West League: Dodgers streak to seven straight

The Dodgers brought two northern opponents to Chavez Ravine last week and cruised to a 6-0 homestand, bringing their winning streak to seven. They have the early lead in the West League. But they travel this week to the haunts of the floundering San Francisco Giants.

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is swinging as much bat as anyone in the game right now, leading his club to a streaking start in all competitions (TonyTheTiger/Creative Commons Share Alike-Attribution 4.0 International license).

By BILL PETERSON

Big Leagues in Los Angeles

A look at the early West League standings reveals that the balance of power in the west is in the south, particularly Southern California.

The Dodgers (9-3) have won seven in a row after wolfing down two northern opponents, the Seattle Mariners and the Colorado Rockies, in a 6-0 home stand that ended Sunday. The only other club that's even two games above even in the West League, the San Diego Padres, recently enjoyed a good home stand against two northern division clubs, winning three of four against the San Francisco Giants and two of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Maybe some of this will shake back as the Dodgers and Padres hit the road. We could find out quickly.

The Dodgers are in San Francisco Tuesday through Thursday, and even though the Giants are a scuffling 4-10, well, you know the rest.

Right now, though, the Dodgers are riding high. No one in the game is on-basing (.527), slugging (.939), or, therefore, OPSing (1.467) better than Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, and he has company in that lineup. Two other Dodgers are in the OPS Top 20 across the Major Leagues — second baseman Howie Kendrick (tenth, 1.105) and rookie center fielder Joc Pederson (20th, .990).

So, the Dodgers are doing fine offensively without Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon. They probably ought to be better defensively with those three replaced, respectively, by Pederson, Jimmy Rollins and Kendrick. Pederson has been terrific with the glove. Rollins, Kendrick and Gonzalez have been less so. But the Dodgers lead all of baseball with a team OPS of .885, which covers a lot of defensive problems.

Much was made during the winter about the Padres bring in a new outfield, and it's worked out well so far, with Kemp (162 OPS-plus), Wil Myers (114) and Justin Upton (191) all hitting. But they haven't outshined the Padres' new pitchers, which is why the Padres are fourth across baseball in staff ERA at 2.79. Give it to newcomers James Shields (2.84), Brandon Morrow (1.29) and Craig Kimbrel (1.42 with four saves).

Games of April 5

St. Louis 3, at Chicago (NL) 0.

Games of April 6

at Cincinnati 5, Pittsburgh 2.

at Detroit 4, Minnesota 0.

at Kansas City 10, Chicago (AL) 1.

Games of April 7

St. Louis at Chicago (NL), ppd.

Games of April 8

at Chicago (NL) 2, St. Louis 0.

at Detroit 11, Minnesota 0.

at Cincinnati 5, Pittsburgh 2 (11 innings).

at Kansas City 7, Chicago (AL) 5.

Games of April 9

at Cincinnati 3, Pittsburgh 2.

at Detroit 7, Minnesota 1.

at Kansas City 4, Chicago (AL) 1.

Games of April 10

Detroit 8, at Cleveland 4

Minnesota 6, at Chicago (AL) 0.

at Cincinnati 5, St. Louis 4.

Pittsburgh 6, at Milwaukee 2.

Games of April 11

St. Louis 4, at Cincinnati 1.

at Chicago (AL) 5, Minnesota 4.

Detroit 9, at Cleveland 6.

at Milwaukee 6, Pittsburgh 0.

Games of April 12

Detroit 8, at Cleveland 5.

St. Louis 7, at Cincinnati 5 (12 innings).

at Chicago (AL) 6, Minnesota 2.

Pittsburgh 10, at Milwaukee 2.

Games of April 13

at Chicago (NL) 7, Cincinnati 6.

at Pittsburgh 5, Detroit 4.

Milwaukee 5, at St. Louis 4.

Kansas City 12, at Minnesota 3.

Games of April 14

Detroit 2, at Pittsburgh 0.

Chicago (AL) 4, at Cleveland 1.

Cincinnati 3, at Chicago (NL) 2.

Games of April 15

at Cleveland 4, Chicago (AL) 2.

Detroit 1, at Pittsburgh 0.

at Chicago (NL) 5, Cincinnati 0.

at Minnesota 3, Kansas City 1.

at St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 2.

Games of April 16

at St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 0.

at Minnesota 8, Kansas City 5.

Games of April 17

at Detroit 2, Chicago (AL) 1.

at Pittsburgh 6, Milwaukee 3.

at Minnesota 3, Cleveland 2.

at St. Louis 6, Cincinnati 1.

Games of April 18

Chicago (AL) 12, at Detroit 3.

Cleveland 4, at Minnesota 2.

at St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 2.

at Pittsburgh 6, Milwaukee 2.

Games of April 19

at Detroit 9, Chicago (AL) 1.

at Pittsburgh 5, Milwaukee 2.

at Minnesota 7, Cleveland 2.

at St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 1.

Dodgers improve by inches, not miles

The Dodgers didn't create much of a sensation at the non-waiver trading deadline, obviously. But they did improve their ball club by adding three guys who weren't even stars with poor clubs. The Dodgers picked up what they need, which isn't stars.

Roberto Hernandez, pitching as Fausto Carmona for the Cleveland Indians in 2008 (Eric Kilby/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license).

By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles

On the heels of two huge deals involving high-end pitching at the at the non-waiver trading deadline two weeks ago, some wondered why the Dodgers were silent.

But the Dodgers got it right. Instead of dealing away a prospect or two for a high-priced, two-month pitcher rental, the Dodgers made precisely the kind of deal this corner advocates. In fact, they made three deals illustrating the principle that one improves a ball club by inches rather than miles, picking up three solid big leaguers to fill marginal roles and, apparently, giving up next to nothing.

Earlier discussions in these pages have addressed the typical over-valuing of "name" pitchers at the non-waiver trading deadline – a pitcher qualifying as a "name" if he happens to be the pitcher with the best reputation among those who are available at the moment. Last year, the "name" at the bewitching hour was Bud Norris.

At that moment, we took a stab at complaining about deadline trades, because so many of them miss the immediate principle behind the trade. The general rule here advised is this: You're dealing for right now. You're trading for outs, immediate outs. Not names. It doesn't mean you must bargain away future prospects. It means you need a pitcher who is getting batters out at this moment.

