Buehler has the title in his hands

The Dodgers host the Rockies today with the NL West division title on the line.


It figures to be a pitcher's duel, with rookie Walker Buehler facing off against Colorado's German Marquez.

Marquez has tamed the Dodgers twice at Dodger Stadium this season and Buehler is 0-1 against the Rocks with a 2.61 ERA.

The Rockies appear to have the edge on the mound.

The Dodgers erupted for 15 runs against the Giants to end the season in a tie for the division yesterday and are capable of busting out on offense -- but Marquez has been able to figure out the LA lineup on two previous occasions so don't expect a Los Angeles explosion.

If the Dodgers lose today they will play in the Wild Card play-in game tomorrow against the Chicago-Milwaukee loser for a trip to the playoffs.

Los Angeles, if they get that far, would play Thursday against either Atlanta or the Cubs-Brewers winner.

A well-rested Clayton Kershaw would take the mound Thursday. Kershaw, the finest Dodgers' pitcher since Sandy Koufax, is in a peculiar situation. He is a free agent after the season and the Dodgers have to decide whether to sign him to a long-term contract.

At 30, his fastball has lost 3-4 mph velocity and he can no longer overpower batters like he used to do. Though teetering on sacrilege to Dodgers' fans, I don't think they should open the checkbook for  one of the best that ever played the game. His back injuries and fading velocity have taken a toll.

Kershaw is now a good pitcher. He used to be a great one. It's time for the Dodgers to move on. Pursue another ace to go along with the rising Buehler, Julio Urias and other young guns.

Dodgers face Giants in must-win scenario

I guess it's fitting that the Dodgers face off against the Giants for the final three games of the regular season with everything on the line.

The Dodgers-Giants rivalry goes back to New York and the two teams genuinely despise each other.

Tonight, Hyun-Jin Ryu faces off against Madison Bumgarner in the series opener. The Dodgers trail Colorado by one game in the NL West and have a one-game lead over St. Louis for the second Wild Card spot.

These next few days are not for the faint of heart.

The Rockies have been on fire. Since losing three at Chavez Ravine last week, the Rocks have won seven straight, sweeping Arizona and Philadelphia. Now they host the Washington Nationals with a chance to win the division.

I bleed Dodger Blue, but if Colorado closes the season with 10 straight pressure wins ya gotta tip your hat.

The playoff scenarios are crazy. If the Dodgers and Rockies end the season in a tie for the NL West, there will be be a one-game playoff Monday in Los Angeles. At this point, the Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers, Cardinals and Cubs are all fighting for either a division title or a Wild Card spot. 

Going into this weekend, the Cubs hold a one-game lead over the Brewers for the NL Central title. The Cards are one game behind the Dodgers for the NL Wild Card. Chicago and St. Louis face off to end the season. The Brewers have locked up a trip to the playoffs, either as a division champ or a Wild Card team. Milwaukee faces Detroit.

When all the dust clears, we hope the Dodgers are still standing. According to MLB.com, the Dodgers have a 38 percent chance to win the division and a 90.5 percent chance to make the playoffs.

I think there is a 100 percent chance my blood pressure is going up.

Dodgers step it up at critical hour

Ah, the joys of a pennant race.

After chasing Arizona and Colorado for most of the season, the Dodgers breathed some hope into their 2018 chances this week when they edged into first place with a three-game sweep of the Rockies at Chavez Ravine on the heels of taking three out of four in St. Louis.

Clayton Kershaw got the call on Sept. 13 in St. Louis but Manny Machado was the hero, knocking in three RBI, including his 34th homer, as the Dodgers posted a 9-7 win.  

On Sept. 14,  the Dodgers shut down the Cards 3-0 as rookie Walker Buehler held the Redbirds to two hits over eight innings and Yasiel Puig hit a pair of dingers.

On Sept. 15, Los Angeles unloaded on St. Louis for a third-straight victory, 17-4, as Puig erupted for three home runs and seven RBI as the Dodgers pulled even with St. Louis for a wild card slot.

The hot streak cooled off on Sept. 16 when Adam Wainwright held the Dodgers to two hits over six innings as St. Louis salvaged a win in the series, 5-0.

Which set up the epic showdown with the Rockies this week. The Dodgers entered Monday a half game out of the division lead with everything on the line.

