Series Thread: NLDS: Dodgers vs Padres

[bksballer89]

Does the dodgers title in 2020 even count?

 

[calsnowskier]

Does the dodgers title in 2020 even count?

The MLB was canceled in ‘20. I don’t know what they are talking about.

 

[boltfan72]

yeah, if they didn't grab that 2020 ring they would definitely be considered "snakebitten"

But it came with an asterisk. 60 game season... no fans...

 

[duke1861]

But it came with an asterisk. 60 game season... no fans...

Why is there an asterisk and what are you even saying? So fans must be present for a World Series to be legitimate?

The Dodgers have made the World Series 3 times in the past 6 years. The Padres have made the playoffs 3 times in 16 years total.

In 2 of those World Series (2017 and 2018), they faced teams that literally broke the rules and cheated. The Astros literally cheated to win the World Series in 2017 while the 2018 Red Sox cheated in the regular season. Can you name another team that has faced back-to-back cheaters in a World Series? Are there asterisks by the 2017 and 2018 World Series champions? I am not saying the 2017 and 2018 World Series should automatically go to the Dodgers but we all know LA would have beaten the Astros without their sign-stealing system in place. It is amazing that so many MLB fans magically forget that. You are saying that an asterisk should be present with the 2020 Dodgers World Series but I doubt you would say the same about the 2017 Astros and 2018 Red Sox.

Congrats on your win. The Padres showed up and out-hit and out-pitched the Dodgers. One could say they got out-managed as well and as an LA fan, I would agree. The Padres were the better team...it is that simple.

This much I will tell you, Friedman will not make the same mistake twice and sit on his hands as another team makes multiple trades at the deadline. Friedman will use a combination of the LA farm system and free agents to upgrade the roster and be ready next year for the playoffs. Friedman has proven he can build an elite regular season team; however, he has failed to build a consent post-season winner. We will see if the Padres flurry of moves and selling the farm will match the continued success LA has had since Friedman arrived. I can't wait for next year and I am sure the LA players will be ready as well.

 

[boltfan72]

Why is there an asterisk and what are you even saying? So fans must be present for a World Series to be legitimate?

The Dodgers have made the World Series 3 times in the past 6 years. The Padres have made the playoffs 3 times in 16 years total.

In 2 of those World Series (2017 and 2018), they faced teams that literally broke the rules and cheated. The Astros literally cheated to win the World Series in 2017 while the 2018 Red Sox cheated in the regular season. Can you name another team that has faced back-to-back cheaters in a World Series? Are there asterisks by the 2017 and 2018 World Series champions? I am not saying the 2017 and 2018 World Series should automatically go to the Dodgers but we all know LA would have beaten the Astros without their sign-stealing system in place. It is amazing that so many MLB fans magically forget that. You are saying that an asterisk should be present with the 2020 Dodgers World Series but I doubt you would say the same about the 2017 Astros and 2018 Red Sox.

Congrats on your win. The Padres showed up and out-hit and out-pitched the Dodgers. One could say they got out-managed as well and as an LA fan, I would agree. The Padres were the better team...it is that simple.

This much I will tell you, Friedman will not make the same mistake twice and sit on his hands as another team makes multiple trades at the deadline. Friedman will use a combination of the LA farm system and free agents to upgrade the roster and be ready next year for the playoffs. Friedman has proven he can build an elite regular season team; however, he has failed to build a consent post-season winner. We will see if the Padres flurry of moves and selling the farm will match the continued success LA has had since Friedman arrived. I can't wait for next year and I am sure the LA players will be ready as well.

An asterisk doesn't strip them of their World Series win. An asterisk simply notes that they won in a 60 game season rather than a 162 game season. It's certainly a big difference, but the Dodgers were certainly the best team in that shortened season.

And of course there should be an asterisk next to Houston's title, but to assume the Dodgers would've won had that not happened is a bit of a stretch. It's not like Houston became a cellar dweller after their cheating was exposed. Just like the Patriots kept winning Super Bowls after their cheating was exposed.

And you can tell me all you want about the Dodger success in the past 10 years, 50 years, however far you want to go. This is the first time in my 42 years as a Padres fan that we've had an owner willing to sustain a top 5 payroll. As long as that continues the Padres will continue to compete.

