The Dodgers narrowly survived a five-game tilt with their rival Giants, but now they must quickly turn the page and prepare for a seven-game NLCS rematch with the Atlanta Braves. Unfortunately for Dodger fans, the club will continue without star first baseman Max Muncy. The injury the knocked Muncy out of the lineup in game 162 will keep him out at least through the World Series.
Here’s how the rest of the roster breaks down for the NLCS…
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Phil Bickford
- Walker Buehler
- Tony Gonsolin
- Brusdar Graterol
- Kenley Jansen
- Joe Kelly
- Corey Knebel
- Evan Phillips
- Max Scherzer
- Blake Treinen
Left-Handed Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
The most notable subtraction from the NLDS roster is southpaw David Price. He’s essentially replaced on the roster by the southpaw Bruihl. Though Price was on the NLDS roster, he did not appear in a game against the Giants. Bruihl provided the Dodgers with a more traditional bullpen lefty while giving up the potential length provided by Price. The veteran Price has plenty of postseason experience, whereas Bruihl is a 24-year-old rookie with just 21 big league games under his belt.
Regardless, it will be Bruihl in the bullpen alongside Vesia preparing for showdowns with Freddie Freeman, Eddie Rosario, or Joc Pederson. Bruihl faced 43 lefties over his 18 1/3 Major League innings, compared to just 30 right-handers. Those same-handed hitters struggled to a .150/.209/.150 mark with just six hits – none for extra bases. Of course, Freeman is usually protected in the lineup by righty Austin Riley, and with the three-batter rule, Bruihl likely won’t escape usage against opposite-handed hitters if he makes an appearance.
They also removed outfielder/first baseman Billy McKinney from the roster. The well-traveled McKinney had mostly been used as a late game replacement at first base. With Beatty, Pujols, and Bellinger on the roster, however, that’s a role the Dodgers should have no trouble filling. Manager Dave Roberts likely trusts both Beatty and Bellinger at first late in games, depending on what the match-ups at the plate dictate.
What is interesting is that the Dodgers chose to add an additional pitcher for this round. Right-hander Evan Phillips will give Roberts another arm with which to mix-and-match. They now have 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Phillips, 27, is a well-traveled righty who has logged innings in his professional career with the Braves, Orioles, Rays, and Dodgers. He made one appearance with Tampa this season before being claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. He appeared seven times down the stretch for the Dodgers, logging more than one inning in five of those seven outings.
The decision to remove McKinney and add Phillips leaves Roberts with a five-man bench. Most days, Pujols, Barnes, Beatty, Souza Jr., and Lux will be available to Roberts off the bench.
As for the rotation, the Dodgers are going with a bullpen game in game one, with Knebel serving as the opener, just as he did in game five against the Giants. Scherzer and Buehler should line up for games two and three.
Jansen will find a way to blow it
Atlanta has been a good story since Acuna went down, but the magic ends with this series. I’m calling Dodgers in 5.
Similar opinion but Dodgers in 6.
Thanks for the insightful update on the 2019/2020 Dodgers.
Nothing new under the sun
Astros beating the Dodgers with Correa as MVP will be the ultimate own
And, a huge 10-year contract with the Yanks.
Jansen has been lights out and set the Giants up for elimination with his scoreless 8th
amk Haters gonna hate.
Overachiever poster boy Giants got Bounced in the first round. LOL
The Padres have won ONE World Series game in their 53-year history. You guys are the last fans in the world who should be talking trash.
No the Padres have been in 2 World Series but have never won one. Lost to the Tigers in 1984 and Yankees in 1998.
Hard to win a World Series when you’ve been in two and have won just one game.
Easier to win a few World Series titles when your teams were loaded up with cheating, roided up players while the Commissioners office
winks and looks the other way
saying “well boys will be boys”…
(It’s the billions in TV money.
Who cares about honesty and integrity…)
Braves have a huge advantage at home. Dodgers aren’t going to know what hit them tonight.
Then you have to face Fried, Morton, Anderson.
It’s looking like an Astros-Braves World Series to me
I love the Braves and i hope you right but that train is coming fast!
How do the Braves have a huge advantage at home? They were 42 and 38 at home this year. Even if the Dodgers take 1 of 2 in Atlanta they go back to Dodger stadium to play the next 3 games in the series. The Dodgers had the best home record in all of baseball going 58 and 23 in the regular season.
