Post-NLCS Game 4 Thread: Jackson Chourio Goes 0-for-5 with 1 K

BREWERS 5, DODGERS 4

You know why no National League Team has ever won three straight World Series? Because it's fucking difficult.

And the Dodgers certainly proved that rule tonight. Stoked to a 4-0 lead early off an unexpected Shohei Ohtani three-run HR, the Dodgers look like the sleeping giant might have awakened...except he then went right back to sleep. The Dodgers went back to their anti-RISP ways, stranding men all over the basepaths without scoring another run the rest of the game.

The Brewers, meanwhile, mounted their slow drip-feed comeback that tore the Dodgers guts out: two runs in the fourth, two runs in the fifth, and a Garrett Mitchell HR in the sixth. And after Tyler Glasnow eased through the first three innings, his wheels rolled off in the fourth, as did Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott, and Edwin Diaz--another all-around shit effort.

Six Dodgers batted Mendoza or worse this postseason: Ohtani, Freeddie Freeman, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez, Kiké Hernandez, and Tommy Edman. Kyle Tucker was actually the best Dodger hitter this postseason, batting .333 with a .938 OPS.

Whatever voodoo Tucker took to make him start hitting unfortunately sapped any strength out of the rest of the lineup. Wish we could have gone back to the time when Tucker wasn't hitting, but everyone else was.

Alas, the Dodgers' dynasty comes to an end in the 2026 NLCS with a drubbing of a sweep. Congratulations, Milwaukee--you certainly outplayed us and deserve to move on.

We need an ice bath. And some Ben Gay.

NLCS Game 4 Thread: Oct 15 vs. Brewers, 5p

Tyler Glasnow vs. TBD.

This series has been a spanking, but at least it's a full team loss where everyone is to blame.

All the talk before Game 3 was about Shohei Ohtani, "adamant" that he was healthy enough to start, but clearly just as feeble in Game 3. He's injured, he should not be playing, and what's worse, the Dodgers shouldn't be capitulating to his whims (though hopefully, this sets a foundation for future discussions). I actually think it is worse for Ohtani's legacy to insist on playing like this.

But Ohtani isn't the only problem. We have two XBH this whole series: a double by Kyle Tucker and a double by Will Smith (which briefly gave us the lead last night). Everyone in the lineup--Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, Smith, Kiké Hernandez, Tommy Edman--looks thoroughly lost. Only Tucker, Miguel Rojas, and Muncy have OPS above .800 this postseason.

We haven't gotten more than one hit with RISP in any of the the three games this NLCS, a collective 2-for-16. When we get leadoff runners on, which happened frequently last night, we can't score them.

Our starters didn't last in either Games 1 or 2, and then even in Game 3, Blake Snell (who was sailing pretty well after giving up a leadoff HR in the first) ruptured in the seventh.

Was that manager Dave Roberts' fault for leaving Snell in too long? Possibly, though that wasn't Roberts' only gaffe last night managing the lineup, sending Muncy and Kiké Hernandez up for wasted strikeout ABs, while wasting the slot of Andy Pages (the team's best defender) as well as Josue De Paula (who was incomprehensibly announced at the end of a stuggling Juan Uribe stint, only to have Brewers manager Pat Murphy wait to select and announce his reliever, which then moved Roberts to waste De Paula and slot in Hernandez (to poor results)).

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times played back how Roberts explained every single one of his calls last night, none of which worked out. I am a Roberts fan, and have seen him improve his ability to make in-game decisions during his tenure. But last night was a f'ing disaster.

But Roberts isn't playing on the field, so let's get back to those culprits.

Our bullpen has given up runs when we've needed them to be solid. Every time we score a run, the Brewers seem to answer back in the next half-inning, killing any momentum or excitement. Milwaukee's ability to clap back sort of seems a lot like how we used to feel about these Dodgers: "we're never out of it, we can come right back." Talk about a role reversal. I feel like when we scratch across a run, it's always precarious.

I never felt like that in the last two postseasons.

So to sum: bad hitting, no power, bad starters, bad relief, bad management. And this team just looks like everyone suddenly aged overnight--no fight left at all.

Although it hurt to read and accept it, I loved Ken Rosenthal's article in the Athletic about the Dodgers, following Game 2's loss:

It’s not over. But if you were to picture the end of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ championship run, this is how it would look, no?

A physically compromised Shohei Ohtani bearing no resemblance to his usual MVP self. An offensively challenged lineup managing only one extra-base hit in two games. Co-aces Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasting a combined 7 2/3 innings in their two starts.

He's right. It certainly looks like the end of this run.

Hoping the miracle starts tonight.

NLCS Game 3 Thread: Oct 14 vs. Brewers, 5p

Blake Snell (0-0, 2.45) vs. Robert Gasser (0-0, 2.25).

After dropping the first two games of this series, the Dodgers' playoff odds are now behind that of the Brewers, with Los Angeles needing to win four of the next five games to advance.

