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LOS ANGELES – They fell 10 games below .500, then came back in the race. Their close star has been scared of their hearts, their pitcher's has faced back problems and their promising young hope has been lost for the season, but their unparalleled depth of depth, talent and resources have made up for it. They struggled to find runners in the scoring position and never found the perfect latency, but they crashed home runs at an alarming speed and had enough starters to help late in the game.
The Los Angeles 2018 Dodgers are a bizarre, enigmatic, turbulent and extremely talented wonder.
In a way, once again, they are also division champions.
The Brewers and Dodgers are clearly ahead after Monday's wins, but are the Rockies or Cubs better prepared to win the Joker game on Tuesday?
Jon Lester will go against the Rockies and first baseman Anthony Rizzo will call "all on the deck" as the Cubs lose the title of the central division of the NL and get ready for the game of generic cards on Tuesday.
Welcome to October when it takes post-season talent and magic to win everything. We divide each group to see who has the right formula for the Fall Classic.
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The Dodgers earned their sixth consecutive title in the National League of the West with a 5-2 win over the Colorado Rockies in a tiebreaker game Monday afternoon. Young pitcher Walker Buehler and Max Muncy and Cody's pair of runners made an excellent outing. Bellinger will take his 92nd win in Match 163.
"We had a lot of trouble this year, a lot more than we expected," Bellinger said. "But we have a very, very good team."
The Dodgers (92-71) will now have the home advantage against the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series, which will only start on Thursday. The Rockies (91-72) have to travel to face Jon Lester and the Chicago Cubs from Wrigley Field at the NL Wild Card Game on Tuesday, a knockout contest to be kicked off by Kyle Freeland.
The Dodgers – 16-26 on May 16 – are only the sixth team in history to win the division in the same season, with a 10-game drop below .500.
"A lot of work," said Justin Turner. "A lot of work, a lot of hard times, a lot of struggles, a lot of adjustments, a lot of conversations to talk about improving, and a lot of guys here have improved throughout the year." Could not be more proud of a ball club. "
Dave Roberts, the manager of the Dodgers, has never lost faith in his confidence. He said on April 29, as the season began to fall, his team would sit at the top of the division when the dust cleared.
The Dodgers had a two and a half game lead when they swept the Rockies home from September 17-19. But the Rockies recovered by winning nine of their next 10 attempts, forcing them to sweep the San Francisco Giants on the weekend. scenario – which culminated in a clubhouse Dodger Stadium soaked in champagne.
"I just believe in our guys," said Roberts, with glasses on his face and a bottle of champagne in his hand. "I just felt we could overcome everything."
"It's a feeling of gratitude," said the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw, who overcame a chaotic back and a speed drop to deliver a points average leading to 2.73 in 161 innings. "I'm grateful to be part of this organization, it's not the ultimate price, obviously we're still looking for it, but few organizations can say that they've done six." years in a row. "
Buehler, the right-handed beginner who does not lack confidence, sat very early at 200 km / h and only allowed four runners to reach 6 heats. He came out after a two-ball walk in the seventh inning, attracting a standing ovation from a force of 47,816 people who grew with the size of the day.
"It's only the beginning, man," said Buehler. "We have a long way to go, we have another month to play."
In his last 12 regular season starts, which lasted 75, Buehler allowed only 13 earned runs on 41 hits, 23 strides and eliminated 87 batters. The 24-year-old ended his rookie year with a silver medal of 2.62, a WHIP of 0.96 and a middleweight ratio of 4.35 in 137.
"I do not know if I can say that on the air," says Turner, "but a huge ball game."
"I can not say enough good things about it," said Kershaw, who should start the opening game. "You just have to say it behind his back so that it does not get too big.But it's really special to watch him play.His level of talent is just – I mean, it's Some of the best things I've ever seen. "
The Dodgers did just enough against the right-handed German Marquez, who was named NL's Launcher of the month shortly before the match.
Bellinger, rookie of the year at the NL, shot a fast 1-0, at 95 mph, with one and two outs in the fourth and led it to the right center. Muncy, one of the most unlikely baseball players this season, scored a quick 99-mph in the center-left, giving the Dodgers their 235th stint this season.
The defending NL champions finished the regular season with a differential of over 193, by far the best of the NL.
Bellinger thinks they're "dangerous" in the playoffs.
"I think we have one of the best teams in the league," he said. "We proved it today, we hit the long ball and we have a good shot, it will be hard to beat us."
But Jansen withdrew the next three batters, triggering a controlled celebration in the field but animated inside.
He was all smiles after the match.
"What happened in the ninth?" Jansen asked repeating the question of a member of the media. "We won the division – that's what happened."
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