I’ll take Scherzer, Buehler and Urias any day, month or year as would every team including the Braves.
Braves have seen 6.5 years of Scherzer from his time with the Nats. They’ve beat him up pretty good lately. Scherzer killed them during the rebuild but so did everyone else. Anyhow Scherzer is 10-9 w/ a 3.88 ERA against the Braves
Smacky so what?
Lmaooooo
I’m glad people keep doubting the Braves. It will be a great series.
Dodgers / Red Sox World Series – MLB will make it happen for the sake of TV viewership.
Please tell us how they will “make it happen.”
For people who don’t know the theory here is what I know. All the umps have a patch on their uniform that says FTX which is the main crypto currency used by the MLB. Likewise sports books such as Draft Kings uses FTX. The patch is actually a buzzer that buzzes in calls set by code so the MLB doesn’t lose money on the betting of games. So yeah that’s about it. Do I believe it? No, but that is the theory rn.
Interesting theory there hadn’t heard it before. Thanks for the breakdown.
Did Q send you?
He could tell you, but you know what would have to happen next.
Yeah, the MLB that takes in billions every year cares about what some nerds are doing on Draftkings. Please join the real world that doesn’t care about fake gambling sites and ridiculous crypto schemes.
This kind of ridiculous nonsense comes from the same clowns that say the 2020 presidential election was Stolen . LOL
Astros/Dodgers, Correa MVP
Astros/Dodgers, Scherzer MVP
“Make it happen”? This isn’t the NBA.
Poor Sacramento Kings, they know well that the NBA will do anything to make sure the Lakers beat them in the conference final. On the other hand the Kings could of taken the game out of the Refs hand if they even shot league average at the free throw line, man did they choke in game 7
Rick Pernell – Lol – mlb will make it happen….lol
My prediction is for a low-scoring series between two great teams. My guess, Urias will be MVP against Atlanta again.
I’m happy that Price will have more time to play Fortnite.
The picture to this article kills me. I don’t know why lol…
Yeah, anytime the article is about Price they use that pic and it is pretty great.
Did Dennis Eckersly have a say in this?
Eck always had a lot of hair on his fastball
Eckonism there Lefty? Gotta’ love those words Eck drops to describe various aspects of the game when he calls them.
Like him, dislike him, he isn’t boring in the booth, but 1 thing would like to bring up.. When Eck was pitching? he wasn’t a power guy on the mound, so not a lot of hair on his FB.
Eck had a great fastball for his generation. In those days, you could count guys who threw 98+ on one hand.
I knew one local guy that threw well over 100 MPH in the 1960’s. Nobody here likely ever heard of him because he never made the majors, but he was in the Orioles farm system and played for Earl Weaver.
One year the dude struck out 262 and walked 262. In one extra-inning game he walked 16 and struck out 27, throwing 283 pitches.
When he was just 18 years old he faced Ted Williams once in spring training, this is how Sports Illustrated wrote about it:
“The catcher held the ball for a few seconds a few inches under Williams’ chin. Williams looked back at it, then at Dalkowski, squinting at him from the mound, and then he dropped his bat and stepped out of the cage … [Williams] told [reporters] he had not seen the pitch, that Steve Dalkowski was the fastest pitcher he ever faced and that he would be damned if he would ever face him again if he could help it.”
Isn’t there some kind of article on the net regarding this guy? Seem to remember seeing one few years back and about how hard he threw and how wild he was, tho nothing about the Ted AB.
Someone like him, who also threw exceptionally hard during that period, was known to approach 150+ pitches a game regularly and also have walk totals close to equaling his massive K totals was a guy I bring up regularly here in “Bullet” Bob Veale, who could reach 100mph during his run in the mid 1960’s with the Pirates. He lost a few ticks after arm problems in late 60’s, but still threw harder than most by time boston had him his final years as a reliever in early 70’s.
johnsilver – Yes there’s a few articles on Dalkowski. Also, he was the inspiration for the Nuke LaLoosh character in Bull Durham.
Yes an Eck-Ism!!!
And how are you Silver?
Moss.
Scherzer pitched on Oct. 11 (110 pitches), then 13 pitches (after warming up) on the 14th which would have been his normal bullpen day.. Scherzer starts Game 1 of NLCS.
Gonsolin all the way
Already announced, Knebel as the opener, which probably means Gonsolin as the bulk guy. But the Dodgers are showing they are prepared to go unconventional on the pitching, so anything could happen.
