Once again, the Dodgers and Padres face off in an elimination game. First time in 2020, LA swept Padres. Last time, 2022, Padres won 3-1. It is only fitting that this series go the whole 5 games. Banged up Dodgers against a team that is becoming more despised than the Giants. The Dodgers used a bullpen game to get here. Make no mistake, with what is riding on this game, erasing the demons of the last three years, and beating a bitter rival, all hands will be on deck. Yamamoto will have a very short leash. LA cannot afford to fall behind by a bunch of runs.
Game time 5:08. 6:08 for me. LA lineup, Ohtani DH, Betts RF, Freeman 1B, Teo LF, Muncy 3B, Smith C, Lux 2B, Kike CF, Edman SS. Yamamoto Vs Darvish. This was a pitcher’s duel. But not in the normal sense. Darvish went 6.2 innings. He allowed only 3 hits. But this time 2 of those hits were homers. Kike took him deep in the second, and Teo hit his shot in the 7th. But the story was the excellent Dodger pitching.
Yamamoto went 5 scoreless innings. He gave up 2 hits and a walk and that was it. He struck out 2. The third inning was the only inning in which the Padres had more than 1 runner on base, and after the third, they had no runners at all. LA pitchers shut out the Padres for 24 consecutive innings. The one threat they had was ended when Yamamoto got Tatis Jr. to ground into an inning ending double play.
Phillips, Vesia, Kopech, and Treinen were awesome. Now lets beat the Mets.
Take that naysayers. Roberts pressed all the right buttons tonight.
He sure did. Looks like a genius when the players come through.
It is 90% on the players. If they fail, Doc is an idiot, if they come thru, he is a genius.
That game was a gift to us fans. Thank you Dodgers! Yee-hah!
The first question I have is …do we even think of pitching Buehler v The Mets? We really need 3 starters….who else would be #3 if not Buehler? Knack and Wrob are just to raw. So who else? And what if Buehler only goes 1+ inning? Now we have to wear out the bullpen again. Is it really fine to ask the bullpen to pitch one inning every game? Some games are the next day. Can you ask a guy to pitch 15 pitches on Tuesday and then do the same on Wednesday? And then ask him to do it again on Friday. I don’t know…
Glad we won though and are moving on. Too bad we can’t get one of our injured guys back in the lineup.
I think they will eventually need some length out of a starter. And as ridiculous as it sounds to me by length I mean 6 innings.
Five innings seems like “length” these days…
Sure nice to have Good Yoshi show up. Maybe he’ll really earn his keep over the next decade….
While the Dodgers are scraping by–nice grit, lads–the Mets seem to be peaking at the right time. They had such a terrible start to the season that many people thought the Mets would deal Alonso. But that team came on strong with the expected superstar play of Lindor and the unexpected heroics of Jose Iglesias, of OMG fame. I’m glad the Mets knocked off the Phillies, a superior team, and no doubt they’d love to knock off the mighty Dodgers too.
Should be a great series.
In the other league, I can’t help but root for the Tigers, the surprise squad of the post-season. We Dodgers fans should applaud them for knocking off the Trashtros, and I harbor fondness for the ex-Dodgers Trey Sweeney and Zach McKinstry. And thanks for dealing Flanagan to us, Detroit!
But I guess the ideal baseball story would have the Dodgers with a chance to conquer NYC twice, first the Mets and then the Yankees.
Just glad that it’s time for more Dodgers baseball…
I think the guy’s name is Flaherty, not Flanigan. You might have mixed him up with Mike Flanigan who years ago pitched for the Orioles. Mets have some decent pitchers, and the Dodgers do not want to have to face Diaz. Dodgers were 4-2 against the Mets and 2-1 against the Yankees. Detroit took 2 of 3 against LA. Guardians are tough at home, but I am pulling for Detroit too. I think Guardians is just another politically correct name hung on a team for no reason.
You “think” so ..I KNOW so!
It was sarcasm there Wayne. Pretty sure Duke got it.
Oops!
Well, obviously I am rooting for a Guardians-Dodgers WS. Here in Ohio many people still refer to them as the Indians.
They will always be the Indians to me. Just can’t get Major League out of my mind. Wild Thing!!! I have a Rick Vaughn bobblehead.
Cool. Great movie.
I have big doubts if any pitcher will be asked to go through the order more than twice.
As nice as it is to see the Dodgers play well and advance, it’s also nice to see former players/prospects doing well:
Verdugo, Sweeney, McKinstry, JDM
just don’t need to see them do great against the Dodgers
Buehler is a gamer. That doesn’t mean that he’s necessarily going to do good. But he’s got that thing that some guys don’t.
Agreed. He is no worse than the Mets 4th starter. We should believe in him.
Buehler has a hell of a lot more fire in his gut than some of these pitchers. I watched that tirade in the dugout after that disastrous inning in game 3.
I think Buehler will acquit himself well in the NLDS. As long as the defense doesn’t desert him again.
