Los Angeles Dodgers Face Interesting Dilemma
By Jason Burke
The Los Angeles Dodgers have already clinched the NL West, but with three games left against their biggest rivals to finish out the regular season, they will be the gatekeepers to the San Francisco Giants playoff hopes.
With three games until the end of the regular season, the NL wild card race is still completely up for grabs. Entering play tonight, the Mets have a one game lead over the Giants for the first wild card spot, while San Francisco is a game up on the Cardinals for the second spot.
With one good weekend of play, the Los Angeles Dodgers can keep the Giants out of the playoffs and save us all from another October of Even Year Magic. But will they be fielding a competitive team or be looking to rest their players in preparation for their own playoff run? It’s hard to tell.
There is no book on manager Dave Roberts since this is his first year at the helm of any team, so there is no help there. The Dodgers are scheduled to send Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw and Kenta Maeda to the mound on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which could be a sign that they’ll at least be attempting to keep the Giants out, but it’s more likely that they’re going to get their work in to stay fresh before a week layoff before their NLDS matchup with the Nationals.
Even with this trio starting games, it’s unlikely that any of these three will be pushing their typical pitch count limit, as avoiding injury (or friggin blisters) will be more integral to their World Series aspirations. With a healthier rotation than they’ve had for much of the season, the Dodgers could legitimately push the Cubs to the brink in a potential NLCS matchup.
The Giants will be sending out Madison Bumgarner on Friday night, but their starters for the next two games have yet to be announced, although it’s likely that Matt Moore will likely take the ball on Sunday if he stays on regular rest. If he goes on short rest it’ll be Moore and Samardzija for the final two games with rookie left-hander Ty Blach, who made his first career start on Sunday in San Diego, moving to the bullpen.
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Here’s the thing: even some of the Dodger reserves could score enough runs to get it done this weekend and accomplish both goals. Enrique Hernandez is 11-for-22 against Bumgarner in his career with three home runs and four doubles, while new addition Josh Reddick is 2-for-3 in limited exposure. The Giants have lost all four games that Mad Bum has started against the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, and Rich Hill has allowed one run (solo homer) in eleven innings against the Giants since joining the rivalry at the trade deadline.
In his most recent start against the Dodgers, Moore lasted just one inning and gave up six earned. In his previous start against L.A., he went 8 2/3 and gave up just one hit, so there really is no telling with Moore. The big difference in Dodger lineups between the two games was the additions of Yasiel Puig and Carlos Ruiz in the six-run first, so look for both again whenever Moore takes the mound.
If Samardzija were to get the start on Sunday it would be an interesting matchup, as he hasn’t faced the Dodgers since he started implementing his curveball more often, which has led to a 2.87 ERA since the start of August. Madea has a 2.65 ERA against the Giants this season in his own right.
It’s not going to be easy for the Giants to secure a playoff berth against these Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers, so the determining factor could be how long the starters go, and which regulars continue seeing their usual playing time. It should be another intense series in the City by the Bay this weekend.