Steven Souza Jr.?
He’s given the Dodgers really good ABs in his limited opportunities this postseason.
I won’t do a series prediction, but Will Smith is definitely blowing a save in this series
Against the Dodgers? Not likely
He did it last year vs. the Dodgers
While pitching against Will Smith?
Its honestly sad to see David Price’s decent from stardom. I personally believe the way he has been used as a pitcher since coming over from Boston has been severely detrimental to his career. I still believe there’s a top of the rotation starter in there.
At best, Price is a no. 4 starter for an average team. No dominate pitches to be a late inning reliever. His time as a top of rotation guy is behind him.
I disagree with this assertion, but to each there own.
He opted out last year, stunk in pre season. He was given every opportunity to start after May went down but couldn’t hack it. Boston didn’t agree to pay 1/2 of his 36 million dollar salary (after he was traded) because he was a top of the rotation guy.
Saying David Price couldn’t hack it reads a bit cruel. I’m glad Price a Dodger. He’s a quality human being who can play for my team anytime. This is a guy who gave $1,000 per man to 190 Dodgers minor leaguers he’d never met. Think about that. Price has never disgraced an organization. He’s also won a Cy Young Award and finished second twice. He’s similar to Chase Utley, Albert Pujols, and latter-day Russell Martin in that his value lies beyond the numbers. Having a guy like that in the dugout is a gift to younger players who can learn from him. It sure beats having then hand around Trevor Bauer.
I watched him pitch a lot against Yankees earlier in his career and a few times this year. His best stuff is behind him.
No one denies that, but Price still has a positive impact on the team. He brings leadership and a world of baseball wisdom he can communicate to younger players. Andrew Friedman’s relationship with Price goes back to the beginning of DP’s career. Price was more than just a throw-in in the Betts trade.
Interestingly, while Friedman was still working for the Rays in 2014, he offered Price to the Dodgers in a trade. In return, Friedman wanted prospects Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, and Julio Urias. Thankfully, Ned Colleti turned the deal down.
*them hang around those arthritic fingers)
Cey I wasn’t commenting on his person but his pitching ability. There is a reason he hasn’t pitched much.
Cey Hey2 hours ago
Saying David Price couldn’t hack it reads a bit cruel.
====================
It’s not cruel unless maybe you just want a nicer way of saying he can’t hack it. I liked him in Boston. I was glad he took ERod’s side when Eckersley criticized him. He is a complete standup guy.
But all things come to an end.
Joe – Correction, Eck never criticized ERod. All he did was say “Yuck” in reference to ERod’s AA rehab outing.
If a performance is ugly, there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging it. Most people love Eck’s candor and prefer it over the blatant homerism of broadcasters on other teams.
Price has always had a lot of baggage, has always been controversial, and has always been soft and thin-skinned. He didn’t win many fans with his verbal attack of Eck, or for his injury caused by his video game addiction. He made a fool of himself shooting his mouth off about supposedly no former teammates speaking for Eck’s documentary, which turned out to be a flat-out lie.
And let’s not forget the feud he started with David Ortiz, who absolutely hated the guy until he was forced to get along with him as teammates.
Socalbum- agreed. Price’s best years are way behind him. He did well for Boston in 2018, but most fans forget he came up in 2008. He pitched well against the Red Sox in the ALCS 2008 for a TB team that went to its first WS.
He’s had too many physical problems to be used as starter this year, and keep in mind he opted out of the 2020 season.
He was an above average starter in Boston at best before the Dodgers had anything to do with him. There’s nothing about Price that suggests he is a top of the rotation arm other than nostalgia. 36 years old is well into the range at which elite starters just can’t cut it anymore.
Price is batting practice today
Flat fastball,, not enough juice in the secondary pitches to survive w/out it
The Dodgers would gladly trade him next year for someone to shed 5 mill off his 16 owed in his last contract year while they eat the remaining 11 mill
Nah, keep him (though I suspect he might retire). Having Price on board is similar to Chase Utley’s time as a Dodger. He’s a positive influence on the team.
Cey they have plenty of vets. Why pay 16 million and whatever tax that might cause? They won last year without him. He takes up a roster spot.
