MLB Postseason 2021

[kshepinthehouse]

The Dodgers won 18 more games than did the Braves this regular season. After losing the reigning Cy Young Award winner halfway through the season. The Braves' record would not have been good enough to win any of the other divisions in baseball. Don't get me wrong. The Braves are a fine team. But the Dodgers are by any measure a better baseball team.

So when the Dodgers win a game against the Braves, or a series against the Braves, it's hard to understand how that is considered a "choke" by the Braves. The Dodgers were expected to win. The Dodgers should win. The surprise isn't the Dodgers coming back to win the series against an inferior team -- if they do so. The surprise, to their credit, is the Braves jumping out to the lead in the first place. Good on them, but I don't think they should be criticized if both teams revert to their expected performances.

To be fair the Braves lost a lot too. Acuna, Ozuna, and Soroka were all major pieces for the Braves expected to play a big role on this team this year. Acuna was having an MVP level season, Ozuna had an MVP level season last year albeit it a shortened yea, and Soroka was the Braves number one starter before he got hurt.

[CameronDuke]

The Dodgers won 18 more games than did the Braves this regular season. After losing the reigning Cy Young Award winner halfway through the season. The Braves' record would not have been good enough to win any of the other divisions in baseball. Don't get me wrong. The Braves are a fine team. But the Dodgers are by any measure a better baseball team.

So when the Dodgers win a game against the Braves, or a series against the Braves, it's hard to understand how that is considered a "choke" by the Braves. The Dodgers were expected to win. The Dodgers should win. The surprise isn't the Dodgers coming back to win the series against an inferior team -- if they do so. The surprise, to their credit, is the Braves jumping out to the lead in the first place. Good on them, but I don't think they should be criticized if both teams revert to their expected performances.

To be fair, the kid that hit the game tying HR last night hit a buck 65 this season. He couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn this season. He swung a wet newspaper at the dish most of the year. He put a good swing on a tough pitch last night. Credit to him. But looking at his stats from this season, there’s college kids that could probably get him out with their stuff.

[kshepinthehouse]

5 runs is pretty good against that staff. Bellinger just beat Jackson-it happens.

Yea, my point is the Braves had a chance in multiple innings to deliver a knockout blow and they didn’t.

[robed deity]

To be fair, the kid that hit the game tying HR last night hit a buck 65 this season. He couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn this season. He swing a wet newspaper at the dish most of the year. He put a good swing on a tough pitch last night. Credit to him. But looking at his stats from this season, there’s college kids that could probably get him out with their stuff.

Come on, it's Cody Bellinger. He won the MVP two years ago. It doesn't matter what he hit this year.

It just shows the embarrassment of riches the Dodgers have when their MVP from 2 years ago hits .165, their Hall of Fame pitcher has a subpar year and can't pitch anymore, and another pitcher who was having a great year gets suspended for being an idiot and can't pitch anymore, and this team STILL won 106 games.

[ClemmonsDevil]

The Dodgers won 18 more games than did the Braves this regular season. After losing the reigning Cy Young Award winner halfway through the season. The Braves' record would not have been good enough to win any of the other divisions in baseball. Don't get me wrong. The Braves are a fine team. But the Dodgers are by any measure a better baseball team.

So when the Dodgers win a game against the Braves, or a series against the Braves, it's hard to understand how that is considered a "choke" by the Braves. The Dodgers were expected to win. The Dodgers should win. The surprise isn't the Dodgers coming back to win the series against an inferior team -- if they do so. The surprise, to their credit, is the Braves jumping out to the lead in the first place. Good on them, but I don't think they should be criticized if both teams revert to their expected performances.

I wish I had said this.

[CameronDuke]

Come on, it's Cody Bellinger. He won the MVP two years ago. It doesn't matter what he hit this year.

It just shows the embarrassment of riches the Dodgers have when their MVP from 2 years ago hits .165, their Hall of Fame pitcher has a subpar year and can't pitch anymore, and another pitcher who was having a great year gets suspended for being an idiot and can't pitch anymore, and this team STILL won 106 games.

Well 19ish of their wins came against the worst team in the NL and tied for the worst team in the MLB (the Diamondbacks). Other teams likely would have had closer to 106 wins getting to play the Diamondbacks that many times in a season. They won 52 games. That’s historically bad.

