Dodgers News: Mattingly Would Welcome Facing Cardinals In Postseason
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a tough time beating good teams this season, specifically the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, their two biggest rivals as of late.
The Dodgers have lost their last three games against the Giants, and narrowly avoided a four-game sweep by the Cardinals. It seems as if they just cannot score against these two teams, going 4-12 against them this season.
Manager Don Mattingly does not believe these series will make or break the Dodgers. His main goal is to, “win every day. We’re in a battle to win our division. Each game is important. Nothing has happened in this series that has changed my mind. If we can get ourselves in and play the Cardinals, we’ll be confident. They’re a good club and we respect them, but I don’t think we fear them.”
Lack of offense seems to be the recurring theme in losses to the Cardinals and Giants as the Dodgers have scored two runs or less in every game they have lost to them. By comparison, the Dodgers have scored five or more in three of their four wins.
Matitngly also mentioned that the Dodgers, “want to beat everyone. And we’re going to have to win enough games to get in. If we want to win it all we have to beat good teams. I’m not really going to start myself on what’s happened in the past as far as what’s gone on with the Giants.”
It seems as if the problem arises from the later innings. Between the seventh and ninth innings, the team’s ERA is 3.92, higher than it is from the first through sixth innings. Although there have been fewer hits in the later innings by opponents, the Dodgers pitching staff has issued a combined 54 walks in the final three frames.
Sunday was the final regular-season meeting from the Cardinals and Dodgers. Los Angeles now welcomes the Arizona Diamondbacks to town Monday to start a three-game series before going on a five-game road trip.
Don Mattingly Not Scared Of The Cardinals
They don’t scare him? Until he figures out a way to beat them, he should be afraid of facing them. C’mon, at least pretend to care what loosing to these two teams means to our hopes for the playoffs.
Until we as a team can beat either the Giants or Cards on a consistent basis THIS YEAR, I do not see any chance of beating them in the playoffs if we make it. So far, that has not happened. The way that DM/FO uses our pitching staff and bullpen is terrible. And our hitting against these teams is atrocious. At this point, I want to reserve judgement, but am finding it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just my 2 cents.
I wonder if the Giants and cards fan bases said the same thing last year about not being able to beat us…we know how the postseason ended…
Haha was about to say the same thing last year we dominated them won every series against the cards and get to the postseason they were a whole new team and we played like cocky kids