I agree on everything outside the lines Cey
I was blown away early Covid when Price was one of the FIRST players in all MLB to pay the young kids straight out of his pocket on a team HE had never even put the Uniform on himself in live action
Between the lines I disagree tho…We are getting Ferguson back, bruihl looks better and Vesia has been awesome….. Still have that Alexander fella but I assume he is a cut as he makes double what those others guys do,,,Every penny counts
If theres a team willing to pay 5 mill for his services and relive some Dodger payroll issues the Dodgers will jump at it imo for nothing more than salary relief and a lottery ticket we probably never see take the big league field
If throws a 7 era he’ll lose his spot. But as long as there aren’t multiple guys knocking down the AAA door, which there wasn’t this year, what does Price hurt? Especially knowing he is a positive influence in the clubhouse?
But there are several guys knocking on the pens door tho McCourt
Ferguseon back
May back 2nd half
Kahnle will be here
Bruil might be the best apples to aples comp and he’s just simply better today
Pepoit will be here soon…I Think we see Bobby Miller by Sept as well
And then you got guys like Bickford and Vesia who are complete locks now on top of all that. All this before i Even mention the cream of the crop ..
I don’t see the room in all honesty… Fried has gotten better building pens every year, a key to that is giving them a run-way to take off like Bickford had…No runway No Bickford….Price is a stalled vehicle at this stage, can’t give him an outright 26 man spot on the best team in the Bigs with yearly WS aspirations just off the name on his back
@Cap & Crunch and BeforeMcCourt, although it would be unusual, it wouldn’t surprise me if Price calls it a career. Either way, the team is deep in pitching and just won 106 games. Ferguson, Kahnle, May return. From the looks of things, Bobby Miller is advancing rapidly and will be the next kid to move on up. An interesting one is Jansen, who I wouldn’t mind coming back at a reduced rate. But given his strong season, there might be someone out there willing to sign him to a bigger deal (there always is).
I agree I wouldn’t be surprised by a retirement as well
I know it sounds rough, I like the guy, and on 20+ other teams there’s a way to shoehorn him in for one last year….just not this team ….at this time ……….
W/ Jansen…..Idk….man, I just don’t know in all honesty …..Ofc it will depend on the Price/Length…..
I’m not a pay Rp’s huge money guy, but he’s meant a ton to this franchise the last decade and he still has plenty left ….it will be an interesting one to watch for sure… I will say max years I’d go is 3 ; any 4th year would have to be team option
David Price to the Oakland A’s next year to become their Ace?
No way Id let Freeman beat me this series –
Double digit walks by the end of the series for him wouldn’t bother me at all
I like the Bruhil add, should get some solid 3 batter stretches at the tp this series
Dumb to not include Price.
Hope that armchair is comfy. No, please, don’t get up.
Per Andy McCullough, here’s an interesting bit on how the Dodgers went about their decision to use Corey Knebel as an opener against the Giants. Yet another example of a top-flight organization doing things the right way.
When the Dodgers officials decided on this plan, they agreed to hit the kill switch if any player raised an objection.
Team officials needed [Julio Urias’] endorsement before moving forward.
“He earned the right to pitch in this game,” Prior said. “If he said, ‘No, I want it,’ he was going to get it.”
On the flight to the Bay Area, Roberts and Prior approached Urías. The 25-year-old listened to the strategy. He agreed to go along with it. He understood the value of stealing outs atop the game and forcing the Giants to empty the bench. Knebel and Graterol were also keen on it.
The coaches canvassed a variety of clubhouse leaders. They checked with Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler. They met with Treinen and Jansen. They asked Mookie Betts, Justin Turner and Corey Seager. There was no dissent. “When they were on board, it made sense,” Prior said. “Everyone is in it to win it. Let’s go.”
I’d read that piece. Nice work by the FO and by management to come up with that game plan and execute on it.
And to clear it with everyone rather than risk clubhouse turmoil and second-guessing. It was a good plan that fortunately worked out (as baseball fans, we know that isn’t always the case). It also shows that managers aren’t just puppets to the front office. There’s a human element involved when it comes to making decisions that affect the players on the team.
Dunno about puppetry but I did get the distinct impression that the plan was hatched in the FO and it was the job of field management to implement and sell it to the players. That’s the way I believe baseball works with most teams these days.
In my opinion, it’s a positive aspect to the modern game: the front office and field manager working together for a common goal. The days of managers making decisions based on gut instinct are mercifully gone. It’s a big reason why Mattingly was replaced by Roberts. In reality, it gives the field manager more responsibility, not less. Understanding the data and communicating it to players while not losing the clubhouse is critical. And it’s known that the Roberts clubhouse is a mighty step up on the Mattingly one (as a Dodger fan, I assume you know why).