👍
👍
👍
Except that Buehler is now our THIRD starter, right?
Buehler pitched a good game in game three. His defense failed him in game three. If Rojas makes the flip to Lux the whole inning plays out in Buehler’s favor and he only gives up one run. I would have no problem with him starting game two. He just might be our bulldog this post season
👍
Can’t we enjoy this series before we get some unwarranted slaps at LAD starters? If not for the bad defense in Game 3, Buehler would have easily gone 6. He has not pitched less than 5.0 innings since August. They may not have been great games, but he did get the innings. His last two starts were very good regardless as to what the box score said about NLDS Game 3.
Like Yamamoto did in Game 5, I believe Buehler will rise to the occasion. I assume he will go Monday in Game 2. He gets 5 days rest. Flaherty gets 6 days rest for Game 1.
My sentiments exactly. Enjoy the win. Anxiety starts all over again Sunday night. Looks like the Mets will pitch Severino. Flaherty most likely the Dodgers choice.
Sorry Jeff but I’m not you….sure I’m enjoying this win but I can’t help it when my mind begins looking 2 steps ahead. I am looking for some perspective from others mostly for comfort here….and you know, I got it. Several guys gave me some positive stuff to hang my hat on regarding Buehler starting so now my mind can relax and now fully enjoy the win even though it is just for one day. Sorry for being “impatient” but I can’t help who I am…I am a retired attorney so my training and experience developed my mind to always look ahead before going to court. Sorry…
TM, no reason to be sorry. Not only do I appreicate that you comment, but I also appreciate what you write.
Geez Boys. How about the 24 hours rule? It’s used to celebrate today’s win and enjoy the moment. This ain’t easy. Let’s start wondering about the pitching and the Mets about tomorrow?
Some people just can’t help themselves Phil. Gotta complain no matter what.
You led off this thread by trolling Dave Roberts critics 😆
Deservedly so. Even when they win the worry warts come out.
The big decision was whether to take Yamamoto out after 5 with a very low pitch count. I am sure it was pre-decided before the game with input from all coaches, manager, and several from the front office. The face for all those strategists was Roberts and had it not worked out, fans would have pointed in his direction. He won’t get too many compliments for taking him out though.
Three times through the order is a real thing
Easy to say so now, but it was smart to take Yamamoto out after five innings.
If this was the regular season, keep him in for a while… But this was a do-or-die game, and the bullpen has been cooking.
He did not want him to face their hitters for a third time. I agree with the move.
Hey Bear, we’re Movin On.
Yep, was on the edge of my recliner the entire game. But there was just that one nervous moment in the second. 24 straight scoreless innings by this staff that was dissed by everyone. Making those analysts look like asses was classic. They all pitched the Padres.
Fuck SD
The way Profar, Tatis, and Machado were disrespecting, and baiting our fans, this was a sweet victory.
Hey guys I’m assuming Vesia can’t pitch in the next series, so who is the next best LH bull pen arm.
Banda ..but another LHP out of the pen is needed.
Yeah I’m wondering who comes up to be the other lefty along with Banda
Vesia hasn’t even had an MRI yet, and nobody knows the severity of the injury. Maybe its an oblique, but we do not know. I am guessing that Wrobleski will get the call as the next LHRP up.
They are hoping it was a cramp. Wrobleski came out of the pen a couple times. He has some nasty stuff. The only other lefty on the roster besides Kershaw, is Logue.
Dear LORD…..please be a cramp and please fix it soon! Thank you for listening..
👍
That’s what I wanted to know who’s next in line if…..
Wrobleski most likely. I doubt they would add Logue.
I loved the look on Darvish’s face when Teo unloaded his bomb. It to me was sweet revenge for how bad he was in the 2017 World Series.
Ya know, the announcers were talking like Darvish was Bob flippin Gibson the entire series. This guy has a winning season like every other year. The Dodgers were tight for sure. And rightfully so. But Yu is not a top 10 pitcher in the playoffs. That was so annoying. Wayyyyy too many chases out of the strike zone. But I agree, that homer was HUGE.
The only analyst on that panel who picked the Dodgers BEFORE the series started was Dontrell. And he works for LA. Big Papi, Jeter and A-Roid all picked the Pads. Take that!
I can’t stand all 3 of them. I can’t even understand whatever his real name is (I hate nicknames, they’re stupid) when he talks. Go to school or something to learn english. Why they have those 3 guys year in and year out baffles me, especially the guy that’s hard to understand.
2 Yankees and a guy that can’t speak proper english. Blows my mind. That’s the way this country is going though.
Screw all of them. I do not watch the Fox pre and post game shows because I refuse to watch A-Fraud.
👍
👍
I absolutely love how you never mince words. Well said.
So all the Padre’s cockiness and strutting around were simply masks that hid their lack of cajones under pressure. Figures.