On Monday, Hyun Jin-Ryu pitched seven scoreless innings and held Colorado to four hits as the Dodgers posted an 8-2 win. Joc Pederson homered twice and Max Muncy added his 33rd dinger in the rout.

Tuesday, Kershaw went seven innings and allowed two runs on three hits but it was Chris Taylor who was the hero, hitting a walk-off homer in the 10th inning for a dramatic 3-2 victory.

Last night, Buehler held St. Louis to three hits over six innings and Puig hit a three-run pinch-hit homer in the seventh to guide the Dodgers to a 5-2 win and a 2.5 game lead in the NL West standings with nine games left in the season.

Puig has hit six homers in his last 18 at-bats.

The Dodgers close out their home schedule with three against the Padres this weekend followed by three at Arizona and three at San Francisco to end the regular season.


Buckle up. It may get rocky.

Are these Dodgers up for the stretch run?

Going into tonight’s tilt against Texas, the Dodgers are one game out of first place, trying to catch Arizona and Colorado.

Los Angeles is trying to win its sixth straight NL West title, but the hill looks a little steep. Mid-season acquisitions Manny Machado and Brian Dozier have solidified the infield and the batting order and Justin Turner has his sweet stroke back after a wrist injury in spring training. Matt Kemp is having a renaissance season, Max Muncy has 30 dingers, Cody Bellinger has 20 homers and Yasiel Puig is maturing right before our eyes.

It is the Dodger pitching that raises questions. Staff ace Clayton Kershaw is 6-5 with a 2.39 ERA. His fastball, once regularly clocked in at 93-94 mph, now comes in at 91-92 mph. Kershaw is a competitor, but three years
of back problems have taken a toll. He goes to the slider now as his out pitch and though still capable of winning a game, he is also capable of giving up the long ball.

The rest of the rotation remains questionable. Rich Hill is 6-4 with a 3.50 ERA, Walker Buehler is 6-4 with a 2.96 ERA, Hyun-Jin Ryu is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA and Alex Wood is 7-6 with a 3.60 ERA. A decent staff, but no
one is having a championship season.

It is the bullpen that has been the issue. Kenta Maeda has been shipped to the pen and Ross Stripling is headed to the pen as soon as he comes off the DL. Kenley Jansen, since having a heartbeat scare, has blown three save opportunities by giving up home runs and looked shaky again last night in an 8-4 L.A. win.

Maeda, Stripling and Jansen could be a lights-out 7-8-9 combination but it will depend on Jansen getting his mojo back.

Arizona and Colorado are hungry to depose the five-time NL West champs and the Dodgers will have to play inspired ball in September to keep the crown and make the playoffs.

The schedule may work in L.A.’s favor. After two games in Texas this week the Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine for a critical four-game set against the Diamondbacks. L.A. could regain first-place with a strong showing against Arizona.

The Dodgers then host the Mets for a three-game series before heading to Colorado for three against the Rockies. The seven games against the Diamondbacks and Rockies between Thursday and Sept. 9 will define the pennant race.

Later in the month, the Dodgers go to St. Louis for four games against the red-hot Redbirds before hosting the Rockies for three, San Diego for three and then a down-to-the-wire road trip against Arizona and San
Francisco to close out the season.

Buckle up, it is going to be a fun ride.

 

Will starters in the pen save the season?

When the Dodgers got Manny Machado and Brian Dozier in mid-season trades it was obvious that management was all in – a taste of last year’s World Series was not enough, the organization wants the whole enchilada.

Then Kenley Jansen started having heart issues and Dozier followed a couple of nights later with dizziness and unusual EKG readings.

The Dodgers lost three straight games in Colorado where the bullpen did not hold a lead then wasted a gem by Clayton Kershaw against the Giants to make it four in a row.

Now word comes that Skipper Dave Roberts is going to send Ross Stripling and Kenta Maeda down to the bullpen to shore things up. Let us hope they can settle things down.

Maeda proved he could pitch effectively out of the pen last season and hopefully Stripling will be able to make the adjustment. With Jansen out of action, the Dodgers are in dire need of some fire fighters in the pen.

