irish likes this.
  3. dodgers

    dodgers DSP Legend

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    9,816
    Likes Received:
    3,952
    Trophy Points:
    173
    It's funny to me that he basically can't physically set foot in our probable NLCS competition's home field. Pretty apt image.
     
  4. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 2013
    Messages:
    11,710
    Likes Received:
    10,087
    Trophy Points:
    198
    The postseason of Pedro Baez leading the Dodgers to a WS title has begun.
     
    irish likes this.
  5. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    41,872
    Likes Received:
    24,570
    Trophy Points:
    228
    lol

    Clayton Kershaw earned the right to start Game 1 for the DodgersBy DYLAN HERNANDEZ
    OCT 03, 2018 | 8:35 PM

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts discusses his decision to start Hyun-Jin Ryu as the NLDS Game 1 starter and Clayton Kershaw as the Game 2 starter.

    If Walker Buehler was available to start Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, selecting him for the starting assignment Thursday instead of Clayton Kershaw would have marked a symbolic passing of the torch. The decision to start Hyun-Jin Ryu sent an entirely different message, a statement that was less about the pitcher who was chosen and more about the one who wasn’t.

    Kershaw isn’t The Guy anymore.

    The Dodgers can explain the decision however they want, they can point to how Kershaw could pitch the final game of the five-game series if necessary, but what they are basically saying is that because his days as the best pitcher in baseball are behind him, the days they treat him like it are, too.

    The sudden and unexpected shift in franchise doctrine was logically defensible. It was also completely unnecessary. It’s not as if there’s ever a comfortable moment to inform a proud professional he’s no longer the cornerstone of your franchise, but this feels particularly untimely.

    The Dodgers tried to downplay the importance of the decision, but the story already has become a sideshow. The majority of questions directed at manager Dave Roberts in a Wednesday news conference pertained to the Game 1 starter.

    Reading between the lines of what Roberts said, it didn’t sound as if Kershaw was welcoming of the news.

    “Obviously, he wanted to pitch Game 1 and expected to,” Roberts said.

    Kershaw didn’t make himself available to reporters. He is scheduled to speak at a news conference Thursday.

    Kershaw would be the first to say that roles should be earned and Ryu posted better numbers than he did over the last month of the regular season, including in the final series in San Francisco. And while diminished fastball velocity and 3.89 earned-run average in September point to Kershaw being in the declining stages of his career, that doesn’t mean everything he has accomplished over the last decade should be wiped from the memory.

    Diminished velocity and all, he finished the season with a 2.73 ERA. And his best postseason was his most recent. His blowing of separate four- and three-run leads in Game 5 of last year’s World Series might be what Los Angeles remembers, but what the city forgets is that the Dodgers won his first four starts in the playoffs. He pitched a masterpiece in Game 1 of the World Series, when he limited the Houston Astros to a run over seven innings and struck out 11 batters.

    He already wasn’t the pitcher he was at his peak then. He still found a way.

    Kershaw carried the Dodgers for most of the last decade. He was a model of professionalism. Considerations about his future aside — he can void the remainder of his contract and become a free agent this offseason — he earned the right to start Game 1. He certainly didn’t deserve a very public demotion two days before the start of the playoffs.

    Now, the situation would be different if Buehler was the other option. The 24-year-old rookie has the best stuff on the Dodgers. If how he pitched in a Game 163 victory over the Colorado Rockies was an indication, he has a mental approach to match. Buehler is hands down the best pitcher on the team.

    So if Buehler is available to open a series, go ahead, start him. Kershaw can’t complain.

    This isn’t intended to be a slight against Ryu, but as well as he has pitched this season and as well equipped as he appears to be to deal with pressure, he hasn’t accomplished enough to supplant Kershaw.

    And it’s true that the difference between starting Games 1 and 2 is largely cosmetic. Both games will be played at Dodger Stadium and the pitchers of both games will be available for a potential Game 5.

    As Roberts said, “Game 1 is important, but so is Game 2.”

    But this is a sport in which uniform numbers matter to players. Ceremonial titles mean something, too.

    That the Dodgers would needlessly introduce a potentially emotionally destabilizing element into a series is puzzling.

    “I think the thing is it’s always easy to have Clayton on regular [rest] or have Clayton go 120 pitches or 125 pitches,” Roberts said. “And he’s earned it. And he’s the best pitcher we have and he’s shown it throughout his entire career. The more responsible thing to the team and the organization is to do what’s right for the player and the team. That’s not always popular, but it’s something that we thought through a lot and the decisions that I made throughout the year and the decisions that we make on the roster reflect that. So regardless of how it plays out, we feel that this gives us the best chance to win the first two games.”