He might not be a famous pitcher. He might be someone who is lost in the shuffle, perhaps the third- or fourth-best starting pitcher on a last-place club like the Philadelphia Phillies. He might be a guy who's only going to cost $1.5 million bucks for two months of regular season, and a couple of less-heralded prospects. And you might get a guy who has been through a couple of battles.

He might be, for example, Roberto Hernandez, who came to the Dodgers last week in exchange for two players to be named later. One wonders when hearing about players to be named later how much of it is provisional on how well the Dodgers fare for the rest of this season, but reports indicate that at least it doesn't involve Corey Seager, Joc Pederson or Julio Urias.

Hernandez fits the bill as a pitcher who is getting hitters out now. He only did 6-8 with a 3.87 ERA for the Phillies before last week's trade, and his WHIP was 1.347. From 2011 through 2013, he was 13-31 with a 5.19 ERA 198 starts. In nine Major League seasons, Hernandez is 65-90 with a 4.58 ERA in 198 starts. Baseball-Reference.com puts his lifetime WAR at 6.2, with negative WAR in five of his last six seasons entering 2014. But none of that really matters. Hernandez is getting hitters out now.

Throw out his first five starts this year and he's got a 3.33 ERA with a .242 batting average against him on balls hit in play starting on April 29 through his last start with the Phillies on Aug. 1. That's two months with 93 1/3 innings in 15 starts, which means he has gotten into the seventh inning, on average.

In his last seven starts with the Phillies, beginning on June 23, Hernandez tossed a 2.85 ERA in 47 1/3 innings over seven starts, just about seven innings per start. Batters hit .189 against him, with a .212 batting average on balls hit in play. Only one home run against him.

So, maybe his name isn't David Price or Jon Lester – it isn't even Fausto Carmona! – but Hernandez has been getting the job done and, we add, those last seven starts came against, among others, the Atlanta Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Milwaukee Brewers, the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals, all strong playoff contenders.

In his first start for the Dodgers on Aug. 8, Hernandez simply did what he's been doing while hiding in plain site for the last two months. He gave up two runs in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers, but that was all they got through his six innings and he left with a 3-2 lead. Had Hernandez pitched into the seventh, he would have fared no worse than the Dodgers bullpen, which promptly gave up four runs on the way to a 9-3 loss in Milwaukee.

If Hernandez keeps doing that, or close to it, then he's what the Dodgers need, which is just a fourth starter who will keep them in games for the rest of the regular season. As the No. 4, Hernandez isn't who Dodgers will lean upon to carry them through the playoffs.

Hernandez should get no more than one start in each playoff series, because the smart postseason play for the Dodgers is to lean on their strong front three of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu. Again, if the Dodgers had traded the farm for David Price, they would have acquired much more pitcher than they actually need in exchange for much more future than they need to give up. The postseason schedule never forces a team to play four days in a row, so it's no strain to pile almost every start on the front three while giving all of them their four days of rest each time, and maybe a little more.

Assuming one day off between series and a day off for each venue change within a series, and also assuming the maximum number of games in each series, let's additionally assume that the Dodgers go with Kershaw in their first game of the playoffs. If they follow, in turn, with Greinke and Ryu, they can keep all three in rotation on regular rest for as long as the playoffs take. In that event, they would only need Hernandez for one start in each series, and only if the series goes at least six games in the last two rounds.

Maybe the arrangement doesn't give the Dodgers maximum flexibility, but we can't say it doesn't give them enough starting pitching. Would it really be worthwhile to take starts from any of those three just to make sure Price gets enough starts? It it worth someone like Corey Seager or Joc Pederson? Do the Dodgers gain as much as they lose in that exchange?

Probably not, though we grant that the Detroit Tigers look a lot less wrong in the trade for David Price now that Anibal Sanchez has been placed in the disabled list and Justin Verlander might be going there. You can't plan for injuries, and the Tigers certainly didn't, because you really shouldn't plan for injuries, unless some player is especially vulnerable to injury. If the Dodgers should lose one of their front three, we won't blame the front office for laying off Price. It would be odd to say, "The general manager should have traded away two players who stand to be 10-year regulars for them, just in case Kershaw got hurt." The Dodgers have enough players to win already.

So, why do the Dodgers pick up guys who can't stick with the last-place Chicago Cubs, like Darwin Barney, or who are expendable to to last-place Minnesota Twins, like Kevin Correia? Because those clubs are searching for front-line guys, which these guys aren't, and the Dodgers don't need them for that. The Dodgers can use them more suitably.

Perhaps the Correia deal is a bit of a head-scratcher. Corriea has built a 12-year Major League career on not being very good. He has spent the entire time just on the right side of the line between being the proverbial "replacement" player and being just enough better than a replacement player to get a two-year contract for $10 million from the Twins entering his age 32 season in 2013. Bad teams need starting pitchers, too, and Corrieia has taken his turn with a lot of those clubs. He pitched six years for the San Francisco Giants before they were good, then he pitched a couple of years for the San Diego Padres, then he pitched two years for the Pittsburgh Pirates before they were good, then he was on to the Twins.

Baseball-reference.com gives Correia's lifetime WAR as 5.3 in 12 seasons, just barely better than a 4A guy would have done. But that's better than a lot of clubs have to fill the role the Dodgers have for Correia, which, they say, is to pitch long relief and take an occasional start. That's what a mid-rotation guy on a poor club becomes when he joins a good one. It certainly would be more cost-effective to just run a 4A guy out there, but the Dodgers don't have those guys lying around, so they're going for the little edge here, and it doesn't cost them a lot

The Cubs gave Barney three years to claim their second base position because he is such a spectacular fielder. But he was a poor hitter in his rookie season of 2011 (.666 OPS) and he has been progressively worse each year. If Barney could hit just a little bit, he would be a highly valuable player, an every day player who could draw a deal from a good team when he goes free agent in 2017. His range at second base is right there with anyone, and he makes some of the most remarkable throws of any player on any baseball field. But he hits so poorly that it's questionable if he will still be in the big leagues when 2017 arrives.

Could be, though, that Barney has a long future as a spare infielder who can at least catch it and throw it when the regular second baseman or shortstop goes down, something on the order of John McDonald, who now plays for the Angels. With so many more hitters than the Cubs, the Dodgers could even get away with Barney as the every day second baseman or shortstop for at least a while because he adds uncommonly to the infield defense. He's not going to move Dee Gordon off second base, of course, but Hanley Ramirez and his impending free agency project a hole at shortstop after this season.