See, Yoshi’s success tonight was his first real step at getting his confidence back, and paving the way for him to become an effective SP for the rest of the playoffs. The repercussions from this is why starting him this game was the right thing to do.
Sooner or later, Yamamoto is going to become the ace. I’ll admit I was nervous about him starting because he’s coming back from an injury and he hasn’t looked good until this game.
Good call Wayne. I too see this as a confidence builder, 100%
I have to admit…..I was closing my eyes a lot in inning one.
I was only worried when they got 2 on with 1 out in the third. Tatis hit into a double play. Made my day.
The Teo off-season acquisition has turned into a genius move by AF.
Teoscar has more than earned his salary this year.
👍
Absolutely, and he should get what is due him.
Both HERNANDEZ BOYS should absolutely be re-signed. They both show up in October and that is what we want and need more than what they do in June. Especially Kike…15 HRs in post season. PLEASE DO NOT LET EITHER HERNANDEZ LEAVE THE HOUSE….PLEASE PLEASE !
TM you’re doing a lot of praying/begging on this thread 😀
14 post season homers for Kike. 9 as a Dodger. Unless they cut Taylor loose, who is still under contract for next year, doubtful Kike comes back. Edman will also be a utility guy next year.
Then they absolutely have to cut Taylor loose….its not that much money…and look at all the money they are not having to put out for Ohtani.
You just can’t let proven post season studs go….you just can’t. And Edman doesn’t have a post season resume like Kike….not to mention how much the fans love Kike and Kike loves being here. You can’t put a price on this….give Taylor his walking papers as soon as the season ends and then re-sign Kike. JUST DO IT!
That is what I am afraid of. I thought they made a mistake when they let Kike walk as a free agent and signed Taylor years ago. I would love to have Kike back and DFA Taylor.
For the record, I’ve seen Doc go against splits in the past and it’s worked for him sometimes and other times not. That scares me to death in the playoffs. It’s not all on the players if they fail, because some players have obvious flaws and it’s up to the manager to put them in the best position to succeed. There’s seven very good relievers in the bullpen, something the Dodgers haven’t had in quite a while. Stay away from the other two relievers and go with the splits. If doc does that, good things will happen and so far it has.
Again, it’s not all on the players if they fail, some have obvious flaws. The manager is supposed to put those particular players in the best position to succeed.
Truth!
Gotta love Kike.
Kiké Hernandez when asked what’s different about this Dodgers team:
“The fact that we don’t give a f*ck”
I didn’t like that response…I wish he could have chosen a different word….like “rip” or “hell” or something less offensive to many people, including parents of young kids.
He asked if they were on the air. Hey, it happens. I have seen more than one pitcher yell it after a bad pitch, hitters too and the field mike usually picks it up. Doubt Kike was thinking about the kids who might be watching.
Sometimes interviewing a player right after a game is not a good idea. Might want to give them an hour or so to calm down. However, it was cool to get his true feelings and not some sugar coated statement.
Dodgers shut out San Diego to win NLDS. It looked bleak after Game 3, but the Dodgers used a bullpen game, and a starter many on here did not want to see pitch in Game 5, and 4 relievers to pitch back to back shutouts. In fact, LAD pitching shutout the Padres the final 25 innings. The Dodgers and their make shift pitching beat the two SD aces to move on.
The Dodgers won Game 5 of the NLDS without anything from Shohei or Mookie. Kiké Hernández was the star in this one. 2nd inning HR and a couple of nice plays at 3B in the 9th, including 105.5 MPH ground ball off the bat of Fernando Tatis Jr. to end the game. How fitting was that. Not only does Tatis Jr. make the final out of the NLDS but he goes 0-4 with a K and a DP.
For all those who were disparaging Kiké during the season, October is why the Dodgers re-signed him. What he did March to AS break is meaningless now.
Manny Machado goes 0-3 with a big K. Yet another big disappointment for the malcontent.
Yu Darvish was brilliant for 7.0 IP AGAIN (okay 6.2), but this time Yoshi Yamamoto was better. I know Yoshi did not pitch 5.0 perfect innings, but I assume that Make Mine Blue will accept 5.0 shutout innings with only 2 hits and 1 walk.
It was great to shut the punk Profar up. Maybe the LF fans should do a little victory dance in front of Profar.
I do not know what Teo has to do to get that extension AFTER the season is over.
Evan Phillips proved again just how valuable he is. Michael Kopech may be the best deadline trade made in MLB this year.
I was texting a friend whose favorite player is Blake Treinen. He was wearing his #49 jersey for the game. Doug had a feeling that Blake was going to do something special tonight.
I was texting another friend who was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 1986 MLB January Draft-Regular Phase (20th overall). He was done after 1987 due to injuries.
I cannot think of a better managing job than what we witnessed from Dave Roberts in Games 4 and 5. He showed some of that 2020 by making decisions based on what he saw rather than letting the back office nerds dictate when to take out a pitcher. Just like he did with Julio Urías in 2020, he let Yamamoto go because of what he saw. He said as much after the game. He perfectly pivoted after the Alex Vesia apparent injury.
