The Cycle, Issue 100: NLCS Preview
Previewing the Dodgers and Braves’ battle for the National League pennant (and handing out some NLDS hardware)
In this issue of The Cycle . . .
Hey, it’s my 100th issue! And it’s all about the NLCS rematch between the Dodgers and Braves . . .
. . . well, almost all:
Dodgers-Giants NLDS Awards
I forgot to give out my most valuable player awards in my recap of Game 5 of the Dodgers-Giants Division Series yesterday, so let’s take care of those before we look ahead to the Dodgers’ next series:
Unofficial MVP: Logan Webb, RHP, Giants (2 GS, 0.61 ERA, 14 2/3 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 17 K)
Unofficial LVP: Mike Yastrzemski, OF, Giants (0-for-13, 0 BB, 4 K, .000 OPS)
Winning Team MVP: Mookie Betts, RF, Dodgers (9-for-20, HR, BB, 2 SB, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1.055 OPS)
Yes, the series was so close that the most valuable player was on the losing team (thus flipping Losing Team MVP to Winning Team MVP).
Okay, on with it . . .
National League Championship Series
Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56) @ Atlanta Braves (88-73)
Schedule
Games in italics if necessary, and Game 6 will almost certainly move to the later time slot if the ALCS ends before Game 7, which is scheduled for next Saturday at 8:08 pm ET.
The Season Series
The Dodgers won the regular-season series between these two teams 4-2, but each team won its own home series, with the Braves taking two of three in Atlanta in early June in a series in which both teams scored 15 runs, and the Dodgers sweeping a three-game set at Dodger Stadium at the end of August, outscoring Atlanta 13–8. The latter series, with its average game score of 4–3, more closely resembles my expectations for this pitching-rich series.
I should note here that the 18-win gap between the two teams’ records, listed above, is a bit misleading. From August 3 through the end of the regular season, the Braves went 36-18, that’s a 108-win pace. Over that span, only two teams in either league had a better record than Atlanta: the Giants (40-16) and the Dodgers. Then again, the Dodgers’ 42-13 finish was an absurd 124-win pace, 16-wins better than Atlanta’s when projected over 162 games. So, while the 18-win gap is only a bit misleading, the most misleading thing about the two teams’ records is the Braves’ 88 wins.
The Starting Rotations
Los Angeles Dodgers:
After using Walker Buehler on three day’s rest in Game 4 of the Division Series and Julio Urías for four innings and Max Scherzer for one in Game 5, the Dodgers are taking their time determining which, if any, of their top three starters will be ready to start tonight’s Game 1. Scherzer threw just 13 pitches (albeit maximum-stress pitches given the context) in Game 5, so that could be considered his throw-day, putting him and Buehler on schedule to start Games 1 and 2, respectively, on normal rest. However, both may need an extra day.
If they do need that extra day of rest, the Dodgers will throw a bullpen game in Game 1 (or, if Scherzer is a go, but Buehler needs a blow, in Game 2), likely with Gonsolin as the bulk-innings guy. However it shakes out, Scherzer, Buehler, and Urías are the three primary starters and will most likely pitch in that order, with or without a bullpen/Catman day in their midst. If a bullpen game is needed prior to Game 4, however, it will have repercussions if the series goes past Game 4, as the Dodgers would need some or all of their big three to pitch on short rest to avoid a second Gonsolin/bullpen game.