It happens that Seager, the organization's top prospect, is playing shortstop every day at Chattanooga of the Southern League, a 20-year-old in a league where the average position player is on the high side of 24. He's batting .343 in 70 at-bats there after hitting .352 in 327 at-bats for Rancho Cucamonga of the California League, where the average player is nearly 23. So, Seager appears to be coming fast, and he might be the big league shortstop at the start of next season.

But if he isn't ready, Barney could be a nice one-year place holder so Seager can have a little more time for development. As much as Ramirez hits, Barney is so superior defensively that it might not even be a net loss – and that's a comfortable statement even though Barney has played very little shortstop in the Major Leagues. Maybe Gordon moves back to shortstop and Barney takes second base for a year. They could break Seager in gently, if they need to, and still be covered.

The Dodgers don't need any of these new acquisitions to be stars. They've got stars. They need complementary players to fill little gaps for this year and, maybe, beyond. They haven't made headlines. But they have made their club better.

Editor's note: All numbers in this piece are from Baseball-Reference.com.

Dodgers freeze in first inning

The Dodgers lack luster so far, and it shows in the way they start the game. The Dodgers have scored only 25 runs in the first inning. Only San Diego, among National League clubs, has fewer runs to show for the first frame.

Dee Gordon has made many contributions this season for the Dodgers, but he's still not getting the offense started in the first inning (bridgetds/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license).

By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles

Those arriving so late as to miss the first inning at Dodger Stadium aren't seeing nothing happening.

Nothing happening is the Dodgers offense in the first inning, specifically at home. Across baseball through the years, the first inning is the best inning for scoring, but it's one of the worst this year for the Dodgers. Entering a six-game homestand on June 13, they've scored only 25 first-inning runs all season, the second-lowest total in the National League. Only the San Diego Padres, with 20, are less successful.

If you're able to see the road games because you're able to see the Dodgers on TV, you might not notice it as much. The Dodgers are about like a normal club in the first inning on the road, scoring in the first inning 11 times for a total of 17 runs (they're 8-3 in those games). The average Major League club has scored 31.8 runs in the first inning this year (home and road), so the Dodgers are close to the average just as a road team.

At home, the Dodgers have scored only six times in the first inning, totaling eight runs (They're 2-4 in those games.). When you look at the Dodgers having the second-worst home record in the league at 13-19, it would seem that failing to score in the first inning 26 times has something to do with it.

In 32 home games, the Dodgers have scored three runs or fewer 16 times. They have won one of those games. They have scored two or fewer at home 11 times, and won none of those games. They've scored one run six times, but they've been shut out once.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly suggested in The Los Angeles Times Friday morning that the expanded and refurbished clubhouse at Dodger Stadium might influence how badly the Dodgers are performing at home. That's an intuition and we'll leave that with the Dodgers. What really pops the eye is the numbers for their offensive performers in the first inning, when they emerge from the clubhouse.

Put Dee Gordon in the road greys and he's a snappy player, batting .296 with a .355 on-base percentage. Even at home, he's .274 and .306. But in the first inning, Gordon remains overmatched, going .265 and .294. Gordon has the third most first-inning plate appearances for the Dodgers (51), all at the top of the lineup, and he has scored only five runs. One of those was a solo homer.

But the problem isn't merely that Gordon doesn't get on to create first-inning opportunities, for he can at least boast the third-best batting average for the inning of any Dodgers hitter (with at least 10 first-inning plate appearances). Most of the hitters down the order are even worse.

Hanley Ramirez is a .240 hitter with a .725 OPS in the first inning (58 plate appearances, most on the club.). Andre Ethier is three-for-26 (.188) with one walk, four strikeouts and two RBI in the first inning.

It's no secret that Matt Kemp isn't what he used to be, especially in the first inning. During his should-have-been-MVP season of 2011, he slashed .383/.445/.798/1.243 in the first inning. All of those were his highs for an inning, except for a .455 on-base percentage in the eighth. His first inning runs (23), homers (11) and RBI (36) were his highs for an inning. This year, his first inning is two-for-15 (.133) with no walks and three strikeouts. He has reached base twice, but also grounded into three double plays, so he has a negative output concerning base runners in the first inning.

Not to suggest a correlation, but Kemp's work against left-handed pitching has fallen off the same way. The Dodgers have been turned out by left-handers for at least three years, but Kemp once gave them one guy who could tear lefties apart so badly that they were going to score, anyway. In 2011, he split .341/.461/.682/1.142 against left-handers, with 11 homers and 32 RBI in 132 at-bats, 30 walks and 29 strikeouts.

In 2014 against left-handers, Kemp is .176/.211/.294/.505 with no homers and five RBI in 68 at-bats, three walks and 18 strikeouts. He is literally less than half the hitter he used to be against left-handers.

This year, the Dodgers are batting .213 with a .644 OPS against left-handers, each being better than only the Padres in the NL. Their batting average on balls in play (.260) is barely better than the Padres at a bottom-ranking .259.

But the Dodgers do two things reasonably well against left-handers, and they count: they walk and they can occasionally run into a left-hander and take him out of the park (16 homers). None of those are balls batted into play.

The homers make the Dodgers about average in the NL. The benefit is multiplied, however, because the Dodgers have walked 62 times against 606 plate appearances, the second-highest such proportion in the league against left-handers. So, they are seventh in runs against left-handers (66), though also third in plate appearances (682).

Most of their damage to left-handers comes from the right side, naturally, and especially from Scott Van Slyke, who has six homers in 44 at-bats and a 1.243 OPS against left-handers. As far as how the Dodgers' left-handed hitters do against left-handed pitching, Clayton Kershaw is about as good as any of them.

We got sidetracked just now and began looking at how badly the Dodgers handle left-handers as the discussion got into Kemp. This is supposed to be about how the Dodgers score fewer runs in the first inning than all but one other club in the National League. We don't suggest any kind of cause and effect between the two. We can't even imagine which would be the cause and which would be the effect. We know, also, that struggling against left-handers is a long-term trait of the Dodgers, while we suppose that the first-inning problem will work itself out in the long run of cases this season.