Maybe now we can move on from Doc’s job being on the line.
Brilliant win. Bring on the Mets. They will be tough. But so were the Padres.
I will be surprised if we don’t do damage against them.
WOW Jeff. Perfectly stated about Doc’s performance.
Kike’s homer was his 14th in post season play. 9 of those have come as a Dodger tying him with Chris Taylor. Seager and Turner lead with 13 apiece as Dodgers. But Duke Snider has the most WS homers. 11.
Are you suggesting the bullpen game was Dave Roberts idea and not the same brass that pretty much makes most of the pregame decisions?
That’s your response to his post!?!!!!
Bluto, you of all people lost your judgement card in here. You are all over the place routinely. It will be a great day when you respond to a comment with an actual argument instead of being a smart ass daily.
For the rest of you in here that respond to others like an adult, if we are giving Dave credit, we have to give the same or more to AF. It is AF’s team. It is his analytics. Dave is the manager that governs AF’s lineups and analytical game plans.
If you are giving it up for Dave, give it up for Andrew. I am giving it up for both.
Keep adding value!
Well…since he had stated that he was hoping to get 4 innings out of him and left him in, yeah…I think it was Doc’s idea to give him the 5th. But he was not going to let him face the top of the order 3 times.
Fair enough Jeff
I love me some Michael Kopech too…..Please make sure he gets a nice multi year contract too. He is a must have! 102 mph……yesssssssss, that is what I want from my closer.
What a couple of magnificent game plans were put together by Doc and the staff for games 4 and 5. But, game plans aren’t worth a spit if the players don’t execute and our execution was awesome. Obviously, the idea is to put your guys in a position to be successful. Doc did that and every single player responded. What a great team win.
*One of the lessons I’ll take away is the veteran mentality of composure. After game 3 with the altercations and the Padres effort to get under our skin, we didn’t take the bait as a team. Fans here wanted retaliation and revenge for their bush league antics, which is what they wanted. Like I said, it’s amazing how quiet they get when they are getting their asses handed to them. There will be other times for revenge if we ever want to bother. Seeing them not do shit for the last 20 innings is good enough for me.
I was one who had no trust in Yamamoto and was curious what route we would go with the starting pitching. If you start Yamamoto, have a hook ready. And I’m sure they did. But damned if he doesn’t look like the Ace we’d hoped for?
Then Doc has the stones to yank him at 5 innings and stick with the plan?
I could just hear about 75% of the fans who now loved the original game plan to start Yamamoto now saying WTF?
Again, if that doesn’t work, Doc again has pissed away another playoff game. Fire the bastard. The fans are like wolves at your door.
*This all brings to mind an old message that every manager needs to learn and remember; if you listen to all the Managers in the stands and try to please them, pretty soon you will be sitting with them.
Thoughts on the game:
*Doc was really feeling his oats when he had Will Smith steal 2nd. He really had a great game-manager game. All the way down to the defensive replacements late in the game with Kike at 3rd and Muncy at first. It did put Pages in center for the 9th, but it all worked.
*We all know a quarter slide, a dime slide….Yamamoto has a “pin-head” slider. Never seen a tighter rotation.
*Is Kike, Mr. October? He just has a flare for the big stage. It’s a rare talent but he just believes in himself in those moments. I was a little disappointed, however, in his postgame interview. Kinda low class and a weird comment, under the circumstances.
*Well Teo has made himself a lot of money today. It will go a long way in determining his destination for next year. I hope it’s with us. We love him and he loves us. Pay the man.
*I have no idea where we go from here pitching wise? But we are here and the Padres aren’t and now we have a 7 games series to figure it out. Maybe some pitcher comes out of nowhere and makes an impact. Maybe Casparious?
**where’s Dennis Gilbert? I don’t get LA News so wouldn’t know if he was in the news. I haven’t seen him at all ay Dodger games, which is unusual
*Damn, I’m glad we’re moving on.
I thought Yamamoto would at least go 6 innings seeing his pitch count was low and he was mowing them down….but I guess DR didn’t want to risk things and wanted him to finish completely successful and confident that he could do this.
Plan was always not to let him face anybody three times.
Exactly.
Imagine paying $500 for a game 4 ticket fully expecting a series close out and watching THAT. Absolute perfection.
I love that Bullpen!! Yamamoto got us started. Good on him, but the BP controlled the outcome once again.
I’m not going to complain about the lack of hitting from some of our stalwarts. This win is too sweet not to savour fully.
VESIA is huge for us….we need him to be healthy….i love his passion.
His strikeout was huge. Had to minimize plate appearances and he delivered.
This was an absolute master class of managing from Dave Roberts. Anyone who doubts him should take note. This was as surgical as an operation.
I’m beginning to come around on Friedman now. I can see how smart the front office is.
