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The Los Angeles Dodgers were NLDS favorites for one or more reasons.
The well-established contenders of the National League were neither winners of the surprise division nor inexperienced parvenus. During the rebuilding of the Braves, the Dodgers had 90 winning seasons. The 2018 Dodgers completed their sixth consecutive divisional title with the league's best differential and the best baseball offense after the trade deadline. They took initiatives to acquire Manny Machado, the best hitter available this summer, David Freese and Brian Dozier, worrying about the control exerted by the club on the now-winning strokes.
The result was an extremely comprehensive list for playoff baseball: effective starting options, impressive bat reserves to counter the decisions of the opposing manager and World Series experience.
"A lot of these guys are bought, you know? I felt like a lot of our guys were locals. You win this experience. I think what just happened has been huge for us, "said Freeman. "I have the impression that we have what they have there. They just have guys who are six to 10 years old in big leagues. We have guys who are zero to two.
"So I think we'll be better suited for the playoffs now, what they did at the front desk to make this team a reality, I think we'll be here for a long time." Clearly, it's a They have a lot more money, but I feel that our zero – two guys (years of experience) are about to take the next step and we will win. titles here. "
The baseball playoffs offer few guarantees to favorites, especially a favorite who needs a tiebreaker from a match to get his division ticket, but the encounter of Atlanta with Los Angeles has turned out to be a chronological clash.
The Dodgers are for the moment more advanced in the hierarchy, which reduces Atlanta's margin of error to almost nothing. And there were mistakes.
Braves pitchers have hit 27 batters in four games. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta's best player in the series, missed a sign that cost the team a rare baseball player in Game 1. Anibal Sanchez gave his first career game on a 3-0 in the match 2. Freese, in the aforementioned time-pickup who has a .830 OPS and a World Series MVP, was able to cross the straight line in the sixth inning only after Yasiel Puig returned on the right field – a game with a probability of touching 3% – dropped between Nick Markakis and Ozzie Albies.
The Dodgers dominated Atlanta 20-8 in the NLDS and 55-26 in the season series.
The showdown stabilized after both teams took their respective flights to Atlanta, but apparently each frame was a very stressful run for Braves pitchers.
"I think probably after we won the division, they probably thought about the playoffs, but until you did the experience, the intensity, just the electricity who is involved in that. And as I said, if a team participates in the playoffs, it will be pretty good, "said Snitker. "So, consistency – to know that we have faced the Dodgers this year and how strong they are, but it's just – I think it was just a great experience for all these young guys from here." have lived the post-season at such a young age. I hope they remember how good we felt when we won the division. And as they head into their off-season and their workouts and when they get spring training, you know, they'll keep an eye on the price. "
After facing a heavyweight, the Braves clearly have some question marks, some of which can be solved by internal development and growth. Markakis is a free agent on hold, leaving a void in the right field with great payroll flexibility and a prominent server farm system to solve it. Kurt Suzuki, who led the two rounds of Atlanta in the fourth game to complete another strong offensive campaign, can also hit the market. The starting rotation and the paddock progressed significantly as the team continued to promote young guns and make deals, but even star star Mike Foltynewicz emphasized the urgent need to resolve the market problems. the team before their next presumed race.
The Atlanta Braves were pretty far in 2018. Los Angeles made that clear in October.
The way forward for Alex Anthopoulos' office, however, is full of potential responses – both within the organization and elsewhere.
Dale Zanine
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