The numbers are too weird to believe right now. The Dodgers, as said before, are 15th in the NL with 25 runs in the first inning. But seven American League teams have scored fewer first-inning runs than the Dodgers, and two of them are the Boston Red Sox (24) and Detroit Tigers (23). Can we really expect it to end this way?

The Red Sox pounced on everyone at the start last year, but their first inning this year reeks of Dustin Pedrioa (.619 OPS in the first inning) and David Ortiz (.631). For the Tigers, Miguel Cabrera is relatively lacking luster with his first-inning OPS of .843, and Victor Martinez is less than that at .669. But along with that, Ian Kinsler (.514) and Torii Hunter (.483) are next to nothing in the first inning.

Allowing that Hunter may be finally showing his age at 39, it's hard to believe that all these elite players between the Dodgers, Red Sox and Tigers are going to continue stammering through the first inning. With about 100 games left in the season, it's early enough to believe that these hitters will work it out.

The Dodgers have a couple hitters somewhat delivering in the first inning. Adrian Gonzalez has a .286 batting average and an .897 OPS, while Yasiel Puig has a .298 batting average and .888 OPS. But neither of those are sky high, and they're not enough to paper over all the other weak first-inning performers.

It should be mentioned that the Dodgers have a ninth-inning problem, as well, and it is serious. They are second from the bottom across baseball in ninth-inning batting average (.174) and OPS (.508). The average team has scored 22.6 ninth-inning runs and the Dodgers have scored 15. They have no one hitting in the ninth. The most culpable by OPS are Gordon (.649), Carl Crawford (.481), Ethier (.478), Van Slyke (.465), Puig (.440), Gonzalez (.269) and Kemp (.241). It would seem that the Dodgers struggle against the top relievers.

The ninth inning and the first inning are different problems. The first inning is never a do-or-die situation, but it always counts and it is the best opportunity for arranging offensive talent to strike against a pitcher who hasn't gotten into his tool box. That's why the first inning is the highest scoring inning. The ninth inning may or may not be crucial. If some team gets well enough on top, it isn't.

The Dodgers are flat-lining at 35-33 this year, and one reason is that they can't get on top of a game at Dodger Stadium. They seldom score in the first inning at home and, even when they do, they've still lost two-thirds of the time.

The probability gremlins discourage a flat prediction that the Dodgers will ultimately reach their level in the first inning. But the Dodgers certainly are paying enough bats to do it. The hot streak we're waiting for could ride on it.

Editor's note: All advanced statistics in this piece are from or are extrapolated from Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise indicated.

Dodgers no better than a year ago ... is that good enough?

The Dodgers are a star in the Major League universe again, and it is good to have them back. But they began spring training last week no better than they were when they left the field after last year's National League Championship Series, which makes one question if they can take the next step in 2014.

The Dodgers are back a little earlier than most teams because they will begin the season on March 22 in Australia (Public domain image).

By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles

The Dodgers have begun training camp with pitchers and catchers, which seem to be among the least of their worries. Not to be a killjoy, considering that the Dodgers again are the No. 1 team in town with the demise of the Lakers, but some skepticism is in order.

We don't normally like skepticism in spring training. Spring is the time of new awakening in a young man's heart, and all that. But the Dodgers have been on such a honeymoon since reaching the National League Championship Series (NLCS) that no one seems to notice that they have improved not one bit during the winter, nor is there sufficient accounting for that freakish 42-8 run the Dodgers needed to rescue their 2013 season.

The Dodgers earned everything they got, and they probably have another 92 wins or more in them for 2014. The National League West doesn't include another club that is absolutely ready to pounce. The Dodgers will be favored to win their division, and they should be.

But if the 2013 Dodgers weren't a World Series team, then the 2014 Dodgers probably aren't one, either. There's an idea going around that the Dodgers somehow were noble over-achievers, taking on the St. Louis Cardinals without Matt Kemp or most of Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez before losing the NLCS in six games. There is some merit to it, and there also isn't. After all, the Cardinals didn't have one of their main producers, Allen Craig, and the former ace Chris Carpenter missed the whole year before retiring.

Obviously, though, the strengths of this Dodgers team are compelling. Signing ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw to a seven-year extension for $215 million is a franchise move. Behind him in the rotation, Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu are as good as it gets for No. 2 and No. 3 starting pitchers.

And the Dodgers bullpen could be top-notch from top to bottom. Kenley Jansen is back to close after 28 saves, a 1.88 ERA and a 0.861 WHIP in 75 appearances. Brian Wilson, the former San Francisco Giants closer, figures to be the eighth-inning man. Behind them, we find right-handers Chris Perez and Brandon League, both experienced as big league closers. The two top lefties, J.P. Howell and Paco Rodriguez, both are good.

Offensively, the roster includes Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez and Matt Kemp, who all have produced MVP-type seasons. In the outfield, along with Kemp, we find Ethier, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig. All four of the outfielders, except for Puig, have produced in winning amounts over multiple Major League seasons, and Puig might be the monstrous talent of them all.

The catcher, A.J. Ellis, is a popular anti-star on this team. If he doesn't keep every pitch in the dirt from getting away, he and the pitching staff are splendid at cutting down the opponent's running game, offing 44 percent of attempting base stealers (28 of 63) against a league average of 28 percent.

Lots to like. There also is quite a bit about which to be wary. The main questions about the Dodgers concern health, aging and defense.

On the health front, we begin with Kemp, who had a period in his life -- roughly 2011 and the first month of 2012 – when he was the best baseball player in the world. As spring training begins in 2014, Kemp is fighting against a career threatening injury to the talus bone in his left ankle. He can't run yet.

Kemp played in only 73 games last season, a few less than Ramirez, who appeared in 86 games. Ramirez produced like no one else in 2013, a 190 OPS-plus. When he played. His durability in 2014 cannot be assumed.

Injury concerns also are at work in the starting rotation, with Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley both entering spring training as walking wounded. Those are two pretty good names to have at No. 4 and 5 in the starting rotation. Right now, though, those names can't go there. We are more likely to see the names of lefty Paul Maholm, who is a pretty good recent signing, and right-hander Dan Haren, who is as likely as not to spend the season at the chiropractor’s office. Along with Haren's troublesome back, there is some concern about Maholm's left elbow, which caused him to miss time last September. And if neither of them has it, we're back to Stephen Fife and Matt Magill.