    Roberts’ justification was that Ryu was lined up in front of Kershaw in the regular season and starting Ryu first would permit the left-handers to each pitch on five-days’ rest.

    So Kershaw pitched better this season on five-days’ rest compared to four. But Ryu also pitched significantly better on six-days’ rest compared to five, this season and over his career.

    The real problem could come in Game 5. Kershaw could start Game 2 and theoretically start that game on four-days’ rest. But Ryu could start it on five. And the Dodgers aren’t committed to starting Kershaw.

    “Everything is going to be on the table at that point in time,” Roberts said.

    The Dodgers have made three significant pitching decisions in the last year.

    They started Yu Darvish in Game 7 of the World Series in November, costing them their first championship in 29 years.

    They started Buehler in Game 163 against the Rockies this week, winning them their sixth consecutive division title and allowing them to avoid a dreaded wild-card game.

    Starting Ryu over Kershaw was the third. The ramifications of the decision won’t be as obvious immediately, but they could be equally crucial.
     
  6. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    53,208
    Likes Received:
    40,790
    Trophy Points:
    278
    hernandez is a fucken idiot
    and when espn sees something you miss...
    • ESPN: Over his last two starts, Kershaw surrendered eight runs on 14 hits in a span of 11 innings. Ryu finished with a 1.97 ERA in 82 1/3 innings and posted a 1.50 ERA in five September starts.
     
    CapnTreee and Finski like this.
  7. doyerfan

    doyerfan MODERATOR Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    26,713
    Likes Received:
    13,016
    Trophy Points:
    228
    #Dodgers⁠ ⁠ roster - Barnes, Grandal, Bellinger, Dozier, Hernandez, Machado, Turner, Kemp, Pederson, Puig, Taylor, Freese, Muncy ...
    #Dodgers⁠ ⁠ roster (pitchers) — Alexander, Baez, Wood, Ryu, Buehler, Kershaw, Hill, Floro, Madson, Jansen, Maeda, Ferguson

    So, Dozier gets last bench spot (I don’t like that) and Madson over stripling in the bullpen
     
  8. blazer5

    blazer5 DSP Legend

    Joined:
    Jul 2013
    Messages:
    2,227
    Likes Received:
    2,807
    Trophy Points:
    153
    My sons and I were there and I remember yelling at Mattingly about the bunt situation. And then boom.. stadium went nutz!!!
     
    BleedBlue and irish like this.
  9. doyerfan

    doyerfan MODERATOR Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    26,713
    Likes Received:
    13,016
    Trophy Points:
    228
    This note from a reporter on Twitter:

    Random note RE: why Ryan Madson is on this roster, beyond just prior experience.

    His changeup has yielded an xwOBA of .174 this season.

    Per @InsideEdgeScout, since the All-Star Break, the Braves have a well-hit average of just .099 on changeups (t-4th-worst in baseball).

    xwOBA ain’t the best predictor and I posted this knowing Freeman will crush a change up into the parking lot but maybe it’s something? Hopefully Madson never pitches tbh
     
    dodgers likes this.
  10. dodgers

    dodgers DSP Legend

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    9,816
    Likes Received:
    3,952
    Trophy Points:
    173
    I'm not exactly sold on Madson but Stripling shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a mound this postseason. He's been thoroughly solved by the scouts
     
    irish likes this.
  11. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    53,208
    Likes Received:
    40,790
    Trophy Points:
    278
    fwiw...

    Three reasons the Brewers and Dodgers will win in NLDS
    by Tim Kurkjian | ESPN Senior Writer — 6 hours ago

    The National League Division Series pits the Milwaukee Brewers against the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Atlanta Braves. Here is Tim Kurkjian's pick for each series, with three reasons why that team will win -- and one reason why it might not.

    Three reasons the Brewers will beat the Rockies

    The teams with the two best records in the National League in the second half, the Brewers and Rockies, now play in a division series. Neither one has ever won the World Series. Both beat the Cubs on the road this week. Both are on a serious roll, with one major difference: The Brewers will be working with an extra day of rest, critical time to unwind and heal, while the Rockies needed 13 innings -- the longest winner-take-all game in postseason history -- and nearly five hours of wild-card baseball to get to this round.

