Official 2018 Los Angeles Dodgers Thread : Game 4

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I’m screaming in my head why isn’t kolarek in to face Soto and then boom, HR

Kershaw shouldn’t have come back after finishing the 7th. Terrible.
 
Let me digest what happened.

How did i have a feeling playoffkershaw was gonna make an appearance and blow this?

I just cant.
 
Even worst for Kershaw is the theory that balls have been switched this postseason or essentially dejuiced. Dave trusts his guts with huge decisions, and it’s been wrong at the worst times. Players probably love him for that trust, but there has to be a balance.

If there’s one silver lining in all this, it’s that Plaschke again looks like an absolute idiot. His “grinders” Pollock and Kelly have been horrible signings and both played big roles in this team ducking out the first round.
 
So, I'm sure I can say that most of us saw this coming ... it was a strange season, no one really was talking about how good the dodgers were (here in LA) I think everyone mostly felt what was coming - and it was this.

Let me start off saying, Doc is a good dude, he's a player's coach and he's good with the players but his strategies, if he was a puppet or not, are terrible. I hate to say this especially with all the success he's had with Los Angeles, but his time is done here.

Joe Maddon was always the preferred guy with Friedman and he still hasn't accepted the Angels job, I have a feeling he was waiting to see what happened with the Dodgers - he could be the guy.

Doc will have no problem finding another job elsewhere .... Friedman? Expect him to come back.

The Roster ... I don't see any big spending even though we have some $ coming off the books, we have to figure out who's our guys and who we're gonna roll with (Smith / Ruiz).

Kerhwashed ... he will always find a way to **** it up, why couldn't Doc see this? Why even give him the opportunity to do this, over and over again? That blows my mind.

Bellinger, Seager, Pollock - I'm gonna give Seager and Pollock a pass, but I can't do this with Belli any longer, his godlike regular season numbers become useless if he can't perform in the post-season.

I just don't even know, the city knew this was coming, the writing was on the wall and here we are.
 
So, I'm sure I can say that most of us saw this coming ... it was a strange season, no one really was talking about how good the dodgers were (here in LA) I think everyone mostly felt what was coming - and it was this.

Let me start off saying, Doc is a good dude, he's a player's coach and he's good with the players but his strategies, if he was a puppet or not, are terrible. I hate to say this especially with all the success he's had with Los Angeles, but his time is done here.

Joe Maddon was always the preferred guy with Friedman and he still hasn't accepted the Angels job, I have a feeling he was waiting to see what happened with the Dodgers - he could be the guy.

Doc will have no problem finding another job elsewhere .... Friedman? Expect him to come back.

The Roster ... I don't see any big spending even though we have some $ coming off the books, we have to figure out who's our guys and who we're gonna roll with (Smith / Ruiz).

Kerhwashed ... he will always find a way to **** it up, why couldn't Doc see this? Why even give him the opportunity to do this, over and over again? That blows my mind.

Bellinger, Seager, Pollock - I'm gonna give Seager and Pollock a pass, but I can't do this with Belli any longer, his godlike regular season numbers become useless if he can't perform in the post-season.

I just don't even know, the city knew this was coming, the writing was on the wall and here we are.

I agree with so much of what you said.

But they won 106 games. I just didn't think they would make it to the WS but to nut up in the NLDS? Nah.

Front office better make this right. Dave has to go.
 