Behind the plate, Ellis is entering his age 33 season, that magic moment when all but the very greatest players begin to decline sharply. Ellis already declined from a 118 OPS-plus in 2012 to 93 in 2013, and squatting behind the plate all day isn't conducive to freshness. Behind Ellis is Tim Federowicz, and we shouldn't be too surprised if he is catching the majority of games by September.

Defensively, who knows what to expect from incoming second baseman Alex Guerrero, the former shortstop for the Cuban national team? The transition to second base is hardly a no-brainer, especially when it comes to dealing with that back side runner on the double-play ball to the shortstop. And if he fights the transition, the Dodgers don't have Mark Ellis around anymore to clean it up. He signed with the Cardinals, who brought him in as a fallback position in case Kolten Wong isn't really ready.

The Dodgers also should be concerned about balls hit to the left side of the field, and with lefties Kershaw, Ryu and Maholm in the rotation, those will not be infrequent. Ramirez is minus-3.5 WAR defensively in his career at shortstop. In left field, Crawford lacks range and throwing arm, and teams that don't run on him are missing opportunities for extra bases. Juan Uribe at third base often enough fails the eye test at third base, even though his metrics there are pretty good.

Uribe is something of a metaphor for the Dodgers overall. Maybe synecdoche – a part that is representative of the whole – is more like it. Dodgers fans spent three years complaining about the three-year deal for $21 million to which the club signed Uribe back when they couldn't afford anyone better. But when he crushed that bunny pitch from Atlanta Braves reliever David Carpenter to win the National League Division Series last year, Uribe became a hero to millions. With that, the Dodgers signed Uribe for another two years at $15 million. But Uribe is entering his age 34 season, he contributed little except outs in 2011 and 2012, and he now is a candidate for decline.

The Dodgers aren't exactly candidates for decline. They can expect an exciting regular season during which they will win a lot more than they lose, and it is a major upset and disappointment if they don't return to the playoffs.

But when they get there, are they any better? Will Uribe be able to deliver that towering hit? Will there be enough towering hits across the club to push the Dodgers into the World Series? Because that's what it's really about at this point. It's World Series or bust. And as spring training begins, it's not obvious that the Dodgers have added the pieces to get them there, because they haven't really added anything.

Editor's note: All advanced statistics in this piece are from or are extrapolated from Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise indicated.

Shadows, Wacha drop Dodgers into darkness

On a day when hitting conditions in St. Louis were all but impossible, every base counts. The Dodgers gave up a key base on a passed ball, enabling Michael Wacha to outduel Clayton Kershaw in a 1-0 game, helping the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.

A.J. Ellis is a beloved Dodger, but his passed ball Saturday really hurt them in a 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series (Cbl62/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license).

By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles

Game 2 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) in St. Louis truly was a game of shadows, which isn't to reference Barry Bonds or his inspiration, Mark McGwire, who was much more successful as a St. Louis Cardinals hitter in 1998 than as the Dodgers hitting coach on Saturday afternoon.

Rather, it is to reference shadows, which, combined with two excellent starting pitchers, made hitting a very challenging job. Presumably, and for many of the same reasons, it also made catching difficult. But that doesn't explain how the only run scored in the Cardinals' 1-0 win against the Dodgers.

"I just missed it," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said repeatedly to reporters.

The Dodgers now trail the Cardinals, 2-0, in the best-of-seven NLCS that now moves to Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers must win at least one of the next two to force a third game at Dodger Stadium, and they must win at least two of three to move the series back to St. Louis.

David Freese led off the fifth inning for St. Louis Saturday with a double and Matt Adams came to the plate. Ellis set up toward the right-handed batters box waiting for a 1-0 pitch from Clayton Kershaw. One suspects Ellis was looking for a fastball down and away from the left-handed hitter. It was a fastball down over the inner half of the plate. Ellis stabbed at it across his body, the ball glancing off his glove and rolling towards the backstop. Freese took third base.

It the rough and tumble of pitch after pitch, the catcher won't get all of them. Ellis had six passed balls in 113 games behind the plate this year, to go with 45 wild pitches, which he might have blocked but still are assessed to the pitcher.

But on a day when no one was hitting, every free base matters, especially if that free base is third base with less than two out. After Kershaw struck out Adams, John Jay hit a fly ball to medium left field. With Carl Crawford in left field for the Dodgers, they're not stopping Freese, or anyone else. Crawford made the catch, but his throw didn't even challenge Freese.

Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha is 22 and he has taken only 11 Major League starts, playoffs included, but he's coming on strong. He held the Dodgers to five hits in 6 1/3 innings Saturday. In two postseason starts, he has allowed seven hits and struck out 17. In his last start of the regular season, he didn't allow the Washington Nationals a hit until there were two out in the ninth.

Kershaw is Kershaw, the best left-hander going, but the Cardinals beat him in all three of his starts against him this season. And the Dodgers don't always support him offensively. Kershaw, 16-9, took five losses in quality starts this year, and another five quality starts were wasted in Dodger losses.

The playoffs have been quite a bit the same. Kershaw has allowed one earned run in 19 postseason innings, and he has one win and a loss to show for it. The win came in the Dodgers' 6-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, the only game in which he allowed an earned run.

Neither of these teams is burning it up at the plate. The Dodgers are especially struggling. The Dodgers are batting .184 (14 for 76) and the Cardinals are batting .134 (nine for 64). But the Dodgers are one-for-16 with runners in scoring position, while the Cardinals are two-for-eight with a sacrifice fly.

All season long, the Cardinals were outstanding with runners in scoring position and two outs, batting .305 with an .821 OPS, well above the National League averages of .226 and .673. The Cardinals led the league in both categories. The Dodgers weren't bad, hitting .247 with a .683 OPS. In this series, the Cardinals are one-for-four, and the Dodgers are one-for-seven.

The hitting conditions Saturday, for much of the game, had to be all but impossible. Busch Stadium is built to cast two shadows because there is a space between the roof of the upper deck and the main stadium structure. One could see the pitches coming from light in the batters eye, then through a shadow, then through another patch of light, then into another shadow. Any pitcher who could dance a little worked with a firm advantage.

The Dodgers also went to this game without Hanley Ramirez, who couldn't go because a Joe Kelly pitch that hit him in the ribs Friday got him pretty good, and Andre Ethier, who returned to full-time action Friday in a 13-inning game. So, the Dodgers were facing a hot pitcher throwing through two shadows, and their lineup missed its four and five hitters.