 

[duke1861]

An asterisk doesn't strip them of their World Series win. An asterisk simply notes that they won in a 60 game season rather than a 162 game season. It's certainly a big difference, but the Dodgers were certainly the best team in that shortened season.

And of course there should be an asterisk next to Houston's title, but to assume the Dodgers would've won had that not happened is a bit of a stretch. It's not like Houston became a cellar dweller after their cheating was exposed. Just like the Patriots kept winning Super Bowls after their cheating was exposed.

And you can tell me all you want about the Dodger success in the past 10 years, 50 years, however far you want to go. This is the first time in my 42 years as a Padres fan that we've had an owner willing to sustain a top 5 payroll. As long as that continues the Padres will continue to compete.

LA went 2-1 in HOU and obviously, the sign stealing contributed to that. The series went to game 7 as you know. I am sure ANY fan of a team that lost to the 2017 Astros would feel the same way. Much like the 2018 Red Sox, the Astros did most likely NOT need to cheat. There again, hitting a HR off of Chapman back in 2017 is close to impossible. As much as I hate to say it, the Astros have maintained a lot of success since then. I wish Manfried was not a coward and would strip them of the WS title.

I would actually like the LA payroll to drop. Main reason is that I believe in building a robust farm system and developing talent that way. I also get tired of hearing that LA attempts to buy the World Series each year. The Mets had the top payroll in the MLB in 2022, yet, I heard little to nothing about "buying the World Series" until LA got beat by San Diego. I would settle for a top 10 payroll, but I am not interested in a top 3 payroll ever again.

What SD did was a gamble and it could backfire. The SD farm system is now depleted and almost the worst in baseball. Will that depth be missed? That remains to be seen. LA has the 2nd best farm system but Friedman holds on to these players and seldom does much with them. I am hoping that he uses drafted players to fill in holes instead of going after high-priced free agents. There again, it took SD one trade deadline to pass the Dodgers.

Updated farm system rankings for 2022

Adley Rutschman was one of the main reasons why the Orioles topped MLB Pipeline's farm system rankings at midseason in 2021 and again entering this season. Baseball's best catching prospect in years, he has made a case for being the game's best catcher since arriving in Baltimore in late May

www.mlb.com

 

[Cedrique]

But it came with an asterisk. 60 game season... no fans...

I don't see any asterisk next to it. Plus my cousin is in California. He says his cardboard cutout has been talking about that series and nothing else for the last 2 years.

 

[10HtownRebs]

Let's all take a minute and LOL @ The Dodgers

All I heard for the last month is... This is the best team by a mile... This team won so many games they can't be beat.. They have the deepest pen in all of baseball... It's the Dodgers vs whoever makes it to the world series to get beat by them... Never bet against the Dodgers... This is a thousand year team...

Bunch of overrated bitches... LOL

 

[boltfan72]

LA went 2-1 in HOU and obviously, the sign stealing contributed to that. The series went to game 7 as you know. I am sure ANY fan of a team that lost to the 2017 Astros would feel the same way. Much like the 2018 Red Sox, the Astros did most likely NOT need to cheat. There again, hitting a HR off of Chapman back in 2017 is close to impossible. As much as I hate to say it, the Astros have maintained a lot of success since then. I wish Manfried was not a coward and would strip them of the WS title.

I would actually like the LA payroll to drop. Main reason is that I believe in building a robust farm system and developing talent that way. I also get tired of hearing that LA attempts to buy the World Series each year. The Mets had the top payroll in the MLB in 2022, yet, I heard little to nothing about "buying the World Series" until LA got beat by San Diego. I would settle for a top 10 payroll, but I am not interested in a top 3 payroll ever again.

What SD did was a gamble and it could backfire. The SD farm system is now depleted and almost the worst in baseball. Will that depth be missed? That remains to be seen. LA has the 2nd best farm system but Friedman holds on to these players and seldom does much with them. I am hoping that he uses drafted players to fill in holes instead of going after high-priced free agents. There again, it took SD one trade deadline to pass the Dodgers.

Updated farm system rankings for 2022

Adley Rutschman was one of the main reasons why the Orioles topped MLB Pipeline's farm system rankings at midseason in 2021 and again entering this season. Baseball's best catching prospect in years, he has made a case for being the game's best catcher since arriving in Baltimore in late May

www.mlb.com

We'll never know if Houston would've lost or not. That's what makes the cheating so shitty. They might have a ring but they certainly know there's a cloud over that season.