    Brewers' bullpen: It is the hottest one in the game right now. Their bullpen ERA in September/October is 1.98. Corey Knebel, with that riding four-seam fastball, has three walks and 33 strikeouts since the start of September; he has the second-best strikeout percentage of any NL reliever this season. The best belongs to teammate Josh Hader, who struck out nearly 50 percent of the batters he faced; only Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel (twice) have had a higher strikeout percentage in any season in history. Hader had 143 strikeouts, most by any reliever since Brad Lidge in 2004. Closer Jeremy Jeffress had a 1.29 ERA in 73 appearances; Eric Gagne and Ted Abernathy are the only pitchers to post an ERA that low in a season of 70 appearances. The Brewers are nearly unbeatable when they lead after six innings and have Knebel, Hader and Jeffress lined up.

    Christian Yelich: He is going to win the NL MVP. He has carried this team to 96 wins and a division title with a fabulous second half, and he got so many big hits, especially when they were needed most. "He has been so good, our guys look at him and they can't comprehend, they shake their heads as if to say, 'How can anyone be this great?'" Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. Brewers infielder Travis Shaw said, "Yellie's bat-to-ball skills are better than any player I've ever played with. And he knows his swing better than anyone I've played with." Yelich has hit so many balls on the barrel this year, he estimates -- when pressed to give a number -- that he has broken maybe six bats all season (that is remarkably low). But the Brewers are more than just Yelich. They hit the second-most home runs in the NL. Shaw hit 32 homers. Ryan Braun had a great September. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain has solidified the leadoff spot with an OBP of .402. "This team reminds me of the Royals' championship team with the way we pitch out of the bullpen and the way we play defense," said Brewers third baseman Mike Moustakas, who was a member of that Kansas City squad. "But the one thing that this team has the Royals didn't was a hitter that was as great as Yellie."

    Defense: The Brewers have had one Gold Glove winner -- Carlos Gomez in 2013 -- since Robin Yount in 1982. Yet they have really upgraded their defense this season; only the Diamondbacks had more defensive runs saved. Cain has made a huge difference, as have Moustakas and Yelich, and Orlando Arcia is a magician at shortstop. But a difference also has been made by Counsell, who played 15 years in the big leagues mainly because of his defense. Counsell is the rare, if not the only manager who carries a glove around with him during batting practice every day, another reminder of the importance of defense.

    One reason I will be completely wrong

    The Rockies are rolling:
    They have won 10 of their past 12 games. They played the past three games in three different time zones, under intense pressure, and won two of them. "I love this team, nothing phases us," manager Bud Black said. They can beat you so many ways, mostly with the power of Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, and now David Dahl, who hit seven homers through August, but nine in September. Arenado and Story anchor an excellent infield defense, which helped win the wild-card game against the Cubs. But the biggest difference in the Rockies recently is their bullpen; since Sept. 1, it has posted the second-best ERA in the NL, trailing only the Brewers. Adam Ottavino, Seunghwan Oh and Scott Oberg have thrown up a lot of zeroes lately, including in the wild-card game, getting the ball to closer Wade Davis.

    Three reasons the Dodgers will beat the Braves

    Los Angeles and Atlanta are 2,000 miles apart, as were the expectations of these teams going into the 2018 season. The Dodgers were determined to win the World Series for the first time since 1988. The Braves were hoping to get to the corner, then turn it and contend in 2019. Instead, the Dodgers needed to win a tiebreaker to clinch their sixth straight NL West title, and the Braves, from nowhere, won the NL East. Now these two teams, from different directions, meet in the NLDS.

    Power: Teams win these days by hitting the ball out of the ballpark. The Dodgers hit the most home runs, 235, in the NL this year. They hit more homers than any team in Dodgers history. Late in the season, they hit a home run in 23 straight games, tying a club record. They have hitters from 1-8 in the order who can go deep. They had 10 players with at least 13 home runs. They had seven with at least 20, led by Max Muncy, who came from nowhere to hit 35. And their depth is so great, they recently played a game in which they had 100 home runs sitting on the bench. There is no escaping the Dodgers' power.

    Starting pitching: Clayton Kershaw, on full rest for Game 1, is not the Clayton Kershaw of old after battling various injuries, including a back ailment, the past three years. But he is still a very, very good pitcher. He had a 2.73 ERA this year, a 1.04 WHIP and struck out nearly a batter per inning. His postseason numbers are famously un-Kershaw-like -- 7-7, 4.35 ERA in 24 games (19 starts) -- but it's time to bury the narrative that he can't win a big game in October, because he can, and he has. He is wildly competitive and is driven as hard as anyone to win the World Series. He also has a lot of help this year with the emergence of rookie Walker Buehler, who won the tiebreaker game against the Rockies with another dominating performance. Rich Hill is in line to start in this series, also. The Braves will counter in Game 1 with Mike Foltynewicz, who has overpowering stuff and a 2.85 ERA, but after him, it doesn't appear the Braves can match up with the Dodgers' rotation. It helps the Dodgers that they have the home field.