Most importantly, I am a moron. Yup that’s right, I’m a huge maroon. I’m so happy right now, and excited and haven’t been This excited in a long time. Please pile it on me guys. Call me an idiot. I deserve it and will wear it proudly.
I’m a big massive moron and I love it.
Now let’s bring home that world series trophy where it rightly belongs. In Dodger Stadium.
I was texting people before game 4 telling them that the Dodgers needed to get kike in the lineup. That man is as clutch as it gets. If you were to look up clutch in the dictionary it would show a picture of Kike Hernandez and he would be dancing.
Wahooooooo!!!!! YEAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
PS, Bluto was kind of right. Partially. (Don’t get a big head or anything Bluto)
Oh and one more thing…….
YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!@!@@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nah, we don’t stoop that low over here.
👆
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I told you in the last comment thread, you’re not a moron.
Yes, Doc did a magnificient job in this series being handicapped with all those injuries vs a great Padres team.
He pushed all the right buttons.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We all know who the real moron is.
Only lefties besides Vesia and Banda on the roster are Zach Logue, and Wrobleski. If Vesia cannot go, I think they use Wrobleski.
Yeah, Wrobleski should be the choice.
But the Mets only have 3 lefty swingers–Nimmo, Winker and the switch-hitting Lindor.
At any rate, let’s hope Vesia gets well quick. He’s had a great season.
Roberts and execution in this game Yowza!
Man, oh man. What a win. Stressful but joyful .
Yoshi was fantastic today. Rewarded Doc and the Dodgers for their confidence in him and he responded in a huge way. IMHO this guy will pitch a lot more huge games in the future for our men in blue. You saw what awesome stuff he has when he is right.
Bullpen one more time was nails and the offense did just enough to make it stand up. Kike is just born for those kind of games.
Hopefully Vesia is not hurt too bad. Fingers crossed.
Now bring on the Mets!
Personal note: Just when the game was about to start internet broke down in our house . Went to sleep without glancing at the scoreboard. Watched the game on MLB archive and just finished watching this thriller.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great win and great to knock off the cocky Padres, especially the cocky, bat-ear wearing Machado. Amazing work by our pen (by the way, I saw a shirtless Banda in the post game celebration and he looks like he not only comes out of our pen but comes straight out of the State Pen. He should be allowed to pitch without a shirt, he’d scare the hell out of the batters).
24 innings without scoring a run, and not just earned runs but earned and unearned, now that is an achievement.
I’m not concerned about Buehler, he actually pitched pretty well but got zero help from the umpires, his defense or his offense. He should be fine and adequate for the next series. What I am concerned about is Vesia, he is a pretty important piece of our bullpen.
Blue – I too was amazed at Banda’s tats. He’s covered.
Speaking of umpires, I was happy to see Trip Gibson behind the dish. My book on him was “Tripp Gibson – WS in 22. NLCS 2023. Rated #5. strike caller. Great, fair, zone. Consistent as hell.”
I was right. It’s so comforting to have an Umpire you can trust not to pull a rabbit out of his hat.
I know you have your “book” on HPU, but watching last night, I do not remember many bad calls. It was great. As it turns out, he missed 6 calls (94% accuracy). Here is his scorecard from last night.
Perfect umpire for the winner take all game.
Taking a quick look ahead to the NLCS it appears Yoshi will only be able to get one game, Game 4 next Thursday , if he remains on his 5 day rest.
Not going to be easy vs the Mets who have been on a roll.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please stop with the “I told you so” quips. The Dodgers advanced. Roberts has made many good and many BAD decisions over the years. And I think half of them came from AF. But the last two games, he got it done. If not out managed The Padres. Good for him.
Karma. Hey Tatis, how you feeling man? IMO it is you, YOU that screwed your team. The baseball Gods were watching. You acted a fool and here we are. And I have ZERO sympathy for you. You’re a punk. Have fun watching from the seats.
Dodger relievers. You won the series. I’m not sure the game has ever seen a dominating performance like that over a 3 game span. All of you deserve credit for carrying the team.
I owe our Dodgers an apology. I thought it was over. Kike said it best at the end of the game. This team seems different. I won’t doubt you again. You are better than the Mets. Go Dodgers!
Putting the punks; Machado, Profar, and Tatis in their places, PRICELESS!!
👍
Looking over the Box Score from last night, this was just an amazingly clean baseball game. Certainly enjoyable if you like pitching duels.
2 runs on 6 hits, no errors with 7 LOB. 2:26 minutes.
Padres roll snake eyes in the crapshoot! I have never seen Robert’s more giddy after a win.Thats a huge monkey off their backs. I think we play more free and relaxed against Mets and light up their staff. Hopefully Mets magic runs out. How fun would it be to have a Yankees-Dodgers WS!!!!!!!
Would like to remind everyone the Padres sold the farm to get Tanner Scott for two months. He’s gone. UFA. Bye bye!
