Cody Snavely
The 2023 NLDS kicks off Saturday night for the Dodgers as they host their NL division rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks. These two clubs have met in the postseason before in 2017 when the Dodgers swept them en route to their first NL pennant during the 2017 season. However, a lot has changed, and do the Dodgers have what it takes to advance to the NLCS this time around?
How they got here
The Dodgers find themselves in familiar territory compared to last postseason, where they are taking on a divisional opponent whom they had success with during the regular season. While it wasn’t quite the Dodgers’ success with the Padres last year, they did go a respectable 8-5 against Arizona this year. However, all five of the Dodge’s losses to the D-Backs came before the all-star break, when the two teams were off to very different starts to their seasons.
The Dodgers, for the most part, struggled to get much going in the early parts of the season, whether it was injuries to the infield that forced Mookie Betts to play not only 2nd but also a few games at shortstop or the disastrous bullpen that had a collective ERA north of five. In contrast, Arizona was clicking on all cylinders, taking advantage most of all on the basepaths where guys like rookie phenom Corbin Carroll were stealing bases left and right. Once July hit, both teams took a steep turn where Arizona would start their downward spiral, losing the division lead and falling out of the Wild Card spot a few times. As for the Dodgers, we all know how that went. LA took advantage of multiple losing streaks between the D-Backs, Padres, and Giants to get a comfortable 13-game lead by the end of August, and the rest was history.
With the Dodgers winning the NL West yet again and clinching the 2nd seed, they received a bye to the NLDS while the D-Backs headed to Milwaukee, where they upset the NL Central champion Brewers in two games.
Stars to watch
Once the calendar turns to October, the stars shine brightest, which is no exception for both clubs. For the Dodgers, the two obvious choices for stars to watch will be Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman; however, one star that I will keep my eye on is Dodgers DH J. D. Martinez. Since his return from the IL with a groin injury in September, Martinez has been on another level in production, winning NL Player of the Week while also batting .355, 27 hits, 8 home runs, and 25 RBI. Martinez is also among the better postseason hitters, having a postseason career OPS near .800.
The Diamondbacks also have plenty of young stars to choose from. Still, I will go with longtime third basemen Evan Longoria, who has already made two big plays of defense in their recent series win against the Brewers. While Longoria has not been putting up the same production as he did with the Rays or even the Giants, he is one of the few players on this team with decent postseason experience. However, the Dodger’s significant threat will likely be the already-mentioned Corbin Carroll, who is quickly becoming one of the best players in the sport.
X-Factors
After a horrible experience last October where the Dodgers lost in four games to the Padres, I imagine the players and Dave Roberts will not want that to happen again. However, the biggest x-factor I believe in this series will be the man taking the ball in game one. Clayton Kershaw has been the face of the Dodgers for over 15 years and has been at the forefront of many of their postseason falls. However, in 2023, in year 16 for Kershaw, it is the same equation: the Dodgers only go as far as Kershaw does. While LA doesn’t need him to be that 2014 NL MVP version, he will need to set the tone in game one, going at least five strong innings to help relieve some pressure off rookie starters Bobby Miller and Ryan Pepiot.
As for the Diamondbacks, look for Clayton Kershaw killer Christian Walker, who in his career is 10/34 with five home runs off the Dodgers lefty. Walker is also a key contributor for the D-Backs in the middle of that order who can provide power and clutch hits, as we saw in the Wild Card series this past week. Walker also has nearly 20 home runs in his career vs. LA, and we all know a bloop and a blast can change an entire series.
Who has the edge?
The age-old question of who has an edge in a playoff series. Well, as a Dodgers fan learned, no matter how much success you had in the regular season, it doesn’t always translate to October, and that alone should take a bite of humble pie. All I will say is the Dodgers need to take it one game at a time, do not overthink it, and pray for a different result than last year.
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