That doesn't sound good, so we're bringing...Blake Snell to the mound, hot off his mediocre performance in NLDS Game 2 (the only game we lost that series).

Oh yeah, and we have a grand total of one XBH this NLCS: a double by Kyle Tucker, of all people.

For the Brewers, tonight will be a Gasser of a start. Snell's like a loss to me.

NLCS Game 2 Thread: Oct 12 @ Brewers, 2p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Logan Henderson.

We knewMilwaukee was going to make this an alley fight. But the Dodgers are going to have to make this a slugfest if they're going to win this series and beat the small-ball Brewers.

And with the Dodgers going 1-for-6 with RISP, continuing a trend that has carried over from the NLDS--if we don't hit home runs, we are going to be in a lot of trouble.

Not to mention, stop hitting into double plays. Especially inning-ending, rally-killing double plays, Kiké Hernandez.

Meanwhile, again we turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to be the stopper. Sounds familiar, right?

NLCS Game 1 Thread: Oct 11 @ Brewers, 5p

Tarik Skubal vs. Jacob Misiorowski.

This is it, the heavyweight showdown that the world wanted, and a NLCS rematch for two squads that have met three times in the last decade in the NLCS, with the Dodgers prevailing in all prior instances.

This year's series promises to be very different, however. The Brewers are loaded, with a mich better lineup and starting pitching rotation. They small-ball you to death, with a MLB regular-season high of .354 BA with the bases loaded (even though they don't hit many home runs).

And of course, there's the whole small-market David vs. Goliath storyline, which casts its spectre not only over the whole postseason (with three small-market teams left, plus the Dodgers), but the labor discord and lockout that will come later this year.

The Dodgers are the oldest team in the majors. They're injured, with Shohei Ohtani looking feeble at the plate, and cornerstone Will Smith clearly struggling. And the Brewers have home field advantage in this series.

Gulp.

LET'S GO, DODGERS!

Dodgers Win 2026 NLDS

Max Muncy: "Goggles are for the weak."

That was an ironic post-game sentiment from Dodger Max Muncy--the Dodgers' all-time postseason HR leader, with yet another blast in the pivotal Game 4 tonight, in which the Dodgers closed out the NLDS in Atlanta, 4-1.

Tyler Glasnow only lasted 4.2 IP but it was enough for this bullpen, as the Dodgers broke their 0-for-NLDS with RISP streak with a two-run RBI single by Andy Pages, putting the Dodgers up 3-1 before Muncy's ninth-inning capper.

Edwin Diaz closed out the ninth after Tanner Scott had a scoreless eighth inning. And the Dodgers can now rest before Sunday's NLCS opener, with the opponent still TBD as of press time.

Let's go, Dodgers!

NLDS Game 4 Thread: Oct 7 @ Braves, 3p

Postseason Kiké is back.

Tyler Glasnow vs. Tyler Mahle.

Just like Kyle Tucker in NLDS Game 1, an unlikely hero showed up in the postseason for the Dodgers in Game 3. And I'm not talking Kiké Hernandez, whose postseason exploits (17 career postseason HRs, tied for 16th place all-time) are commonplace at this point.

This time, it was new Dodgers closer-turned-reliever Edwin Diaz, who was positively miserable this season before getting injured, and then looked bad afterward until the last couple of weeks in the regular season. Pushed into action to close out Game 3 in the ninth inning, Diaz was a high-wire act but he pulled off the scoreless frame (after a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies, no less), leading the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory in the pivotal NLDS Game 3.

The Dodgers throw Tyler Glasnow today, who seems to always have at least one really bad inning before falling apart in the sixth frame. This series is likely going to five games, then. Great.

NLDS Game 3 Thread: Oct 6 @ Braves, 3p

Yamamoto vs. Sale.

The Dodgers are a combined 0-for-9 with RISP this 2026 NLDS, which is a lot of the reason why Atlanta now has home-field advantage in the series. Oh, and they're starting Chris Sale, who absolutely dominated us in his last outing against the Dodgers: CGSHO, with 5 H and 11 Ks (0 BBs), on August 27, 2026.

We counter with a pitcher that we forced into a gazillion high-leverage situations during our 2025 World Series Championship run. It's not fair, for sure. And in fact, Yamamoto was the losing pitcher that August 27 game against Sale, when he gave up only one run (on only four hits, fewer than the Dodgers!), and still lost.

Meanwhile, on offense, there are many Dodgers who need to figure out how to hit this NLDS, and quickly: Tommy Edman, Will Smith, and of course, the one in the spotlight, Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani in particular looks completely lost at the plate as Braves pitches go down and away and he keeps chasing balls way out of the zone.

I'm not hopeful. As Ken Rosenthal reminded us in his last Dodgers profile, baseball is hard.

Post-NLDS Game 2 Thread: Snellzilla Minus One

BRAVES 3, DODGERS 2

Yes, the Dodgers went 0-for-8 with RISP this evening, only hitting solo home runs to get on the scoreboard--a similar offensive strategy used in Game 1, which had a more favorable outcome.