Adams will be around for a few years. But he is not Scott. And he didn’t come cheap either.
The deadline trades hampered the Padres future. 100%
Yes, Padres traded away some of their future and went all in. I won´t fault them for that. They should be good again next season.
Would like to see Scott on the Dodgers next season though I realize AF does not shell out big bucks to relievers.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That dude is scary. The most dominant pitcher I have seen in the playoffs so far. Yikes.
I agree with you on Preller going all in. Good for him. I promise you that while the SD farm may appear to be somewhat depleted now, it will not be for long. Preller has a way of replenishing the farm. The problem with Preller is that he has Tatis Jr., Machado, and Profar. Three guys who give an impression that they are team oriented, but it is clear they are me, me, and me.
From here on out, let’s show some true respect: I will only refer to Kike as Mr. October.
Mr. October not only crushes it in October, he inspires his teammates with that spirit. Mr. October told Teo before Game 4 that two Hernandez had ever hit an HR in a playoff game. After not doing so in Game 4, Mr. October quickly told Teo that it would happen in Game 5, and so it did.
The Brass has to bring back both Mr. October and Teo for next season.
I hope Mookie gets back into the batting cage for 4 hours today.
A man after my own heart……yes, yes, yes, to everything you beautifully said here.
The Dodgers won and that’s optimal, but i dont get the digs at the Padres.
They are a really good team, super fun to watch and with a GM who (while not as good as the Dodgers front office) is both aggressive and has a keen eye for talent.
Beating a really good team is good and should be enough. No need to disparage.
They are punks and brought it on themselves.
When Profar let Mookie run halfway around the bases thinking he had a home run, it became personal (to me, as a Dodgers fan). It’s one thing to celebrate doing something good (like bat-flipping after a home run), it becomes personal when you are mocking and messing with your opponent. That move in and of itself made me mad (such a dick move) — and I “like” and respect the Padres in the sense that they play really good ball at their best. So, I have no problem feeling like this win is even more special cuz it shut-up some of those guys on the other team that were acting disrespectfully. That said, I don’t feel the need to disparage the other team beyond celebrating along the lines of “How ya feelin’ now, Mr. Profar?”
Machado is the only guy I take issue with.
There’s just something about Machado that bugs the crap out of me. The smirk? The punk attitude? The ears? Anyway, I did enjoy watching him trudge back to the dugout after another wild swing and miss strikeout. When the chips were down, he came up very small.
Roberts was flawless managing the pitching staff the last 24 shutout innings. I also agree with the decision to take Yoshi out after 5. It was a low pitch count but if u r going to move forward to the next series u r careful with Yoshi. I really think the players confidence in their role was crucial. They had a plan n stuck to it. It was tremendous execution so it was fun to watch it unfold. Moreover, Roberts and the team seemed very confident and determined to complete the plan. When Roberts went to the mound for change it was very clear it was a plan. The other team sees that the Dodgers have their mojo and they just couldn’t find an answer.
kikes game was great!! His interview was embarrassing. He sounded like profar, machado, tatis who spew out low class quotes. At the end of the game I was a little nervous with just a 2-0 lead he put Taylor and pages in. Pages because of less than stellar defense. Taylor, because if the pads had tied the game the 4 spot was close and could have been critical. Taylor would have probably homered lol. Nothing can take away the excitement for the Dodgers advancing. I also think it relieves a little pressure. The most pressure in sports tend to be the opening series with regional rivalries. Nothing comes easy but with the determination of this team I like their chances.
This place sure blew up. I appreciate the excitement.
Kiké – heat of the moment. I forgive him.
The way I look at it the best team won. Even with the handicaps thrown at them, and they are clearly significant, the best team won.
Now the Mets. Will their “miracle” continue? It could if the Dodger bullpen runs out of gas.
I think they will need Ohtani and Betts to have a great series. But I thought that with the Padre series too. Both figured in the scoring but a memorable series for them? Betts hit .222 and Ohtani OPSd .623. The team hit .228 and OPSd .689.
This series was won with pitching, but if you check the stats even that could be improved. 8 home runs and a 4.3 ERA. 3 of the 8 home runs were given up by Henriquez and Grove. Doubt we’ll see them much again. Flaherty gave up 2 in 5.1 innings. I find it interesting, and a bit troubling, that Flaherty only pitched 5.1 innings in a 5 game series. Yamamoto did pitch fine in the last game but his ERA for the series was 5.63. In fact, our 3 starters Yamamoto, Flaherty and Buehler had ERA’s of 5.63, 6.75 and 10.8. And we won this series with pitching? Yeah we did. 6 relievers with ERA’s of 0.00.
Hopefully the next series will end with a W, but can it be accomplished the same way?
IMHO our starters have to do better than in the Padres series. Probably can not win with the same formula in a best of 7 series.
Need at least two strong games from a starter
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agreed. Maybe Bueller can come up big.
