The Dodgers lost the rubber match and ended up the season with an 8-11 record against San Francisco this year. But the Dodgers, 36-37 against the NL West, are going to the playoffs while the Giants, 42-31 against the NL West are not. This is because the Dodgers went 55-31 against the rest of the majors, while the Giants went a dismal 32-54. But enough math!
The Dodgers' loss...demonstrated that Edinson Volquez might be passable as a fourth starter (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 4 Ks). Paco Rodriguez, who lost the game on an eighth-inning Angel Pagan HR, might be a bit worn. And the offense wasn't fully clicking; Carl Crawford had a first-inning triple and scored on an Adrian Gonzalez sacrifice; Juan Uribe and Mark Ellis strung consecutive doubles to notch another run.
But the Dodgers have more important games to consider, especially with their fate solidifying as the third-best division-leading record in the NL. This would put the Dodgers on the road for the first two games of the NLDS, with home games October 6 and 7 (and a final fifth game on the road, if necessary). Both Atlanta (54-24 at home) and St. Louis (51-27) are formidable at home, so I suppose it's a tossup.
The Giants win...vaults them ahead of the Mets in the standings, making them the 12th worst team in the majors. This is a good thing. On top of that, Tim Lincecum (7.0 IP of 2 ER ball) didn't look all that bad last night. So the Giants should really be picking up Lincecum (10-14 this season; ND last night) on a long-term deal. Absolutely.
2 comments:
So the Giants should really be picking up Lincecum on a long-term deal...
before Ned does
I am antsy for the playoffs
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