LOS ANGELES -- The couches were noticeably missing from the center of the Los Angeles Dodgers' clubhouse late Wednesday night. They were removed in preparation for another champagne celebration, perhaps around the seventh inning, when a two-run lead was handed from Walker Buehler to Clayton Kershaw.
What followed -- Kershaw allowing home runs to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto on back-to-back pitches in the eighth inning, Joe Kellysurrendering a grand slam to Howie Kendrickin the 10th and the Dodgers suffering a 7-3 lossto the Washington Nationals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series -- was a dizzying turn of events that left a room full of players shell-shocked in its wake.
The Dodgers' 2019 season included a franchise-record 106 wins and an NL-best plus-274 run differential. But now -- suddenly, cruelly -- it is over, without a championship for a 31st consecutive year. L.A.'s baseball team is a dominant force that has captured seven consecutive division titles and is built for sustained winning, but continual postseason shortcomings provoke introspection. And the Dodgers have plenty to ask themselves as they pivot to what could be a fascinating offseason.
1. Will there be a change at manager?
Harry How/Getty Images
It sounds odd when you take a step back and remove the emotion from it. In four years, Dave Roberts has led the Dodgers to four postseason berths, three trips to the NLCS and two World Series appearances. Ten months ago, the franchise rewarded him with a four-year extension. But Roberts' in-game decision-making played a major role in the Dodgers' last two eliminations. Last year it was Game 4 of the World Series, the penultimate game of his team's season, when he removed Rich Hillearlier than he should have, a turn of events rationalized as a miscommunication. This year, in the decisive game of the NLDS, he bungled the late-game bullpen strategy, going with Kershaw a little too long, bringing Kelly in for a second inning and not using lefty specialist Adam Kolarek when he needed to. Maybe president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman -- with an expiring contract himself, but one that is expected to be resolved -- brings in somebody else. His longtime co-worker Joe Maddon is available.
2. So, Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon?
EDITOR'S PICKS
Assuming Kenley Jansen opts into the final two years of his contract, he will be among only five players -- along with Kershaw, Kelly, Justin Turner and Kenta Maeda -- on the payroll for 2020 (not including pre-arbitration players and players eligible for arbitration). Those five will account for just under $75 million toward the Dodgers' competitive balance tax payroll. In other words, the Dodgers will have some money to spend this winter. They haven't been known to dole out big contracts under Friedman, but they currently have only two players signed beyond the 2021 season. Cole will command a lucrative, lengthy contract, but he would add a stabilizing presence at the top of the rotation, replacing Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu. And he is from Southern California. Rendon -- said to be interested in a shorter-term deal with a higher average annual value -- could start at second base or allow Turner to transition to first. Signing either of those two would also lead to a ton of flexibility on the trade market.
3. What do they do with Kenley Jansen?
The Dodgers are set to pay Jansen $38 million over the next two years, but it doesn't sound as if they trust him as their closer. Roberts said otherwise in the lead-up to the postseason, dismissing the possibility of matching up in the ninth inning. But then, days later, Roberts alluded to the possibility of using Jansen in non-save situations. Jansen posted career highs in both ERA (3.71) and blown saves (eight) this season. His cutter was uncommonly hittable and his delivery was often out of sync. In a broader sense, Jansen hasn't been his same, dominant self since the 2017 World Series. He is still a highly competent reliever, but the Dodgers must ask themselves whether they can trust him as their closer moving forward.
4. What about Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Julio Urias?

Those three guys could easily make up three-fifths of next year's rotation, alongside Kershaw and Buehler. The only question, it seems, is whether the Dodgers believe they can do better. Down the stretch, May (22 years old), Gonsolin (25) and Urias (23) basically occupied hybrid roles in which they were available to either spot start, contribute multiple innings out of the bullpen or, if the game called for it, pitch in high-leverage situations. Urias spent the entire season as a multi-inning reliever on the major league club, while Gonsolin and May were in the minor leagues for most of the summer. The Dodgers might be able to justify more seasoning for May and Gonsolin, but Urias needs a set role -- either as a starting pitcher or a late-inning lefty.
5. Which defensive position will Cody Bellinger occupy?
As he showed while making a difficult catch up against the fence in the fourth inning of Game 5, Bellinger is a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder. He also had a Gold Glove-worthy season in right field, the position he began the season playing on an everyday basis. And several teammates would tell you he is the best defensive first baseman they have ever seen. The Dodgers moved Bellinger to center field and shifted A.J. Pollock to left as the regular season was winding down because they believed it gave them their best defensive alignment. They love their versatility, so perhaps Bellinger continues to contribute at three positions moving forward. Or, perhaps, he becomes the NL version of Mike Trout in center field -- except with a stronger throwing arm.