Dodgers celebrate in the clubhouse !
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good morning to all those who were so worried about those sons of bitches all season!
I’ve been saying for years that those little whores aren’t a problem, and I mean years, not just the most recent ones.
Mets? The only thing that “might” worry me a little is that they are on a good winning streak, since really their batting, beyond Lindor and Alonso, is not really a big concern.
Can you imagine a world series between LA and DET?
Maybe you were never worried Jorge but after game three I was pretty scared, SD seemed to be on a roll. Hats off to Doc and his staff for coming up with such a great game plan in game four.
Mike Petriello has already picked the Mets to win the NLCS
who the hell is Mike Petriecello?
Never heard of him.
and who cares what the expert say and pick ?
We just saw their “expertise” at display in this Padres series.
Games are decided on the field and not in news rooms.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Exactly. Most everyone was picking the Punks to win this series. Even Alanna Rizzo. Go Dodgers!!!
Alanna now says she is sure the Dodgers will go to the WS.
Hope this is not a bad omen.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
MLB reporter.
He’s an mlb.com stats writer/analyst, and works with the mlb channel.
my point was that it didn’t take long for media people to start treating the Dodgers like underdogs again.
I’m not sure but I think he picks up my trash every week.
It’s good to know that Jorge is still doing well. God bless you sir!
The Dodgers put a lot of resources into analytics and I think that might have played a big role in the pitching plan they developed for the Padres series. It paid benefits particularly after game 2.
The Padres‘ hitters are pretty disciplined about the strike zone (for the most part), except maybe Arraez, who is an exception anyway because of his particular skill set. But when pressed, they can fall in love with the long ball and can become prone to chase, especially breaking balls that peel off down and away. Machado does this a lot. I can’t be sure, but I only recall Yamamoto throwing one center cut fastball last night. Tatis just missed slightly and took Mookie to the wall. But it seemed the Dodger’s plan was to stay away from the Padres’ power and tap into their aggressive impatience. They were going to wait for the Padres to make them put balls into the zone more…and the Padres never made them do that.
The bullpen game was brilliant for this – with a different look every inning. But the Dodgers relievers implemented it, give them credit, no mistakes over the plate. By game 5, the Padre hitters were pressing, and Yoshi pulled the same plan off that the RPs did in game 4. Credit to him. By the time the bullpen got back in game 5, it was over, everyone could see it…and the Padre hitters were so far out of sync and out of patience by then it was child’s play.
My take here was that they saw that there was a tendency for the Padres to become over-aggressive, especially when pressed. I credited their analytics but it could have easily been just very effective scouting. Nevertheless, they dug out the tendency from the noise and crafted an effective pitching plan for a team that traded away the one guy that would have exposed it – Soto.
I’ve always had 2 hated teams, the traditionaly hated teams for a Dodger fan, the Yankees and Giants. But the Padres just irritate the hell out of me and because of that, I’ve added them as my 3rd hated team.
Speaking of the Yankees, although they are one of my hated teams, I’d like to see a Dodgers/Yankees World Series. I have fond memories of the 1981 World Series, it was my 3rd full season following the Dodgers when I was a kid. I watched the 1978 World Series with my grandpa who was a big Dodgers fan, and that was the exact moment I started following the Dodgers.
I’ve been a big advocate of building a dominant bullpen because once you turn over the game to a dominate bullpen with a lead you normally win those games 99% of the time if you truly have a dominate bullpen.
I just hope Vesia can recover in time to pitch again in the playoffs.
👍
Padres have moved to 2nd place on my most hated list. First is the cheating Astros. Giants and Yankees tied for 3rd. Don’t like the Cardinals much but don’t loathe them. Of course my most hated team is the cheating Michigan Woosarines.
https://www.truebluela.com/2024/10/12/24268375/freddie-freeman-dodgers-mound-visit-evan-phillips-max-muncy
nice, warm fuzzies
Was looking at matchups for the series. Dodgers are supposedly better in left, right, catcher, DH, bullpen, and second base. They picked Alonso over Freeman. Freeman is a career .300 hitter against the Mets. His OPS against them is .887. He also has 39 homers, the most he has against any team and 129 RBIs against the Mets. Alonso is a .238 hitter against LA with an OPS below .800. He has 7 career homers against LA and 18 driven in. I think LA has the advantage there too. Freeman drove in more runs by one than Alonso hitting 10 less homers. Alonso also strikes out a lot more than Freddie does.
FF is injured and cleary not close to 100 percent. Taking that into consideration I can understand they are giiving the edge to Alonso.
But all those matchup comparisions are not relevant. We will see on the field who has the edge.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The writers are heavily discounting Freddie due to his ankle.
I like your passion for the Dodgers Bear, but what players have done in the past against a certain franchise doesn’t matter. Those were other Mets teams with other players Freeman has played against. But I do agree with you that Freeman is better than Alonso, especially this year.
