By Jordan Long
The L.A. Dodgers were defeated by the Washington Nationals in game 5 of the National League Division series 7-3 in ten innings, ending their season. It was a disappointing finish for the Dodgers. Even though it was an early playoff exit, the Dodgers will bring back manager Dave Roberts whose contract won’t expire until the end of the 2022 season.
Roberts has been a successful manager for the Dodgers the past 4 years. L.A. won the National League West Division every season under him. The Dodgers have advanced to the World Series twice and once to the NLCS. Roberts record is an outstanding 393-256, a winning percentage of .606.
The Dodgers had their best record with Roberts on the bench this year. They ended the regular season 106-56, the best record in the National League. The only team better than them in baseball was the Houston Astros who won 107 games. The Dodgers won the National League West Division by 21 games.
The reason for the Dodgers remarkable regular season was offense and their pitching. Their offense ranked 10th in all of baseball with a team batting average of .257. They were able to hit the long ball and totaled 279 home runs. Offensively, the Dodgers were a dangerous team. It didn’t matter who was at bat because they could smack the ball for base hits or home runs.
The pitching kept the Dodgers in games with the best team ERA in MLB at 3.37. Pitchers were able to go deep in games, saving Roberts from going to the bullpen. The Dodgers’ starting pitching had an exceptional ERA at 3.11. When Roberts went to the bullpen late in games, relievers stepped up and did their job with an ERA of 3.78.
When it came to the postseason, the Dodgers offense couldn’t get going. Batters were hitting the baseball but it wasn’t for base hits. Those were pop flies or ground outs, ending with an average of .220. The Dodgers still hit the ball out of the yard with 9 home runs.
The offense wasn’t the only reason they were defeated in 5 games. Roberts mismanaged the bullpen, especially in game 5. Game 5 is all hands on deck since it is win or go home. In a game with a 2 run lead, he decided to bring in his ace, Clayton Kershaw, to close out the 7th inning and stay in the 8th inning, hoping to keep the lead. Kershaw gave up 2 solo home runs in the 8th to tie the game. Roberts should have let somebody else pitch because Kershaw is not a bullpen pitcher nor has he been historically great in the postseason with a career ERA of 4.43.
It isn’t that bad since the Dodgers headed into the 10th inning all tied at 3. They had one of the best closers in all of baseball in the bullpen, Kenley Jansen, who could have pitched the 10th. Roberts decided to go with Joe Kelly who gave up 2 walks and 2 hits, including the grand slam by Howie Kendrick before going to Jansen when it was too late, which cost them a trip to the NLCS.
Despite the playoff failure, Roberts should have another chance even though the postseason results weren’t there. It was a good season for the Dodgers, but not a great one since they didn’t win the Pennant or the World Series. It is smart they are keeping Roberts. If the Dodgers let Roberts go, he would have been in high demand especially for the managerial openings in Major League Baseball. Now Roberts can focus on 2020 and trying to win the World Series with the Dodgers.
Leave a Reply