Yes, Bellinger has an MVP award on his resume. But he stunk this year. Last season hit hit just .239 in the COVID shortened season. I’d say he actually has as many regular good seasons (Rookie of Year, MVP seasons) as he does bad. The jury is still out on him for me. Very inconsistent hitter in my opinion. Lots of holes in his swing. He’s already struck out 541 times in his career. That’s 146/season.

Also, they got future HOF pitcher Scherzer at the trade deadline and All-Star Trea Turner. Those are huge upgrades given Bauer’s situation and Kershaw’s injury.

[DUKIECB]

5 runs is pretty good against that staff. Bellinger just beat Jackson-it happens.

This. The pitch was where he wanted it and Bellinger somehow caught up to it. How I don't know. Sometimes athletes make astonishing plays and you just have to tip your cap. A couple pitches earlier he swung at a lower fastball and missed. Jackson said in the presser he made the pitch he wanted and would do it again. I would argue that he pitched well the entire inning. He got a ground ball, that had it been 5 feet to the left, would have been an inning ending double play before any runs were scored and Bellinger wouldn't have even come up to the plate.

A lot of folks on this board and sportswriters too go on and on about how the Dodgers were 18 games better than the Braves and they believe this to be a complete and total mismatch. I am fine with this because it helps the Braves fly under the radar and I'm sure gives them bulletin board material and motivates them for being disrespected. But I would argue these two teams in their current state aren't as far apart as everyone thinks. The Braves battled injuries all through the year and after the trades at the deadline became a different team. We got some pieces, got healthier and the pitching, both starters and bullpen, improved dramatically. Before last night they were 17-3 in their last 20 games including the playoffs. Since the trade deadline their win percentage was in line with the top teams in baseball. This isn't the team that had a losing record until July. They are much improved and believe they can win.

On the other hand the Dodgers were great in the regular season as everyone knows but they are now playing without Kershaw and Muncy. That cannot be overstated. Yes they are still loaded but the state of these two teams right now are WAY closer than they were a couple months ago.

[ClemmonsDevil]

In the bullpen discussion I said that the bullpen is garbage and that Jackson made a great pitch. I don't get both of those. To hold myself accountable I would agree with K shep that the bullpen has been fantastic in the playoffs. I hedged and used a both sides argument in order to be correct no matter how the question was framed. My bad.

[kshepinthehouse]

This. The pitch was where he wanted it and Bellinger somehow caught up to it. How I don't know. Sometimes athletes make astonishing plays and you just have to tip your cap. A couple pitches earlier he swung at a lower fastball and missed. Jackson said in the presser he made the pitch he wanted and would do it again. I would argue that he pitched well the entire inning. He got a ground ball, that had it been 5 feet to the left, would have been an inning ending double play before any runs were scored and Bellinger wouldn't have even come up to the plate.

A lot of folks on this board and sportswriters too go on and on about how the Dodgers were 18 games better than the Braves and they believe this to be a complete and total mismatch. I am fine with this because it helps the Braves fly under the radar and I'm sure gives them bulletin board material and motivates them for being disrespected. But I would argue these two teams in their current state aren't as far apart as everyone thinks. The Braves battled injuries all through the year and after the trades at the deadline became a different team. We got some pieces, got healthier and the pitching, both starters and bullpen, improved dramatically. Before last night they were 17-3 in their last 20 games including the playoffs. Since the trade deadline their win percentage was in line with the top teams in baseball. This isn't the team that had a losing record until July. They are much improved and believe they can win.

On the other hand the Dodgers were great in the regular season as everyone knows but they are now playing without Kershaw and Muncy. That cannot be overstated. Yes they are still loaded but the state of these two teams right now are WAY closer than they were a couple months ago.

Yea Muncy is a real pain so it’s nice not to have to face him. He works the count so well and is scary in the playoffs. Glad that he isn’t playing and I think if he was it would put them over the top.

[robed deity]

Yea Muncy is a real pain so it’s nice not to have to face him. He works the count so well and is scary in the playoffs. Glad that he isn’t playing and I think if he was it would put them over the top.

I also think last night was the first time the Braves may have missed Soler's bat. Maybe he would have broken through in the later innings to blow it open? He's been a big factor in the last third of the year.

[cato]

Who would notice?

The Friars would be disappointed to lose company at the end of the Major League bench.

[kshepinthehouse]

I also think last night was the first time the Braves may have missed Soler's bat. Maybe he would have broken through in the later innings to blow it open? He's been a big factor in the last third of the year.

