World Series Musings After 2 Games

October 26, 2018

The Dodgers find themselves in a 2-0 hole as they head home after a frustrating couple of games in Boston. Right now things don’t look great for their chances to end their 30 year championship drought, and it could get even more dire as soon as tonight if they can’t find a way to win a game at Dodger Stadium. Is all hope lost? I don’t think so, but this series was always going to be tough, and being down has only made it tougher. With a day to collect my thoughts, here are some unorganized thoughts and musings about the World Series so far.

Headlines: NLCS Musings

So yeah this is probably not that different than quick-hits, just even shorter. I present to you headlines; things I could probably write about the NLCS if I had the energy to do so, or are just not substantial enough to fill even a paragraph or two. Right now the Dodgers are in the 12th inning of an exhausting game 4 that has been an absolute chore to watch and try to give a shit about. (Edit: Make that 13. We’re getting legitimately close to seeing a position player pitch in a playoff game. Someone kill me). I will try to use horrible headline puns where possible.

So here they are, some NLCS Headlines, and a few brief thoughts where applicable:

Playoff Hits: Buehler’s Bad Inning Could Benefit Him in Long Run, Doc’s Evolution

Hi, I’d like to return this gift, please

 

October 8, 2018

Going into game 3 last night in Atlanta, it was hard not to feel like the joke was on the Braves. Dodger fans watched as their opponent was shut out in consecutive games to start the series, and oh yeah, by the way, our real ace is actually pitching the third game, shhhh, its a secret. After watching Buehler emerge over the stretch run and pitch the games of his life against St Louis and then Colorado in game 163 to clinch the west, it was easy to feel pretty confident. Despite being Buehler’s first postseason start, we had seen him perform under the pressure of must-win games already, so we knew the moment wouldn’t be too big for him. The bottom of the first inning went quickly, and things it seemed like they were going smoothly.

Then the bottom of the second inning happened.

Clickbaitin’: Top 10 Things to Blame on the Internet if the Dodgers Miss the Playoffs

 

September 28, 2018

I started writing this post on September 12, when the Dodgers were falling further behind in the standings. It sat unfinished for a while, and then the Dodgers got up 2.5 games after sweeping Colorado, and it seemed like it wouldn’t be necessary. Of course things have changed with the Rockies steamrolling everyone on their way to 7 straight wins and stand 1 game up on the Dodgers heading into the final series of the year. Let’s be honest, it’s going to be tough, because even if L.A. wins out, the Rockies could go 2-1 and still force a tiebreaker game. And if the Dodgers go 2-1, they would only need to win 1 against Washington for the tie. The Dodgers have a 1 game lead for the 2nd wild card, so that’s not a lock, but thankfully St Louis draws the Cubs who actually have something to play for. Since I’m of the opinion you don’t actually make the playoffs until you win the wild card game, and 1 game is basically random, because baseball, the Dodgers could technically “make it” before going home without playing a series.

It wasn’t too long ago it looked like the Dodgers had an easier path to end the season, with series against a sprawling Arizona team and the Giants, where the Rockies drew a good Philly team and the Nationals. Then those teams got eliminated and the Phillies packed it in and basically quit trying to baseball and the Nationals seemingly only cared about getting Scherzer to 300 strikeouts. Meanwhile the Dodgers got rivals who would love nothing more than to end their 5 year reign as champs and ruin the party. Motivated opponents, the opposite of what the Rockies drew.

With the possibility of missing the playoffs very real, of course people are flocking to internet message boards and comment sections to lay blame. Don’t go in uninformed! In traditional clickbait fashion, here’s a numbered list of the top things to blame online if the Dodgers miss the playoffs.

Climbing Dick Mountain; Ranking The Dodgers’ Players Weekend Nicknames

The undisputed champ of Player’s Weekend, Rich Hill

 

August 24, 2018

Considering there hasn’t been much positive to write about the Dodgers lately, let’s have a little fun instead heading into player’s weekend. Across MLB players will once again be wearing ugly uniforms with hand picked nicknames in place of their last name. Last year saw some truly creative nicknames, a spattering of variations on a player’s name, and some downright uninspired, first or last name garbage. 2018 is much the same. Let’s rank the Dodgers in terms of best to worst.

The Dodgers and The Notion of Going Partially “All-In”

The 9th inning has been…problematic since losing Kenley Jansen

 

August 15, 2018

The Dodgers dropped their 4th straight game tonight since losing Kenley Jansen in a painfully familiar manner, with the loss also marking the 4th straight game decided in the 9th inning. Things are…not fun right now. It feels like the lowest point of the season since losing 7 consecutive games to the Reds and Marlins, leaving the team at 16-26 and Dodger fans scratching their heads. Yesterday’s loss probably hurts the most after watching Clayton Kershaw deliver the type of performance we used to take for granted, yet now haven’t seen in nearly a year. These losses ring exceptionally loud coming off the heels of the loss of Jansen due to heart problems, as well as the team’s trade deadline actions, as it puts the spotlight on the Dodger bullpen yet again.

Front Office’s Faith in Dodgers Bullpen is About to be Severely Tested

Kenley Jansen mirrors Dodger fans’ collective emotions

 

August 11, 2018

With the Dodgers’ biggest need at the 2018 trade deadline generally thought to be bullpen help, Andrew Friedman and company instead doubled down on offense, with major acquisitions Manny Machado and Brian Dozier coming aboard to create a lineup with virtually no holes and an already deep bench becoming a bottomless pit. The only bullpen arm acquired was John Axford, a former closer who is currently far from a reliable key inning type of guy. The moves, or lack thereof, seemed to indicate a faith in the Dodgers current group of relievers either rounding into form or returning to health.

At the time, though not ideal, you could at least talk yourself into the logic, as the bullpen had been pitching relatively well since July and some of the key names were at various stages of returning from the DL. The thing about that plan, however, is that it hinged on having an elite closer in Kenley Jansen there at the end of games to shut the door. Remove Jansen from the equation, and well, an already shaky bridge suddenly becomes a shaky bridge to nowhere.

Dodgers Unveil New BP Uniforms with Minor Tweaks

Artist’s rendering of the Dodgers’ new BP duds

 

July 29, 2018

The Los Angeles Dodgers today unveiled a new modern look for their batting practice uniforms at a press event in downtown L.A. On hand to fashion the new duds for the public were Dodger stars Kike Hernandez, Justin Turner and Yasiel Puig. Looking to revamp their image, and of course sell new merchandise, minor tweaks have been made to the pre-game attire to help sell the game to the next generation.

Dodgers Punt Game After 16 Tedious Innings

Kike gives the ball a pep-talk prior to his appearence

 

July 25, 2018

The Dodgers handed the Philadelphia Phillies a win last night in a dreadful 16 inning game, sending out Kike Hernandez to the sacrificial altar after running out of bullpen arms as both teams failed to put up any offense from the 8th inning onward.

Break Out the Champagne! Dodgers Sit Alone in First Place for First Time in 2018

The Dodgers clinched…oh, its July? Still seems like an accomplishment

 

July 13, 2018

With last night’s win over San Diego, the Dodgers find themselves in a place they have not been all year long, alone atop the NL West standings. Yes, not even in the early days of April where standings flop around more than Lionel Messi (look at my topical humor!) has this team had first place all to itself. After a string of alternating wins and losses for a week straight, they wrapped up the series against the Padres with a win behind contributions from their 3 All-Stars, taking the series and of course, the top of the standings.