Sorry Eric, that is manure. Players histories against certain teams do matter. This year in 6 games against NY he hit .381. He had a homer and 8 runs driven in. His OPS was over 1.000 against them. Over the last 3 seasons with the Dodgers, he has done very well against Met pitching. Just like Muncy is very successful against the Giants, and Willie McCovey owned Drysdale. History against teams is important, and you can bet the Mets know how good Freeman is against them.
When will rosters be announced ?
Will be interesting to see what the Dodgers do with Rojas. Mets have a lot of lHP so it would be an advantage if he is good to go. If not will it be KK to replace him ?
On the pitching side: If Vesia can not go IMHO it will be Wrobleski to replace him.
Another candidate to be left off could be Henriquez. Love his stuff but he might be too inexperienced for LCS. His one appearance vs the Padres was not good.
Could the Dodgers have one up their sleeves and call on Bobby Miller ? He had an very good last start at OKC couple weeks ago an I am sure the Dodgers have kept him throwing since. He has the same good stuff as Henriquez, more experience and if he is good could give some length if needed.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prior to the game tomorrow, sometime before noon I would think.
Dodgers need four starters for seven game series so it’s Yamamoto Flarethy Buehler and who it Kershaw really that hurt with a big toe since July it hasn’t gotten better when Freeman rolls an ankle and is back in lineup in a week. If they could just get three innings out of Kershaw Id be happy with that rather then Stone Knack or Casperius or do the just make Brasier the fourth guy as a starter and go three innings. It’s a seven game series now you need four starters and my guess Flarethy starts game 1.
Can you imagine a healthy Glasnow and Graterol on this team? That would push the 2 weak spots in the bullpen off the team. Also, imagine a healthy Gonsolin and Stone as backups in case of injuries. AF gets a lot of flack and I don’t know why, 12 straight playoff appearances and some in a crapshoot playoff format and the best Dodgers team this year that I’ve seen in quite awhile. In my opinion better than the 2020 team that won it all. I said before the season started, this team has the foundation/structure to win it all. Sure the bench is pretty weak and the 2 spots in the bullpen are weak because of injuries and the starting pitching took a blow because of Glasnow and to a lesser extent Stone. But I’m telling you, sooner or later Yamamoto is going to become the ACE of the starting pitching and Buehler is a gamer, he has something that some other guys don’t, Buehler reminds me of Hershiser.
Dodgers roster was well constructed but so many injuries. Roberts has done a great job this year to hold it together and advance to the LCS. Have to respect that and probably have to give him an extension.##
As you say if Glasnow and Graterol were available this roster would be LOADED and the clear cut favorit to win it all.
And Stone and May and Gonsolin
CLE just hung a 5 spot on Skubal and the Tigers.
5-1 now in the 5th.
bye,bye Hinch. Hopefully.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
So many fun posts to read today, and none of the are the ridiculous “blow the entire franchise up” type.
Love the comments!
One bad series away from resurfacing!
You mean 1 bad game more likely.
LOL
👍
body Language!
intense eyes!
accidental wins!
lineup order lamentation!
74.4% of The Atletic staff pick the Dodgers, for whatever that’s worth. Money likes the Dodgers. No surprise there.
100% of my family is picking the Dodgers and that’s worth a lot!
Wow, I just checked how many comments are on Mark’s blog, it’s 41 right now after the Dodgers advanced, 41. There’s 162 here right now, although I added about 8 thumbs up to posts I really like. That’s what happens with a personality like his and today he did his normal thing, he talked sh!t about some people that don’t post anymore on his blog, the day after the Dodgers advance. Wow, let it go today, the Dodgers advanced. Sorry guys for bringing this up but you know.
two or three are mine, but who cares?
quality > quantity
unless you’re a Stalinist
I don’t know what you are saying. LA Dodger Chronicles has the quantity but not the quality over LADT? Well thank you very much.
Not sure what you are asking, but all I meant is, to me, quality is more important than quantity.
FWIW your posts are quality
Don’t even sweat it Eric, nobody in here even gives the moron a thought at this point. The dude has a personality disorder, just let him stew in his own juices.
👍
I took a peak at his site 2 weeks ago and noticed the dearth of comments when I opened one of his posts. I haven’t gone back there since then.
TheAthletic article on Senga’s arsenal and velo in his last start ($$$$)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5826237/2024/10/09/kodai-senga-stuff-mets-phillies-nlds/?source=user_shared_article
On the fastball, the velocity wasn’t good, but the movement was fine.
….
The sweeper swept, the slider dropped, and it was in the range of his demonstrated movements so far for the Mets. The one bit of worry might come from the fact that his slider averaged 83.5 mph, while it’s been 84.6 mph for his career, and 85 mph is currently accepted as a bit of a “magic number” for slider velocity.
…
The best news is that the vaunted Ghost Fork was no different from usual.
Gavin Stone had shoulder surgery on October 9 performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. He will miss all of 2025.