Dodgers News and Rumors: Dodgers Will Face Cardinals In NLCS
The Dodgers now know they will travel to St. Louis and face the Cardinals at Busch Stadium for Game 1 of the NLCS. Adam Wainwright went 9 innings with one earned run and the Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 in the decisive Game 5 of the NLDS.
The Cardinals had a 97-65 record and were the NL Central division champions. They finished with a better record than the Dodgers so they will have home field advantage. The Dodgers are going to have to win on the road in order to advance to the World Series and during the regular season they had the best road record in baseball . They went 45-36 on the road during the regular season and will have their two aces in Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS.
The NLCS is a best-of-seven series and the format is 2-3-2. While it’s unfortunate the Dodgers will only have three games at Dodger Stadium, the current NLCS format might benefit the Dodgers. Hyun-Jin Ryu and Ricky Nolasco will potentially pitch in Games 3 and 4 at home and pitching in front of their home crowd can give the Dodgers a better chance to win.
Adam Wainwright had to pitch tonight and probably won’t be available until Game 3, so the Dodgers can face him in front of a hostile Dodger crowd. The Dodgers were 4-3 this season against the Cardinals, including winning three games in St. Louis in a four-game series. It’s important to note in the series the Dodgers were without Hanley Ramirez while the Cardinals didn’t have catcher Yadier Molina.
The Dodgers now have to fly to St. Louis and Game 1 of the NLCS is on Friday. Zack Greinke will be the Game 1 starter and Kershaw will take the ball in Game 2.
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Dodgers News
Dodgers, planning for NLCS, consider possible player moves [LA Times]
NLCS: Dee Gordon Or 12 Pitchers? [Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness]
Carl Crawford Defies Age And Rust To Shine Bright For Dodgers In Postseason [Lasorda’s Lair]
Yasiel Puig named best Southern League prospect by Baseball America [Feelin’ Kinda Blue]
Hanley Ramirez plays despite aches, and Dodgers foes feel the pain [LA Times]
MLB News
A’s to start ‘bulldog’ Sonny Gray [USA Today]
Girardi, Yanks reach 4-year deal [ESPN]
Dusty Baker reached out to the Nationals about their job opening [Hardball Talk]
Ringolsby: Hanley, Dodgers better than ever [MLB.com]
Mike Scioscia, GM Dipoto staying in L.A. [USA Today]
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In case you missed it, here’s the home run that sent the Dodgers to the NLCS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJgp8vkSa3k