I figure it is what it is, and how I feel about it isn’t going to make any difference. I would only say that when it seems like a manager is making strange moves, at least on a team like the Dodgers, to keep in mind that it isn’t driven by what he had for lunch that day. Whether it works or not is down to the FO at least as much as it is to the manager because he is definitely not making these decisions in any sort of vacuum. Even knowing this a lot of fans still like to rain on the manager’s parade because he’s the one wearing the uniform, and the FO guys you wouldn’t recognize if you were standing in line next to them at Starbucks.
Well said Blue
BlueSkies_LA, Moving forward, this might be an area where non-playing members of the Hall of Fame are selected differently, with the executive more closely tied to the HOF manager. For instance, if Dave Roberts winds up being a HOF manager, his front-office collaborator should also be enshrined. With the exception of a couple of Yankee combos and Schuerholz/Cox in Atlanta, that hasn’t been the case in the past. By the way, Schuerholz and Cox were together in Atlanta for just seven years. Like Friedman, Schuerlolz had an impressive record in his prior stop with the Royals. Friedman’s effect on the modern game has been immense.
Julio Urias had more RBI in the NLDS than Yaz, Dickerson, Slater, Duggar, Wade Jr and Casali COMBINED. LOL
I can’t dump on the Giants. They had a great year and I enjoyed watching them, despite the rivalry. Baseball needs more good teams and the Giants are really good and have a bright future. I’m also happy for Gabe Kapler, who was crucified here in the Philly area for his team missing the playoffs. Fans insisted the Phils needed a proven winner like Joe Girardi. Firing the manager almost never solves the problem.
One more thing from this Dodger fan: Superstars Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager knocked in zero runs in the 2019 series against the Nats despite having ample opportunities. Combined, they had terrible post-season stats in their careers. Many Dodger fans spent that off-season demanding Seager be traded for Francisco Lindor. Where are those people today? Where were they last October?
Seager , Cody and that kid Lux came up big for LA
TonyGwynnSD19,
In regard to choosing a manager and player moves, what do you want to see from the Padres this winter?
By the way, sometimes a disappointing season can do wonders for a team. Reflect on what went wrong, decide what you personally can do to make things better, and try again. The Padres have a whole off-season to think about what went wrong. If the players approach it the right way, that might not be a terrible; thing.
First of all , a new manager is key. Tingler was the wrong guy. This group of players needs a guy they respect and sort of relate to. Personally, I think Beltran would be perfect. He’s bilingual, ex player that performed on he field. The problem w/ Beltran is there is baggage from Astros scandal and he has no managing experience. As far as other options , I’d like to see maybe a Brad Ausmus Skip Schumaker type.
As far as roster moves, For a start, I’d like a Joc Pederson / Will Meyers platoon split
Ouch.. Phillips, Souza, Bruhli over Price. Dodgers will miss Joc and Kike this post season too. Let’s see if Lux continues his run..
Your comment is awaiting moderation…
Does this pop up because I been bad or is this something new?
Padres will never win a world series unless they send cheerleaders to the field to distract the other team. It doesn’t matter who manages or who they sign.
David Price SHOULD be yanked from roster for the series – he ditched the team last year because he was afraid he’d be HIV-positive, errr, I mean afraid he’d get the “scary virus”……..oooooo…scary! Ahooooooooooooo! (Hahahahahaha!!!)
What a stupid comment.
It’s beyond your ability to understand.
I’m sure you’re one of those fools who wears a mask outdoors.
Where is the thumbs down button
Just contact the Mets, they will do the thumbs down for you.
Your IQ is lower than Bryce Harper’s jersey number..
Price to the Rays in free agency. He goes 14-7 and makes 28 starts. What’s more Rays than that?
Padres fans are so bitter. Just like the charges fans were now their in LA doing well until today. beautiful city with strong fan base but a go nowhere club. Again it doesn’t matter who manages or who they sign they suck and will always suck. America’s finest city what a joke beautiful stadium but with huge homeless population outside from 11th to imperial ave lol!
I’m starting my new business for Padres fans…tee-shirts wait till next year.. lol be rich
Price is a good example of how the Dodgers do business. Price may still be a name as good as he wed and I hope one day he’s close to the price I enjoyed watching but this is playoff baseball not spring training. Out your best foot forward