I'm not necessarily saying the Dodgers are trying to buy championships. But when you don't have parity with payrolls throughout the league, spending more gives you one more tool to put talent on the field. Some teams don't have that.

Padres have a big payroll now. They won 89 games. It's not a guarantee. As you noted teams with lower payrolls have had success, but the teams with many consecutive years of success typically have higher payrolls. If you want to compete every year you have to spend money. That's just a fact of MLB. Even if you have a great farm system, you'll save some money for a few seasons, but eventually those players want to get paid. Usually well before they hit their 25th birthday.

I do agree LA got beat at the deadline. I thought LA was the most likely landing spot for Soto. Padres just offered a more attractive package. Turns out the Hader deal might've been more impactful. Dodger fans had to be scratching their head seeing him mow down their hitters while they didn't even have a closer in their bullpen.

 

[duke1861]

We'll never know if Houston would've lost or not. That's what makes the cheating so shitty. They might have a ring but they certainly know there's a cloud over that season.

I'm not necessarily saying the Dodgers are trying to buy championships. But when you don't have parity with payrolls throughout the league, spending more gives you one more tool to put talent on the field. Some teams don't have that.

Padres have a big payroll now. They won 89 games. It's not a guarantee. As you noted teams with lower payrolls have had success, but the teams with many consecutive years of success typically have higher payrolls. If you want to compete every year you have to spend money. That's just a fact of MLB. Even if you have a great farm system, you'll save some money for a few seasons, but eventually those players want to get paid. Usually well before they hit their 25th birthday.

I do agree LA got beat at the deadline. I thought LA was the most likely landing spot for Soto. Padres just offered a more attractive package. Turns out the Hader deal might've been more impactful. Dodger fans had to be scratching their head seeing him mow down their hitters while they didn't even have a closer in their bullpen.

Here were the main culprits of the LA meltdown loss. This is taking NOTHING away from the Padres at all. They were better period.

1. Not doing anything at the deadline. Trading for Joey Gallo was a joke and did nothing. Trading for Chris Martin is a classic Friedman move. It worked out fine and was cheap. There was no reason to not go after Luis Castillo. There was no reason to not after Ian Happ. Again, Friedman's problem is that he still has the Tampa Bay system in him. He over-values his prospects and simply collects them. Miggy Vargas is our top-hitting prospect and was on the NLDS roster. Roberts played Thompson over him. The fact that no starter or OF bat was added was the nail in the coffin.

2. The starting rotation. Why was Tony Gonsolin, who is still getting back in form starting game 3? Why not put in Dustin May who was rested? The correct answer would have been Anderson as he was an All-Star who was lights out all season. Anderson outpitched Urias and Kershaw in the series. Kershaw is NOT a playoff pitcher and is declining quickly. Roberts refuses to believe that and it is mind-goggling.

3. Timely hitting. It just didn't exist period. It was all a bunch of random hits and HRs. The bases were loaded several times and they did nothing. Tip of the cap to the Padre pitching for pitching out of numerous jams.

4. Roberts' lineups. Bellinger, Thompson, and Taylor were terrible. The back end of the lineup was the weakness and SD exposed it. As I said, Ian Happ would have helped shore that up but Friedman did nothing. Friedman is arrogant and thinks he is smarter than everyone.

5. Roberts' bullpen in game 4. Why put Kanhle instead of Phillips? Phillips should have closed but Roberts went by committee. Kanhle had only pitched 12 total innings in the season and was still finding his footing. It was catastrophic.

6. Friedman's overall strategy. Again, Friedman builds the best regular-season teams in the game. They have won the NL West in 9 out of 10 years. Friedman does NOT understand that playoff ball is different than regular season ball. He said that he was comfortable with the team at the deadline and did nothing. LA fans saw what SD did and were screaming for some type of move to counter it. Friedman did nothing out of arrogance. He thumps his chest over his prospects and will never trade them. However, he seldom promotes them either. The LA farm system is insane, yet, Friedman might promote 2 of them for the 2023 roster.

 

[boltfan72]

Here were the main culprits of the LA meltdown loss. This is taking NOTHING away from the Padres at all. They were better period.