But tonight's failure all started with a totally ineffective Blake Snell, who took most of the regular season off, all culminating in what the Dodgers need--and expect, for his outrageous contract--a quality start in the postseason.

Snell once again did not deliver, lasting 3.2 IP with only 1 ER but fortunately working around 5 BBs. And his early exit then taxed the Dodgers' bullpen into ways which will have negative ramifications for the rest of this NLDS.

Now the series is tied, heading to Atlanta for Game 3 against their ace. This is not good.

Thanks a lot, Blake!

NLDS Game 2 Thread: Oct 4 vs. Braves, 5p

Kyle Tucker, NLDS HR hitter.

Blake Snell vs. TBD.

I have so many thoughts about yesterday's Game 1 victory, but the mettle is this: the Dodgers are a team built for slug, and if we can hit multiple home runs in a game, it bodes well. I wouldn't have had Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez on my bingo card, but I will take it (as will I Max Muncy's solo shot). And big props to Tarik Skubal for an outstanding performance.

Let's see if Blake Snell can hold serve.

NLDS Game 1 Thread: Oct 3 vs. Braves, 1p

The Braves are coming off an exciting Wild Card series in which the Phillies pushed their ace, Chris Sale, to two outings over three games. Will this help the well-rested Dodgers? Or will the week off have formed rust on the old bones of this lineup?

I am very worried.

I am out of pocket for this game so please keep me posted!

The 2026 MLB Playoff Bracket Is Set

The Dodgers have a first-round bye, and await the winner of Braves-Phillies.

Honestly, all the teams on the NL side of the bracket scare me.

Game 162 Thread: Sept 27 @ Giants, 12n

TBD vs. TBD.

And we've finally reached the endpoint, the last game of the 2026 regular season, and a chance for the Dodgers to...really not do anything besides start resting up for the NLDS.

I do not care about winning 100 games this season. Just stay healthy.

Game 161 Thread: Sept 26 @ Giants, 1p

Blake Snell (4-1, 1.86) vs. Matt Wilkinson (1-3, 3.65).

The Dodgers don't have anything for which to play in the last two days of the season, as we've secured the first-round bye and the #2 seed in the playoffs.

And the Giants also don't anything for which to play, having been eliminated on September 7, 2026.

So how about we just invite the seagulls in early today, and just call it a day? Or maybe that's what the Giants were already thinking, having scheduled the game in the afternoon so they could enjoy the nightlife.

Game 160 Thread: Sept 25 @ Giants, 7.15p

Tarik Skubal (11-7, 2.85) vs. Yunior Marte (0-1, 4.66).

The Dodgers lost the game and the series with the Padres last night, allowing our rivals to celebrate their clinching a playoff berth in our visitng clubhouse. Even still, the Braves' 7-6 loss at home to the Reds (Elly De La Cruz mashed his 30th HR) allowed the Dodgers to back in to the playoff bye seed, thereby solidifying the Dodgers' postseason fate as the #2 NL team.

Who the Dodgers will play coming out of the 4-5 series, though, remains to be seen. As of today, it would be the iwnner of the Phillies-Braves series, which makes me feel better given the Padres and their stingy bullpen look really tough. But scoreboard watching those games: Rays @ Phillies (3.40p), Braves @ Marlins (4p), and Diamondbacks @ Padrees (6.40p), will be interesting as they shape the rest of the NL playoff bracket (and our future opponent).

Game 159 Thread: Sept 23 vs. Padres, 7p

Glasnow vs. Pivetta.

I am on the road today so this is another light post.

Game 158 Thread: Sept 23 vs. Padres, 7p

Ohtani's back.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (14-8, 2.51) vs. Robbie Ray (13-8, 3.50).

After shutting out the Padres yesterday in a bullpen game--dropping the Padres into a three-way tie in the wild card race (with the Cubs and Phillies)--the Dodgers go up against the Giants' castoff, Robbie Ray.

Andy Pages returned to the lineup yesterday (0-for-2 with a BB and a run scored). Shohei Ohtani returns today.

Are the Dodgers finally returning to form?

Game 157 Thread: Sept 22 vs. Padres, 7p

TBD vs. Michael King (12-9, 3.03).

The Padres come into town today for three games, and though both teams' playoff fate is largely set (the Dodgers have a four-game lead over the Phillies for a playoff bye, with a magic number of three; the Padres are tied with the Cubs for the first wild card position, a game ahead of the Phillies and five games ahead of the Diamondbacks).

But that still doesn't make thie series any less scary. With Halloween around the corner, this is just the type of series between hated rivals that might make the Padres go "Boo."

Don't let your guards down, Dodgers!

Game 156 Thread: Sept 20 vs Giants, 1p

TBD vs. Wilkinson.

Sorry, still out of pocket. But i watched last night's game from the Bay Area and it was awesome.

Game 155 Thread: Sept 19 vs. Giants, 6p

Skubal vs Marte.