Thus, the Dodgers put quite a lot on their man-child rookie, Yasiel Puig, who finished zero-for-four with four strikeouts as their cleanup hitter. The man behind him, Juan Uribe, has been the Dodgers' best producer in recent days, and he was zero-for-four with three strikeouts.

The Cardinals knew what they were doing. In the Dodgers sixth, Kershaw led off with a single, then Crawford hit a ground ball to second baseman Matt Carpenter, who played it into right field and well over towards first base. Carpenter tried for the force at second on Kershaw and threw wildly, allowing Kershaw to take third and Crawford to take second. But Mark Ellis popped up. Then, the Cardinals took a chance.

They walked Adrian Gonzalez, loading the bases for Puig and Uribe with one out. Puig struck out, swinging at a 3-2 fastball down and away, well out of the strike zone. Then Uribe struck out on four pitches, missing strike three.

The series goes now to Dodger Stadium, and the Dodgers know they can't win the series at home even if they take all three games there. They're in a tough spot. But the NLCS is best-of-seven for a reason. The Dodgers will try to make those reasons matter.

Dodgers dolt up NLCS opener, lose in 13 innings

It seemed as though the entire Dodgers organization had a collective synaptic misfiring Friday, when they set their roster for the National League Championship Series quite questionably, then performed questionably in Game 1. It still took the St. Louis Cardinals 13 innings to beat them, 3-2.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran drove in all three of his team's runs and cut down a scoring chance for the Dodgers Friday night (djprybyl/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license).


By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles

The Dodgers were so air-headed Friday that they just about had to lose their National League Championship Series opener to the St. Louis Cardinals, and they did.

The in-game decisions by players and manager alike are sure to be turned over endlessly if the series ends with the Dodgers losing. Upper management didn't cover itself with glory before the game, either. The Dodgers now are down, 1-0, with Game 2 coming up at 1 p.m. PST Saturday in St. Louis.

First, the game. The Dodgers lost, 3-2, in 13 innings. The end came after Dodgers reliever Chris Withrow gave up a single to Daniel Descalso and a walk to Matt Carpenter with one out in the 13th. The Dodgers manager, Don Mattingly, had no choice but to call his closer, Kenley Jansen, with Carlos Beltran coming to the plate.

You hate to use your closer in a tie game on the road, which is why Jansen didn't start the inning. But Withrow couldn't keep the bases clean, so the tying run moved into scoring position and, at that point, the situation is desperate. Jansen is his best guy in the bullpen, and Mattingly's best chance to keep the run from scoring.

Jansen threw strike one, then three straight fastballs too low, running the count to 3-1. At that point, Beltran had a free swing. Jansen threw the next fastball away and about knee high, Beltran took his rip and bolted it into right field to drive in Descalso. Game over.

But the Dodgers lost this game in so many other ways. Players didn't come through enough to get the job done earlier. Dodgers hitters were one-for-10 with runners in scoring position. They didn't knock out Cardinals starter Joe Kelly when they had several chances early.

The keynote was set in the first inning, when the Dodgers put runners at second and third with one out. Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig struck out to end the inning. The Dodgers scored twice against Kelly in the third, but it amounted to minimal damage. Bases loaded, one out, Puig grounded to the pitcher, who threw home for a force out. Next, Juan Uribe singled through the middle to drive in two runners and move Puig to second base. Andre Ethier then flew out to center field, ending the inning.

The Cardinals came right back in their half of the third after their first two batters, David Freese and Pete Kozma struck out. Kelly somehow singled to left, then Dodgers starter Zack Greinke walked Carpenter. The next man up, Beltran, hit a drive to the center field wall. Ethier, rusty from not playing for a while in the outfield, came close to catching it at the wall, but missed. Two runs scored, tying the game, 2-2.

The game stayed that way until the 13th inning. Though the 10th inning, the Dodgers sent up only two more batters than the minimum. They could get nothing started. Seeing precious few scoring opportunities, Mattingly sent in Dee Gordon to punch run for Gonzalez after a leadoff walk in the eighth. Very interesting decision.

Why would you make it? Because you're not getting people on base, and you have a couple hitters coming up -- Puig and Juan Uribe -- who can give you a jolt. In fact, Uribe has four RBI in the last two games. A double by one of these players drives in a run if Gordon is running, and not if Gonzalez is running.

Why would you not make it? Because you don't want to take Gonzalez and his bat out of the lineup in a game that could be going to extra innings. And because you're probably not trying to steal second base against Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who threw out 43 percent of attempting base stealers this year. It's a move that says you're trying to take the lead right now so you can close it out with Brian Wilson pitching the eighth and Jansen pitching the ninth.

Mattingly’s explanation was a little disturbing. By the accounts, it went like this: “If we don't use (Gordon) there and the next guy hits a ball in the gap and he doesn't score and we don't score there, we're going to say, 'Why didn't you use Dee?’”

Sounds too much like Mattingly is wary from constant second guessing, and he sought to guard himself from another second guess. The problem is that people watching the game questioned it as a first guess.

Anyway, it didn't work. Puig hit into a force and Uribe hit into an inning ending double play. It was the first of three double plays that would end Dodgers innings. Michael Young, who replaced Gonzalez, hit into both of the others.

Young once was an excellent batsman who tacked up 200 hits in multiple seasons because he hit the ball hard to right field. But he turns 37 next week and he no longer has the bat speed of a .315 hitter. He's more like .275 or .280, which is better than most, but the difference shows up against postseason quality.

Many commentators have complained that having Young bat behind Hanley Ramirez took the bat away from Ramirez, as the Cardinals intentionally walked Ramirez in the 10th and 12th innings with Young on-deck. It's much more sensible to suppose that if you're the Cardinals, you're not letting Ramirez beat you even if Gonzalez is up behind him. The real damage from missing Gonzalez lies in the fact that he's simply a better hitter than Young and, being left-handed, he might have forced some uncomfortable decisions on Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.

With one out in the tenth, Mark Ellis tripled for the Dodgers. One wished at that point for Gordon to be available. But he wasn't, and the Cardinals walked Ramirez so they could pitch to Young. On a 1-0 pitch, Young hit a lazy fly ball to medium right field, with Beltran coming in on the ball to catch it.