Having Soler’s bat in the lineup also gives us a good bat off the bench as we have 4 quality outfielders. Our pinch hitters have been atrocious since he’s been out.

[Duke79UNLV77]

Well 19ish of their wins came against the worst team in the NL and tied for the worst team in the MLB (the Diamondbacks). Other teams likely would have had closer to 106 wins getting to play the Diamondbacks that many times in a season. They won 52 games. That’s historically bad.

Yes, Bellinger has an MVP award on his resume. But he stunk this year. Last season hit hit just .239 in the COVID shortened season. I’d say he actually has as many regular good seasons (Rookie of Year, MVP seasons) as he does bad. The jury is still out on him for me. Very inconsistent hitter in my opinion. Lots of holes in his swing. He’s already struck out 541 times in his career. That’s 146/season.

Also, they got future HOF pitcher Scherzer at the trade deadline and All-Star Trea Turner. Those are huge upgrades given Bauer’s situation and Kershaw’s injury.

True, the worst team in the Dodgers' division won 13 fewer games than the worst team in the Braves' division. On the other hand, the Dodgers' biggest challenger in their division won a whopping 25 more games than the Braves' biggest challenger in their division. Overall, the Dodgers' division was 37 games over .500, and the Braves' division was 67 games under .500. The Dodgers were just a far superior team in the regular season. That doesn't at all mean they will win this Series. Baseball is a game of statistics played out over huge sample sizes than then crowns its champion over a much, much smaller size.

Bellinger had a lot of injuries this year, and his struggles clearly got to his head. He was MVP in his last full season and is just 26. It's not like Austin Barnes was the guy who hit that homer.

Another thing that has helped the Dodgers over the last several years is how darn versatile they are. Muncy, Turner, Bellinger, Lux, Taylor, and Beaty can all play multiple positions, allowing them to cover for injuries and adjust during games. Their scouting and player development also has been phenomenal. The core of their team during this 9-year run has been more home-grown than that of smaller payroll teams, and they have produced enough surplus talent to help them acquire stars to plug any holes in the last few years.

[cato]

Well 19ish of their wins came against the worst team in the NL and tied for the worst team in the MLB (the Diamondbacks). Other teams likely would have had closer to 106 wins getting to play the Diamondbacks that many times in a season. They won 52 games. That’s historically bad.

Yes, Bellinger has an MVP award on his resume. But he stunk this year. Last season hit hit just .239 in the COVID shortened season. I’d say he actually has as many regular good seasons (Rookie of Year, MVP seasons) as he does bad. The jury is still out on him for me. Very inconsistent hitter in my opinion. Lots of holes in his swing. He’s already struck out 541 times in his career. That’s 146/season.

Also, they got future HOF pitcher Scherzer at the trade deadline and All-Star Trea Turner. Those are huge upgrades given Bauer’s situation and Kershaw’s injury.

OTOH, the Dbacks would have won more games in another division where they didn’t have the play the two best teams in the NL so many times.

[CameronDuke]

True, the worst team in the Dodgers' division won 13 fewer games than the worst team in the Braves' division. On the other hand, the Dodgers' biggest challenger in their division won a whopping 25 more games than the Braves' biggest challenger in their division. Overall, the Dodgers' division was 37 games over .500, and the Braves' division was 67 games under .500. The Dodgers were just a far superior team in the regular season. That doesn't at all mean they will win this Series. Baseball is a game of statistics played out over huge sample sizes than then crowns its champion over a much, much smaller size.

Bellinger had a lot of injuries this year, and his struggles clearly got to his head. He was MVP in his last full season and is just 26. It's not like Austin Barnes was the guy who hit that homer.

Another thing that has helped the Dodgers over the last several years is how darn versatile they are. Muncy, Turner, Bellinger, Lux, Taylor, and Beaty can all play multiple positions, allowing them to cover for injuries and adjust during games. Their scouting and player development also has been phenomenal. The core of their team during this 9-year run has been more home-grown than that of smaller payroll teams, and they have produced enough surplus talent to help them acquire stars to plug any holes in the last few years.

The Dodgers have it going right now. A factor I’d add that you may have overlooked in your analysis is this: $194,839,000. That’s the Dodgers’ 2021 payroll. It’s $15 million more than any other club in the MLB (the Yankees) and nearly $30 million more than any other NL team (the Mets). It’s $80 million + more than the Braves. True, their scouting and player development has been great. But it helps to have lots of future HOFers and All-Stars on your club (Scherzer, Kershaw, Pujols, Turner, Turner, Betts, etc.).

