So We Meet Again (Part 9b: Why this result?)

The team obviously lost the series because of a large variety of factors. Here they are in list form before I elaborate.

In no particular order:

1. Horrendous starting pitching

2. Stranded runners

3. Relief problems (Sherrill in Game 1 and Broxton in Game 4)

4. Furcal’s shoddy lead-off performance

First of all, as I said in Part 9a, the tean’s starting pitching was just atrocious in the NLCS. In addition, the offense wasn’t able to take advantage of good scoring opportunities. In other words, hits were not at a premium for the Dodgers. Rather, their problem was driving in those runners, which they had put on base in the first place. Supporting this claim are the Dodgers’ abysmal statistics with runners in scoring position, which we don’t need to go into any further here. They also weren’t too good (that’s putting it nicely) with 2 outs. In contrast, the Dodgers scored the vast majority of their NLDS runs (against the Cardinals) with 2 outs.

The line-up had other problems as well. Rafael Furcal, who had a very effective NLDS (6-12 with a triple and 2 RBIs), performed very poorly in the NLCS. Not only did he record a mere 3 hits in 21 at-bats for an average of .143, but he was upper-cutting on nearly every swing. More specifically, Furcal was trying to be a hero, evidenced by his swinging for the fences more often than not. When a player like Furcal overswings (and upper-cuts), he is wasting his speed, because one can only run out balls that are hit on the ground. He only struck out 3 times in the series, because he shortened up his swing on 2 strikes, but he was still upper-cutting the ball. If Furcal got on base more often, who knows how different the series would have been?

The highly touted Dodgers’ bullpen had mixed results in the NLCS. They performed very well at times, but faultered at other important junctures. For instance, George Sherrill’s loss of control and subsequent 3-run home run allowed, essentially gave the Phillies the Game 1 victory. In Game 2, on the other hand, the Dodger bullpen stood so strong in relief of Padilla that the Dodgers were able to come up with the 1-run win. However, Game 4 is another example of the bullpen’s struggles. Jonathan Broxton, who gave up a costly 2-run home run to Matt Stairs in last season’s NLCS Game 4, was called upon to close out this season’s NLCS Game 4. Nerves, obviously getting the best of him, Broxton lost control of his pitches, much like Sherrill in Game 1, and eventually gave up the walk-off hit to Jimmy Rollins.

The bullpen woes I just mentioned illustrate a very important point. Even with, Clayton Kershaw, the team’s ace, pitching as badly as he did, the Dodgers were still very much in Game 1. The same is true with Game 4, in which Randy Wolf, clearly did not pitch his best. So, to reiterate, when Joe Burt of PhillyPhanatic.com asked me if I felt the Dodgers’ starting pitching was good enough to win the NLCS, I answered yes and was correct. However badly the starters did, and trust me, they did badly, the offense kept them in those games. What’s more, if the bullpen pitched like they have all year, the Dodgers would have won Game 4 and possibly Game 1. If we just say, and I realize that this is a huge hypothetical, that the Dodgers won Game 4, it was a whole different series. The series would have been tied at 2 with 1 more game in Philadelphia and the last 2 in Los Angeles.

Regardless, the Dodgers’ starters did not get it done in the NLCS when it mattered most. Injuries to Billingsley, Kershaw, and Kuroda came at the worst time (at the end of the year). Though some tend to believe that late-season injuries allow overworked pitchers to rest, I truly believe that Kershaw’s late injury played a role in his lost rhythm. Even more than the injury, though, I feel like Kershaw was affected psychologically by the gravity of the system. True, he had pitched in last season’s NLCS, but not as the Game 1 starter. In fact, last season, he had not started any postseason games, let alone Game 1 of the NLCS. Though it was at home, Kershaw got rattled early and was never really able to gain his composure.

There are many reasons why the Dodgers’ starters did not perform well in the NLCS. I could go on and on about why they didn’t get it done when it mattered most, but the season is over and nothing we say here can change that. More importantly, Dodgers’ management (that is, the members who are not currently bickering over divorce settlements), will look to bolster the starting rotation via free agency and/or trades. Lots of quality starting pitchers will be available and money is no object for the Dodgers. The starting line-up and the bullpen are very solid. In fact, they are probably close to the best in the National League in each of the those two categories. So, again, starting pitching will definitely be a primary focus this off-season for Dodgers’ management.

Stay blue, my sisters and brothers!

Tags: Billingsley, Broxton, bullpen, Dodgers, free agency, Game 4, Kershaw, lost control, NLCS, Phillies, Sherrill, shoddy, starting pitching, stranded runners