Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez and Roger Bernadina went yard,
Zack Greinke earned his 17th win and the Dodgers wrapped up the 2014
regular season with a 10-5 win over the Rockies yesterday.
The Dodgers will host St. Louis in the opening game of the
National League Division Series on Friday when 20-game winners Clayton Kershaw
(21-3, 1.77) and Adam Wainwright (20-9, 2.38) take the mound.
St. Louis eliminated Los Angeles a year ago in the NLCS and
come into the playoffs as the NL Central champs, edging out Pittsburgh for the
division title.
San Francisco and Pittsburgh will play in a one-game Wild
Card play-in Wednesday for the right to meet NL East champion Washington.
Los Angeles finished with a 94-68 record, second best in the
NL behind the Nationals.
The Dodgers hope to get Hyun-Jin Ryu back for the playoffs.
Sidelined with a shoulder injury, Ryu has been rehabbing the shoulder for
several weeks and has shown some progress, throwing a bullpen yesterday.
Ryu could be a key in the playoffs, providing Los Angeles
with three strong starters at the top of the rotation. If Ryu cannot go, the
Dodgers will go to Dan Haren, who has emerged as a solid No. 4 starter.
If the Dodgers are able to advance in the playoffs they will
need to continue the torrid hitting they have exhibited the final weeks of the
season where the likes of Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford and Juan
Uribe have been lights out.
Dee Gordon and Yasiel Puig figure to be critical to LA’s
success. Gordon is the major league leader in stolen bases but did not finish
strong. Puig hit .276 in the final 30 games of the season and though showing
flashes of brilliance has been inconsistent.
Gonzalez finished with a major league high 116 RBI and 27
homers to lead the Dodgers in both categories. Kemp had a strong second half,
finishing with a .287 average, 25 homers and 89 RBI.
Ramirez, who has played through injuries most of the season,
finished with a .283 average, 13 homers and 71 RBI in 128 games.
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