Beltran is well known for his arm and Molina is well known for his excellence at blocking the plate. Ellis is not well known for his speed. But Ellis tried to score on the fly ball, with predictable results. He was out by several feet. There was some question of whether Molina actually tagged Ellis, but even Ellis conceded that he was out. When there's a collision at home plate and the catcher hangs onto the ball, he will get that call every time.

Nothing went right for the Dodgers in this one. Their roster setting decisions before the game didn't go right, either. Facing a St. Louis team that batted .238 against left-handed pitching this season, the Dodgers decided to leave lefties Paco Rodriguez and Chris Capuano off the NLCS in favor of right-handers Edinson Volquez and Carlos Marmol.

Mattingly told reporters that management discussed that call for five hours. One has to wonder what goes down in a decision making process that last five hours and lands on removing two lefties from your staff when you're playing a team that doesn't hit them.

But that's how the day went for the Dodgers. Not a very promising start to the NLCS.

Dodgers have right matchups to beat St. Louis in NLCS

With all the metrics going around baseball these days, the simplest might still be the most predictive. And when we look at the simple numbers pertaining to right-handers against left-handers, it becomes very hard to believe the St. Louis Cardinals can last against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

The St. Louis Cardinals bagged two of their three wins against the Dodgers this year because Pete Kozma (above) hit two doubles against Clayton Kershaw. What are the chances of that happening again? (Keith Allison/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Generic 2.0 license).

By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles

The Dodgers will begin their National League Championship Series (NLCS) this evening against the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis, seeking their first trip to the World Series since 1988, when they posted an unlikely victory against the heavily favored Oakland Athletics.

The predictions are running about even. Outwardly, at least, it does shape up as an even series between two divisional championships.

However, a couple aspects of this matchup indicate that the Dodgers enter with compelling advantages. Simply, the Dodgers match up very well with the Cardinals. Although the Dodgers won the season series only 4-3, a couple of those Cardinals wins turned on occurrences that one would not expect to come up with any regularity.

We're picking the Dodgers, not because they are local, but because they are left-handed. The Dodgers match up so well with the Cardinals that we wouldn't be one bit surprised if they wrap it up in fewer than seven games. Maybe five or six, which also would stand the Dodgers well entering the World Series.

We have mentioned several times here that the Dodgers are vulnerable to left-handed pitching, and when their National League Division Series (NLDS) with the Atlanta Braves was tied, 1-1, we went so far as to say that the Braves lost the series before it started because they shorted themselves on left-handed pitching.

But do you know who really can't hit left-handed pitching? The Cardinals. They are absolutely the worst team in the National League at hitting left-handed pitching. And the Dodgers will throw them at least two left-handers in the first four games, and four, maybe even five, if it goes seven. That depends on how the Dodgers approach Game 4, for which they have not announced a starting pitcher.

We already know the Dodgers will send lefties Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-jin Ryu to the mound in Games 2 and 3. If they're feeling adventurous, they might want to try lefty Chris Capuano in Game 4. Generally, you'd rather throw power pitching at the Cardinals -- generally, you'd rather throw power pitching at everybody every day -- but it will depend on how the series progresses. If the Dodgers hold a 2-1 or 3-0 lead going to Game 4, Capuano is a good call. If Capuano can maintain an effective sinker-changeup game, he can lock them up (compare this and this with this).

On the flip side, knowing the Dodgers at the top of their game can only be slowed down by a good left-handed starting pitcher, the Cardinals don't have any. They only threw 21 starts by left-handed pitchers all year, and none of their left-handers figure in their rotation for the NLCS.

This is Christmas for the Dodgers. As we've noted before, showing a lefty to the Dodgers turns leadoff hitter Carl Crawford into nothing. Against lefties this year, Crawford batted .206 with a .551 OPS. Notice, Crawford wasn't nothing against the right-handed Braves. He hit three homers.

Left-handers turn Andre Ethier into almost nothing -- .221 batting average and .613 OPS. Juan Uribe (.308 on-base percentage against lefties) and A.J. Ellis (.200 batting average against lefties) are just a tiny bit of something against lefties. Uribe will run into a left-handed slant now and then (six homers) and Ellis can tap them for walks (17 walks, .330 on-base percentage). Nick Punto bats .309 against lefties, but it's such a flaccid .309 that his on-base (.362) actually is higher than his slugging (.361).

In short, the Dodgers have virtually no chance of scoring against lefties until the order turns to Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez.

The Dodgers will have to worry about none of this for the first five or six innings of any game, unless, of course, they beat up the Cardinals right-handed starters well enough to send them showering.

When we look this Dodgers order up and down, well, look at these OPS readings against right-handers: Ramirez (1.001), Puig (.897), Ethier (.854), Adrian Gonzalez (.829), Crawford (.796), Uribe (.765). Let's even throw in Game 1 starting pitcher Zach Greinke -- .715.

Nobody questions that the Cardinals have real talent among their right-handed starting pitchers. But this is the NLCS. We're not playing against the Chicago Cubs anymore. Weaknesses are exposed here. The lack of left-handed starting pitchers already has been exposed on the Braves, and it's waiting to be exposed on the Cardinals. Getting through this Dodgers lineup with right-handed starters every day is a task perhaps too large.

On the other side, the Cardinals batted .238 with a .672 OPS this year against lefties. Both ranked 13th in the 15-team National League. Their on-base percentage was .301. Only the Cubs (.298) were worse. Their slugging was .371, which ranked 12th.

Bear in mind, this Cardinals team is a slugging bunch. Overall this year, they ranked first in runs (783) and on-base percentage (.342), second in OPS (.733) and third in slugging (.401). But they did all of that -- and much more, really -- against right-handed pitching.

Moral of the story: Don't throw right-handers at the Cardinals. The Dodgers shall take heed, because that's how they are built. They can -- and will -- make the Cardinals deal with left-handed pitching.

Take a look at the Cardinals and their OPS readings against lefties and righties, showing lefties first and righties second: Matt Adams (.654 and .876), Carlos Beltran (.729 and .871), Matt Carpenter (.820 and .897), Daniel Delasco (.529 and .684), David Freese (.811 and .629), Matt Holliday (.799 and .903), Jon Jay (.620 and .749), Pete Kozma (.536 and .554) and Yadier Molina (.883 and .823).  