Didn’t realize there was that much money coming off the books, as well as Kenley having an opt out


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No BS if Kenley has the balls to opt out, Kenta could be the closer.

He has enough movement on his off-speed stuff that can carry us like Saito (no reference cause he was asian too).

Let me add that I do not think Julio Urias is a starting caliber pitcher in this league, I just think his stuff is electric enough in a short inning rather spread out.
 
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Yanks or Stros would've washed us anyways. :smh:
Basically. It was either choke now or choke in World Series, on a bigger stage.

all these regular season accomplishments and accolades don’t mean ****.MVP Cody reverted back to playoff Cody. Seager was trash.Pollock???11 strikeouts?? :rofl:

how you gonna be one of the top big market teams and operate like you don’t have money? They keep breaking attendance records and prices keel skyrocketing, but yet costs/payroll is coming down? And how you gonna be the big bad dodgers and have a bullpen game on a game you can clinch? Ok Oakland A’s.

At the end of the day it was a inevitable what was gonna happen, but the way it happened was a joke. Kershaw still has $60 mil left, which of course is going to hinder them from signing other guys
 
If they don't fire Roberts, the front office is showing us they don't care.
:rofl: you really think they care?

The new ownership are all business men. Business is boomin. Attendance is always top in MLB, ticket/concession prices continue to go up every year, and their payroll continues to get smaller.
Big offseason acquisitions? Aj Pollock :rofl:
Dave Roberts is that center piece that keeps the business going. Why they gonna f up their money if we (fans) are dumb enough to continue pouring more and more money into the team, even though they continue to choke/not win the World Series?

Magic and Co rollin in money right now. Only thing they’re mad about is not reaching the World Series, Cuz that woulda been more money for them
 
You're not lying though mr jordan04 mr jordan04 . Ownership will never care as much as fans about winning the whole thing, they winning by remaining in the black. Magic couldn't even sent out a typical generic tweet to try and uplift fans.

Pollock and Kelly were the off season signings they boasted and both have been huge whiffs.
 
Just hope washedkersh knows he's about to get a man fired for continuously believing in him and lost a game to a kid who pitched his heart out while losing his aunt a couple days ago.

#SelfishKersh
#NotMyAce
 
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I slept on it and instead of breaking my Chokeshaw bobble head in my office I’m going to bring it home and keep it in a shoebox under my bed. Don’t want to hear the trashsaw slander at work. Walker and Turner and Puig and Newk and kemp are safe. Was gonna cop the new belli bobble but I’ll pass
 
As a Cardinals fan living in LA i been hearing the **** talk long enough, i was hoping we would end up playing the Dodgers in the postseason again.
so many Dodger fans telling me how we had no chance against the Braves and counting their chickens before the eggs hatched talking about 3rd straight WS like there wasn't any other teams standing in front of them.
I was ready to buy NLCS tickets, too bad the Dodgers didn't get the job done.

Real talk though, I wouldn't put the blame solely on Kershaw. People are quick use him as the scapegoat in the postseason when things dont go your way. The blame should be on the entire team. The Dodgers rely so much on the homerun ball, if they don't hit homeruns they cant produce runs. its been a ongoing issue for then that doesn't get talked about enough. Bellinger, Seager, Polluck, Turner, etc didnt produce when it mattered the most. 106 wins, 7 straight division titles and back 2 back world series dont mean anything until you win the WS. Roberts made some bonehead plays but at the end of the day it was the entire team who didnt come through when it mattered the most. Muncy was the only consistent hitter all series. You guys need to go after some Puerto Ricans and Dominicans this off season who know how to put the ball in play.
 
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