Editorials

NLCS Recap: Dodgers Fall In Six Games To Cardinals, 2013 Over

GAME 4:  4-2 CARDINALS

RIGHT: Not a whole lot in this game. The Dodgers again failed to capitalize on many offensive opportunities in this game.  They were 2-for-6 with RISP and grounded into three double plays. Ricky Nolasco looked good in his first two innings of work, but got tagged for three runs in the third, the worst damage being done on a Matt Holliday home run.  Nolasco came out and pitched the fourth, but it wasn’t the start the Dodgers were looking for.



WRONG: What I just mentioned. Holliday’s long ball was deflating and the Dodgers seemed to run themselves out of every inning. The key momentum killer came in the seventh when Nick Punto doubled with one out.  The crowd roared and it looked like the Dodgers would have a chance to make a run at it, however, Punto got picked off second by Cards’ reliever Carlos Martinez, promptly killing any Dodgers momentum.  Martinez continued to prove his worth for St. Louis with two scoreless innings and Trevor Rosenthal, the Cardinals’ latest young flame-throwing closer, came in for the save in the ninth inning.

GAME 5:  6-4 DODGERS

RIGHT: The Dodgers faced a must-win in Game 5 and they were up to the challenge. Greinke had another brilliant pitching performance, holding the Cardinals to two runs in seven innings of work.  After being held in check for most of the series, the Dodgers offense finally unloaded on St. Louis.  Gonzalez led the way with two home runs and A.J. Ellis and Carl Crawford each homered as well. Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless eighth inning to extend his postseason streak to 17.2 scoreless innings. Jansen was met with some resistance, but he closed the game out in the ninth.

WRONG: Jansen gave up two runs in the ninth inning. Although it wasn’t entirely his fault, the hit that got things started was one by Holliday.  Jansen actually threw a really good pitch low and away but Holliday managed to get his bat on the ball and bloop it into right. The opposite of the Game 2 effect happened as the diamond was in sunlight, but the outfield was cloaked in shadow. However, Jansen came through eventually striking out the side and securing the win.

GAME 6: 9-0 CARDINALS

RIGHT: Absolutely nothing, as things were rough from the get-go. Vin Scully called it on the radio after an 11-pitch at bat by Cards’ 2B Matt Carpenter, but Kershaw just didn’t have his best stuff Friday night. Hampered by some fundamental errors and the aforementioned overthrows by Puig, the team looked despondent.  Wacha and the Cards’ bullpen continued to shut down the Dodgers offense and the season was over.

WRONG:  Everything. Kershaw couldn’t get the job done, the Dodgers got shut down again by Wacha and the St. Louis bullpen. Five Cardinals had multi-hit games, while  Beltran and Carpenter each had two doubles apiece. Wacha, Martinez, and Rosenthal held the Dodgers to two hits and, yeah, that’s all she wrote.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Baseball is a funny game, they say it’s a game of inches, and it seemed that is how the series broke with the Cardinals. Everyone knew that St. Louis was a formidable opponent. They’re baseball’s version of the San Antonio Spurs, a player development machine that has a system in place that puts guys in a position to succeed. When the season started, would anyone have guessed that Carpenter would lead the league in hits, doubles, and runs scored?  Credit to him, and credit to the Cardinals for allowing him to develop and be successful.

Wacha is a beast and this guy is going to be one of the best pitchers in the game for quite some time. Devastating fastball, even more brutal changeup to get you off balance, all the potential in the world. Did I mention that Martinez and Rosenthal are also each only 23?  All the credit in the world to St. Louis.

As for the Dodgers, they’ll look to bring back the same core group of guys next year and the future is bright.  Hanley, Adrian, Puig, Crawford, Ethier, Kemp, Kershaw, Greinke, Jansen, they’ll all be back.  This is cause for celebration, because that is a fantastic core group to return.  After all of this, they can only come back hungrier. There’s no doubt the talent level is in another galaxy with Puig, now he just needs some maturity and a more focused approach to his game, all of which will come in time.

The Dodgers also appear to be the early frontrunner to land David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays.  The more pitching the better, as a fan you have to love the aggressive approach. Robinson Cano is also out there and since money isn’t an issue for the Dodgers’ ownership group, I would love him for the right price.

The Dodgers didn’t achieve their ultimate goal of a World Series title this year, but, man, they accomplished a heck of a lot this year. After years of disappointment and resentment, the Dodgers are back. The Dodgers will be back next year, and they’ll be  much improved. There’s a good chance the Cardinals will be there too, but after Dodger fans have allowed the sting of defeat to sink in, they can look forward to savoring victory next year.

 

 

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