MLB – Why the Los Angeles Dodgers have big problems – and why they could go well



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MILWAUKEE – Despite all that went wrong – mistakes, past bullets, Brandon Woodruff's home, all the people – the Los Angeles Dodgers ended up with a race tied at just 100 yards Friday night.

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They had injured the venerable Milwaukee Brewers goalkeeper at the end of the first game of the National League championship series, scoring five hits in the last two innings, the last of which was a hat-trick by Chris Taylor who led them into a single pass ninth summit. And although Justin Turner decided to end the match, sealing a 6-5 defeat, an underlying optimism was perceptible in a rather gloomy clubhouse post-game.

"We know they're a good dance club, they would not be here if they were not," said Manny Machado, spokesman for the Dodgers. "But we know we are as good as them – we just have to settle in, play baseball like we did all year, and just get by."

It was only the beginning of what could be a long series, but the Dodgers, the defending champions of the Netherlands, could hurt a lot their first meeting with the young Brewers, who depend on the flea market. also relieve them. Let's explore both.

Three reasons why the Dodgers are in trouble

1. The Brewers could do better than what they do: Milwaukee's Jhoulys Chacin was their best starting pitcher of the season, but the Brewers start a left-hander in each of the first two games of this series because the Dodgers' formation against Southpaws is considerably weaker than that against the right-handed ones like Taylor, David Freese and Matt Kemp replace Joc Pederson, Max Muncy and Yasiel Puig.

From the first launch of each series to the last of Game 7, you can follow the full post-season MLB on ESPN Radio. Listening »

Starting a left-hander also forces Dave Roberts' hand when the Brewers turn to a right-handed take-up at the start of the game.

If he plays for the match – as he did in the third inning, when Muncy stands in the circle of cards to hit with a ball for Freese – he limits his options to the game. Leveraged high lever leverage of the Brewers late in the game. . If he does not hit, he does not enjoy the benefits of match-up that have made the Dodgers so dangerous throughout the season.

2. Julio Urias does not seem ready: Urias' addition to the NLCS lineup has surprised many, having played only three major league games since his shoulder surgery, all in situations low indebtedness. Urias then decided to give a home run to his first batter, Jesus Aguilar. The 22-year-old southpaw then worked around a single and sat at about 93 mph with his fastball, which is his standard this year.

Roberts felt that Urias had a good arm action, but that his change "did not have that life in the end, the depth". His inclusion prevented the Dodgers from adding Ross Stripling, who made the all-star team, and left-leaser Scott Alexander, a major weapon throughout the season that, according to Roberts, is in good health.

3. They face a hot team: Sometimes teams catch fire just at the end of the season and wear it until October. The Brewers certainly fit that description. They have now won 12 straight wins – a feat that will require a local diner to hand out free burgers Thursday – and beat their opponents 78-33 in this sequence.

Their attack is fluid, their office is united and the whole team seems to play with an unparalleled level of confidence. They also have the advantage on their court and the home team won a series at the best of seven series in 67% of the cases, after winning the first match.

Three reasons why the Dodgers will be fine

Can you match Manny Machado's belief that everything is from here for the Dodgers? Stacy Revere / Getty Images

1. They can not possibly play so badly: The Dodgers were not just neglected; they were historically sloppy. Yasmani Grandal became the first receiver of history in the playoffs to commit two errors and two balls in the same match, a comedy of blunders that only two capturers have been able to match over the last 20 regular seasons. And Grandal did all this in the first three rounds.

The mistake of Chris Taylor on a single in the fourth inning and that of Turner on a goalkeeper in the eighth inning made the Dodgers the first playoff history team to commit four errors and two balls passed in. a match, according to a study from the sports office Elias. This will not happen anymore.

2. They will not have to worry about Josh Hader for a while: The devastating Left-Hander pickup from the Brewers split the Dodgers' formation in three innings on Friday. It's only the second time of the year that Hader finished three innings and a new record season for him (46), which also means that Hader will not be available for the second game.

"You will not see Josh tomorrow," said Craig Counsell, Brewer Manager.

It's a sigh of major relief for the Dodgers, especially when you consider the production they're getting from their left-handed hitters. They still have to worry about Corey Knebel and Corbin Burnes and Jeremy Jeffress, but still.

3. Remember September: Hyun-Jin Ryu and Walker Buehler – the next two Dodgers starting pitchers – finished the regular season among the best of the game, awarding 12 points overall and eliminating 75 batters in 69 innings. From the beginning of September to the end of their regular season, the Dodgers' offense ranked first, both on average at batting and in percentage of slugging.

In other words: the Dodgers have entered this playoff series, almost as energetically as the Brewers. They showed at the end of Friday's game that they could go up anytime, against any marker.

"Everyone is confident," Taylor said. "We are all good at the plate, collectively as a team, and we understand that we have been in this match until the very end."

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