Of all these hitters, only Molina and Freese are better against left-handers. Holliday, Beltran, Adams, Jay and Delasco all are more than 100 points worse against left-handers, while Carpenter is 77 points worse and Kozma is so small either way that it doesn't matter.

That said, baseball is a funny game. It has often been noted that Kershaw lost twice to the Cardinals this year. But look at how it happened.

The first time was a 5-3 St. Louis win at Dodger Stadium on May 26. The Cardinals scored three times in the second inning when Kershaw walked two hitters and Kozma hit a three-run double to left. Kershaw left the game after allowing four runs in seven innings.

The second time was a 5-1 St. Louis win at Busch Stadium on Aug. 6. With one out in the fifth inning of a scoreless tie, Jay doubled against Kershaw, then Tony Cruz singled him in, Kozma doubled Cruz to third and Joe Kelly grounded out to drive in Cruz. The next hitter, Carpenter, grounded out to end the inning. Kershaw's line at the end showed six innings and two runs.

In essence here, Pete Kozma beat Clayton Kershaw twice. What are the chances of that lightning striking for a third time? If Kozma even puts a bat on the ball against Kershaw in this series, it might qualify as a major upset.

One more factor for the Dodgers, and this, again, pertains to Kershaw, who pitched six innings without giving up an earned run in the Dodgers' Game 4 win against the Braves to finish the NLDS. If the Dodgers hadn't won that game -- and they won it largely because Kershaw pitched so well -- then the NLDS would have moved to Atlanta with Greinke pitching Game 5. As it happens, Greinke instead is pitching Game 1 of the NLCS in St. Louis.

As it happens, Greinke has taken four starts at Busch Stadium in his career, and all of them have been quality. In none of them did he last fewer than six innings, and in none of them did he allow more than two runs. Greinke took one start this year in St. Louis, a 3-2 win on Aug. 5 during which he allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings.

It also happens that Greinke took no starts this season in Atlanta. However, he has taken two starts during his career in Atlanta, and neither were quality, totaling 11 innings and seven earned runs for a 5.73 ERA. As it turned out, then, Kershaw's Game 4 outing set up Greinke for his favorable scenario and rescued him from his unfavorable scenario.

It's just breaking right for the Dodgers here. The Cardinals are an excellent team and they've got a postseason history that says they overcome the odds. But it always comes down to matchups, and the matchups clearly favor the Dodgers. For the Cardinals to prevail in this series, they will have to beat the odds once again.

Surprise! Matty tabs Kershaw for Game 4

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is making a bid to close out the Atlanta Braves before the home folks in Game 4 of the National League Division Series Monday night, shifting to Clayton Kershaw as his pitcher. But if the Dodgers can get it done, they shouldn't celebrate too much.

The Dodgers are setting the table for a big night at Dodger Stadium Monday, calling on Clayton Kershaw as their starting pitcher in Game 4 (Keith Allison/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license).

By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles

A sports writer's memory is filled with remarkable events. As the Los Angeles Dodgers close in on winning their National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Atlanta Braves, a memory from 1995 presents itself.

The Cincinnati Reds had just defeated the Dodgers in the NLDS, marking the first year of expanded playoffs. Reds players celebrated, whooping, popping bottles and pouring stuff all over each other, really letting loose in their clubhouse.

The Reds owner, the late Marge Schott, often is vilified for certain badly aimed remarks. But as she surveyed the scene around the Riverfront Stadium while players and fans savored the victory, a moment of brilliance flashed before her and she asked, "What did I win?"

Answer: Nothing. The Reds went on to lose the National League Division Series (NLDS) to the Atlanta Braves in four games.

The Dodgers might end up celebrating Monday night at Dodger Stadium, where they hold a 2-1 lead in their NLDS with the Braves heading into Game 4. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is trying to make sure of it, making a last-second announcement Monday afternoon that his man on the hill will be the best there is, left-hander Clayton Kershaw. All along, the plan has been right-hander Ricky Nolasco for Game 4. But Nolasco has allowed 17 runs in his last three starts, and Kershaw fanned 12 Braves in a 6-1 Game 1 victory.

The move comes with some risk, though not much. Kershaw hasn't pitched with three days of rest all season. There is no guarantee that it will work. But this guy is such a tough nut and such an old soul, and this moment has enough largeness to bring it out of him. And even if it fails, the Dodgers will bring back Zack Greinke in Atlanta for Game 5. Is Greinke large enough for that moment? The Dodgers will hope they don't have to find out.

Dodger Stadium is the "Magic Castle" again this season. There seems to be some controversy as to when that name was coined. No one disputes that it belongs to the great Dodgers broadcaster, Vin Scully. But some accounts say it goes back to 1973, when that great crop led by Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Steve Garvey first became contenders, and others pin it to 1988, when the Dodgers last won the World Series.

It's not exactly World Series or bust this year for the Dodgers, but they also can't possibly be satisfied with winning an NLDS against an opponent that half-armed itself. It's true that the Dodgers already have made remarkable progress this year under new ownership that has dedicated itself to bringing back the Magic Castle. But winning this NLDS wouldn't take them any further.

This team is feeling it right now. Sunday night, they hammered out 14 hits in a 13-6 win against the Braves to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-three series. The Dodgers put 18 runners on base and left only five, going seven-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Their starting pitcher, Hyun-jin Ryu, produced a terrible night, and their batters took it out on the Atlanta starter, Julio Teheran.

Hanley Ramirez, the first shot in the new ownership's player procurement salvo last summer, has six hits in the series, tied for the most ever by a player in the NLDS. But everyone around Ramirez is hitting, too, or at least reaching base. And this moment is right for the Dodgers.

The Braves will attempt to stay alive behind right-hander Freddy Garcia, who has started three games for the Braves since they acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 23, and all three have been quality. But two of those lineups were the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers. The other was the Washington Nationals. None of those lineups can fire like the Dodgers.

In a worst case scenario for the Dodgers, they lose Game 4 and go to Atlanta with Greinke in Game 5. Which is to say that the Dodgers simultaneously face a can't lose situation and a no-win situation. The Dodgers surely can't lose the series at this point. If they do, the Dodgers and their fans will be more than disappointed. And even if they win, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. They will not have won anything.

That's life at the top. It's where the Dodgers want to be.