    Experience, and hunger: The Dodgers who were there last year will never forget the feeling of losing in Game 7 of the World Series. It surely will drive them to not let it happen again. With Kershaw, Chase Utley, Kenley Jansen and others around to remind everyone of their mission, you have to like the Dodgers' mindset going into the postseason. Plus, they have guys who were acquired to get them there this year, including shortstop Manny Machado and second baseman Brian Dozier. They are free agents at the end of the season, meaning they are playing for a new contract as well as a chance to advance in the playoffs.

    One reason I will be completely wrong

    Youth and talent:
    There is an old cliché in baseball that a team can be too young and too talented to know the pressure that comes along with playing in the postseason for the first time. Such is the case with the Braves. Ronald Acuna Jr., age 20, is so gifted he just overpowers the game with his athleticism and skill. The lift he has given the Braves since his recall in April, and his insertion into the leadoff spot in July, cannot be overstated. He is not alone. Second baseman Ozzie Albies is awfully impressive. Plus, the Braves have a nice veteran blend with Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis and others. But another of the young guys, shortstop Dansby Swanson, might not play due to a left-hand injury suffered late in the season. The Braves will have to be 100 percent healthy if they are going to beat L.A.​
     
    Finski likes this.
  12. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 2013
    Messages:
    11,710
    Likes Received:
    10,087
    Trophy Points:
    198
    I was about to post something about their being a lot of noise this morning about Kershaw not starting gm 1. Dude isn't even the third best starter on the roster right now. Hernandez needs to shut the fuck up, like usual. The real issue here is that if it is true that Kershaw is pouting about this. I have a hard time seeing that as he has been a great teammate over the years, but we have also heard instances of him getting his feelings hurt. I think this is getting blown out of proportion, but if it really is true that he is pouting and is now definitely going to opt out, then good riddance.
     
    Finski, irish and dodgers like this.
  13. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    53,208
    Likes Received:
    40,790
    Trophy Points:
    278
    dozier > utley but that's about it
    madson is better than strip, but could have gone with urias or even venditte
    idk
    more concerned about our closer and game 2 starter tbh
     
  14. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 2013
    Messages:
    11,710
    Likes Received:
    10,087
    Trophy Points:
    198
    Good god, just looking at the Brewers starting rotation and I have gone from, "they are going to walk all over the Rockies" to... holy fuck, the Rockies really have a chance here. Gio Gonzalez and Wade Miley around 2 potential BP games and a Chacin start. That is an amazing way to run out of steam well before winning the WS.
     
  15. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    53,208
    Likes Received:
    40,790
    Trophy Points:
    278
    exactly
    ryu is the better option and pitched better down the stretch
    i understand kersh wanting the ball
    but if he's butthurt about not getting the start he needs to look in the mirror
    if that makes him opt out, cool
    doubt he does though
     
    CapnTreee and LAdiablo like this.
  16. doyerfan

    doyerfan MODERATOR Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    26,713
    Likes Received:
    13,016
    Trophy Points:
    228
    Yeah Arenado and Story facing Gio/Miley at Coors will be interesting haha

    Best case scenario is that they go to 5 games
     
  17. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    41,872
    Likes Received:
    24,570
    Trophy Points:
    228
    Great, so Kenley can come get the first 2 strikes and then bring in Madson for a changeup
     
    Finski and doyerfan like this.
  18. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 2013
    Messages:
    11,710
    Likes Received:
    10,087
    Trophy Points:
    198
    No chance that Urias was making the post season roster. Was looking at some of the underlying numbers and though he had success, you do not want him in high leverage situations right now. I think he was muscling up on the FB cause that thing was pretty flat. This was the roster I was expecting. Dozier is a lot more valuable than Utley and this extended rest could be good for him. Madson didn't have the results this season after being traded here, but there was a lot of bad luck in there and the Strip has been fucking terrible.
     
    fsudog21 likes this.
  19. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 2013
    Messages:
    11,710
    Likes Received:
    10,087
    Trophy Points:
    198
    Oh god, I didn't even think about where those games were going to be. Even Chacin sucked at Coors when he was with the club. Brewers may be in some trouble here.
     
  20. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Nov 2011
    Messages:
    53,208
    Likes Received:
    40,790
    Trophy Points:
    278
    agree on all
    wasn't serious about urias/venditte
    was tongue-in-cheek, voicing my lack of confidence in madson
     

Share This Page