Thankfully, Arizona has had its own problems and their lead in the NL West is only a game. The Rockies are even with the Dodgers in second place, which means the stretch run for the pennant will be highly competitive.

Last season, the Dodgers built an insurmountable lead in the standings and coasted to the finish. This year, if the Dodgers are fortunate enough to make the playoffs, it will require a battle against Arizona and Colorado.

Offensively, the Dodgers have the sticks. Justin Turner, Matt Kemp, Dozier, Yasiel Puig, Machado, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Yasmani Grandal and Chris Taylor can all rake.

It is the pitching, especially in the pen, that has been spotty. If Stripling and Maeda can bolster the pen, L.A. has a chance to return to the promised land.

 

Dodgers slip into first place for first time in 2018

The Dodgers are in first place.

It may be by a razor-thin half game, but the fact remains, the Dodgers are in first place in the NL West.

This team, which many wrote off earlier this season (I was one of them), has stormed back into contention and they have done it with baling wire and duct tape due to a long list of injuries, call ups from Oklahoma City and the unlikeliest of heroes.

Last night, Ross Stripling tossed six innings of shutout ball to notch his record at 8-2 with a stingy 2.03 ERA. Dave Roberts named him to the NL All-Star team as a replacement and the funny thing is, he earned it.

With Clayton Kershaw spending most of the season on the DL, Stripling, who started the season in the bullpen, has emerged as the staff ace. The Dodgers now have a pitching rotation of Stripling, Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Walker Buehler and Rich Hill.

And then there’s the offense.

Matt Kemp apparently made a deal with the Devil because he came to L.A. as a washed-up veteran obtained to clear cap space and earned a starting spot in the All-Star game. Then there’s Max Muncy. After two lackluster seasons in Oakland, he is now the Munsternator, swatting 21 home runs going into the weekend series against the Angels.

Other players have stepped up at times. Cody Bellinger is having a little bit of a sophomore slump but is still productive; Kike Hernandez is raking; Chris Taylor has moments; Yasmani Grandal can be dangerous; and Justin Turner is trying to get healthy.

Yasiel Puig tweaked his oblique so Andrew Toles showed up from Oklahoma City and promptly stroked a few hits. These are not the juggernaut Dodgers of 2017. This is not the team that coasted into the World Series with domination.

But they are in first place.

Dodgers draw even with Arizona

On an off-day, preparing for a Freeway Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (formerly the California Angels and still suffering an identity crisis), the Dodgers moved into a first-place tie with Arizona last night when the Diamondbacks fell to San Diego.

It has been a roller coaster ride for the Dodgers, who came out of the gates like the Three Stooges, stumbling through April like a drunken sailor.

Arizona took advantage, rushing out to a sizeable lead in the standings.

But around mid-May the Dodgers woke up. Their resurgence was led by some unlikely heroes. Matt Kemp was supposed to be washed up, but he showed up from Atlanta slimmed down and hungry, earning a starting spot in the All-Star game with a .318 batting average, 20 dingers and 55 RBI. At this pace, Kemp will hit 40 home runs and drive in more than 100 RBI.

Then there's the curious case of Max Muncy. After two forgettable seasons in Oakland, the A's released the chubby infielder. The Dodgers signed him as a free agent in April 2017 and invited him to spring training this year.

The 27-year old from Midland, Texas found something during his sojourn to Los Angeles. Muncy has crashed the party in Dodger town. He is hitting .280 with 20 home runs and 38 RBI and can play first or second base. Muncy has gone yard 11 times in the last 30 games and is hitting .329 over that period.

The Dodgers lead the NL in home runs and over the last 30 games Muncy, Joc Pederson (9), Cody Bellinger (8), Kike Hernandez (8), Kemp (6) and Justin Turner (4) have provided the juice.

Pitchingwise, over that same period, Alex Wood (4-1) and relievers Daniel Hudson (0.68 ERA) and Kenley Jansen (1.32 ERA) have been the stalwarts.

This week, the Dodgers swept a three-game set against Pittsburgh and outscored the Bucs 31-8 with six home runs in one game and four in another. 

And then there's the promising status of Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw went six innings against the Pirates on Tuesday for his longest outing of the season. Kershaw gave up two runs on four hits and struck out two. Not a commanding performance, but a strong sign he is on the mend.