I don’t really feel all that bad for the Braves, either. If you’ve made it this far in the postseason, your team is full of studs. I realize they’ve had injures (Acuña and Soroka most notably). Acuña may be one of the most talented players in the league. Soroka is a stud. However, injuries are a part of the game in baseball. Most teams deal with them each season. And look at who else they have.

A fringe HOF 1Bman in Freeman (former 2nd round pick). Swanson (former #1 pick in 15), Morton (3rd round pick), Fried (7th overall pick in 12), Riley (41st overall pick in 15), probably the best defensive 2Bman in the NL not named Kolten Wong in Albies, Ian Anderson (3rd overall pick in 16), Jackson (45th overall pick in 10), Matzek (11th overall pick in 09), Minter (75th overall pick in 15), etc. They have a LOT of talent even with their injuries. Their window to win it all is now. Their rebuild and front office decisions in the mid 2010s has proven to be some good moves. But even with that much talent and those high of draft picks that to their credit, have panned out - I don’t think they’re that much less talented or worse than the Dodgers. They just don’t have as high a payroll as LA.

[CameronDuke]

OTOH, the Dbacks would have won more games in another division where they didn’t have the play the two best teams in the NL so many times.

Eh, I don’t think the Diamondbacks would beat anyone in the league that much this past season. Put them in any other division and they win maybe 60-65 games? They’re terrible.

[kshepinthehouse]

The Dodgers have it going right now. A factor I’d add that you may have overlooked in your analysis is this: $194,839,000. That’s the Dodgers’ 2021 payroll. It’s $15 million more than any other club in the MLB (the Yankees) and nearly $30 million more than any other NL team (the Mets). It’s $80 million + more than the Braves. True, their scouting and player development has been great. But it helps to have lots of future HOFers and All-Stars on your club (Scherzer, Kershaw, Pujols, Turner, Turner, Betts, etc.).

I don’t really feel all that bad for the Braves, either. If you’ve made it this far in the postseason, your team is full of studs. I realize they’ve had injures (Acuña and Soroka most notably). Acuña may be one of the most talented players in the league. Soroka is a stud. However, injuries are a part of the game in baseball. Most teams deal with them each season. And look at who else they have.

A fringe HOF 1Bman in Freeman (former 2nd round pick). Swanson (former #1 pick in 15), Morton (3rd round pick), Fried (7th overall pick in 12), Riley (41st overall pick in 15), probably the best defensive 2Bman in the NL not named Kolten Wong in Albies, Ian Anderson (3rd overall pick in 16), Jackson (45th overall pick in 10), Matzek (11th overall pick in 09), Minter (75th overall pick in 15), etc. They have a LOT of talent even with their injuries. Their window to win it all is now. Their rebuild and front office decisions in the mid 2010s has proven to be some good moves. But even with that much talent and those high of draft picks that to their credit, have panned out - I don’t think they’re that much less talented or worse than the Dodgers. They just don’t have as high a payroll as LA.

Where are you getting the 194 number. Everything I see is over 250. And draft status isn’t proof of a team’s talent. The Dodgers have a much scarier lineup, deeper/more talented bench, and a much deeper pitching staff.

[CameronDuke]

Where are you getting the 194 number. Everything I see is over 250. And draft status isn’t proof of a team’s talent. The Dodgers have a much scarier lineup, deeper/more talented bench, and a much deeper pitching staff.

https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/ml...payrolls-2021/

I saw this source too which says the Dodgers payroll is $267 million +. And even higher than the next NL team. The Dodgers are the new Yankees .

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/2021/

I disagree that draft status isn’t proof of a team’s talent. In order to get drafted high, literally one of the only things you need is talent. That and projectabilty. Talent is certainly measured in how high you were drafted IMO.

[kshepinthehouse]

https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/ml...payrolls-2021/

I saw this source too which says the Dodgers payroll is $267 million +. And even higher than the next NL team. The Dodgers are the new Yankees .

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/2021/

I disagree that draft status isn’t proof of a team’s talent. In order to get drafted high, literally one of the only things you need is talent. That and projectabilty. Talent is certainly measured in how high you were drafted IMO.

Touché. Draft status doesn’t prove production at the mlb level I should say.

[ClemmonsDevil]

Touché. Draft status doesn’t prove production at the mlb level I should say.

No. But having a ton of high draft picks and being in the LCS IS suggestive.