Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — As the Dodgers pull into town for their first homestand of September, they are coming off their first series loss in over a month. It was a tight three-game set in New York, with neither team exactly exploding offensively. The Dodgers got outscored by the Mets 10-8 in the series and dropped the final two games for their first back-to-back road losses since June. In addition, Thursday’s loss gives the Mets a 4-3 edge in the season series with the Dodgers. So what, if anything, can be learned from this little snap shot of the NY/LA matchup? Well, we just happen to have a few thoughts on that.
1. Who didn’t play might more important than who did
With a BIG lead in the division, the Dodgers were in a much better position than were the Mets, who were still in a dogfight with Atlanta for first place in the division. So, Dave Roberts acted accordingly, holding back some of his most important pitching assets so that the Mets couldn’t measure them up prior to the postseason. They saw Anderson, Heaney, and Kershaw, to be sure. But no Gonsolin, no May, and no Urias. Those three guys are arguably the most dynamic members of the staff going into the postseason, and it gives me some solace to know that the Mets didn’t get a look at them. On the bullpen side, you can rest assured that in the postseason, it won’t be Heath Hembree and Jake Reed out there for the Dodgers, either. This imbalance tips in the Dodgers’ favor going into the postseason.
2. The Dodgers need to clean it up
This entire road trip was marked by sloppy, lackadaisical play in the field, and to a lesser degree, on the bases. It nearly cost the team a win in Miami and it definitely cost the Dodgers the game on Thursday when Gavin Lux had a couple of “moments” at second base. You can get away with that kind of stuff when you’re playing the Marlins, but in October baseball it just won’t fly. The Dodgers need to make sure that they are dotting all their i’s and crossing all their t’s in the field from here on out.
3. Mookie Betts is on another planet right now
Mookie Betts is a streaky hitter, and it’s a little painful to watch a guy who you know is great go through as cold patch. But, when he hits his stride, look out, baseball. On this seven game road trip, Betts was a one-man wrecking crew. Five home runs. Eight RBI. .407 batting average. 1.522 OPS. August is the second month this season in which Betts has just went off on opposing pitching. His fantastic May was something to behold, and last month was nearly as good. Betts is now legitimately in the MVP discussion. The only thing that Dodger fans have to worry about is whether or not this level of production can carry through for the next two months. That is a tall order. But as Betts has shown in 2018, he’s more than capable of that sort of sustained greatness. Fingers crossed on that one.
4. Edwin Diaz can be scored on
Forget Timmy Trumpet. Forget “Narco.” The most important Edwin Diaz news from this week is that the guy is not invulnerable. The Mets’ closer looked like it on Wednesday, when he shut down the Dodgers in very short order. However, by Thursday, the Dodgers were looking a lot better at the plate against him. Max Muncy turned around a heater that Juuuust missed being go-ahead home run, and on the very next pitch, Justin Turner drilled a ball deep to left center that had Mets fans holding their breath until it landed in Brandon Nimmo’s glove. The Dodgers ended up with one run in the inning, but they could have easily won the game. It was only the second time that Diaz has given up an earned run since July 1 of this year. And the Dodgers put that rally together. Ideally, you don’t want to have to beat Diaz, but if you do, it’s nice to know that it can be done.
5. A seven-game series between these two would be pretty even
Make no mistake. The Mets are a very good team. And they took advantage of some Dodger mistakes to win the series. For the seven games that they played, the Dodgers were outscored by just one run 25-24 in losing four of the seven games. And, the Dodgers still haven’t faced last year’s ace Max Scherzer this year. So a lot of how a potential NLCS would play out would be based on how the two teams navigate the divisional round. But if the Mets’ pitching is set up for deGrom and Scherzer to throw twice each, look out. Either way, get ready for a dogfight between these two powerhouses.
Good thing the Dodgers will have home field advantage. We saw last year what a difference it can make.