1. Not doing anything at the deadline. Trading for Joey Gallo was a joke and did nothing. Trading for Chris Martin is a classic Friedman move. It worked out fine and was cheap. There was no reason to not go after Luis Castillo. There was no reason to not after Ian Happ. Again, Friedman's problem is that he still has the Tampa Bay system in him. He over-values his prospects and simply collects them. Miggy Vargas is our top-hitting prospect and was on the NLDS roster. Roberts played Thompson over him. The fact that no starter or OF bat was added was the nail in the coffin.

2. The starting rotation. Why was Tony Gonsolin, who is still getting back in form starting game 3? Why not put in Dustin May who was rested? The correct answer would have been Anderson as he was an All-Star who was lights out all season. Anderson outpitched Urias and Kershaw in the series. Kershaw is NOT a playoff pitcher and is declining quickly. Roberts refuses to believe that and it is mind-goggling.

3. Timely hitting. It just didn't exist period. It was all a bunch of random hits and HRs. The bases were loaded several times and they did nothing. Tip of the cap to the Padre pitching for pitching out of numerous jams.

4. Roberts' lineups. Bellinger, Thompson, and Taylor were terrible. The back end of the lineup was the weakness and SD exposed it. As I said, Ian Happ would have helped shore that up but Friedman did nothing. Friedman is arrogant and thinks he is smarter than everyone.

5. Roberts' bullpen in game 4. Why put Kanhle instead of Phillips? Phillips should have closed but Roberts went by committee. Kanhle had only pitched 12 total innings in the season and was still finding his footing. It was catastrophic.

6. Friedman's overall strategy. Again, Friedman builds the best regular-season teams in the game. They have won the NL West in 9 out of 10 years. Friedman does NOT understand that playoff ball is different than regular season ball. He said that he was comfortable with the team at the deadline and did nothing. LA fans saw what SD did and were screaming for some type of move to counter it. Friedman did nothing out of arrogance. He thumps his chest over his prospects and will never trade them. However, he seldom promotes them either. The LA farm system is insane, yet, Friedman might promote 2 of them for the 2023 roster.

Totally agree with all this, though you'd have to admit you have the benefit of hindsight. I agree on Gonsolin. Perhaps the only explanation there is that May was the one Dodger pitcher the Padres hit well this year.

And as much as the Fox announcers talked about their inability to get a hit with RISP, the Padres were just as ineffective. I think at some point in game 4 the announcer mentioned that both teams were an identical 3 for 26 in the series.

Dodgers will be fine. But they need to have 2-3 starters that go deep in games so they don't overstress their pen. That was a huge issue. Good chance Dodgers win game 4 if they let Anderson go until he got into some trouble. Massive error IMO, again with hindsight, but the Padres couldn't touch him.

 

[duke1861]

Totally agree with all this, though you'd have to admit you have the benefit of hindsight. I agree on Gonsolin. Perhaps the only explanation there is that May was the one Dodger pitcher the Padres hit well this year.

And as much as the Fox announcers talked about their inability to get a hit with RISP, the Padres were just as ineffective. I think at some point in game 4 the announcer mentioned that both teams were an identical 3 for 26 in the series.

Dodgers will be fine. But they need to have 2-3 starters that go deep in games so they don't overstress their pen. That was a huge issue. Good chance Dodgers win game 4 if they let Anderson go until he got into some trouble. Massive error IMO, again with hindsight, but the Padres couldn't touch him.

I think May is a stud and should have been given a chance over Gonsolin. I was surprised by the move. The LA errors by Turner were also huge. Those were just bad.

A healthy Walker Buehler would have been fantastic but I am sure you are saying the same about Tatis.

Buehler might not be right again...I don't know. I believe the overall plan is to have Buehler, Urias, and May be the "Big 3". That is obviously in doubt now. Most LA fans are high on Bobby Miller in AAA. I think Miller can be elite but I have a hunch that Gavin Stone is better. Stone was the LA Minor League pitcher of the year for 2022. Needless to say, you will be seeing both in the next year or two.

Anderson will be resigned for sure. The offseason will be huge for Friedman and almost like a crossroads.

Do you let Kershaw walk?
Do you bring back Justin Turner?
How much is Trea Turner worth?
Who is the future closer?
Do you trade or let Bellinger walk?
Are the kids ready yet? Is Outman, Stone, Busch, Vargas, and Miller ready to take that next step?
What do you do with Tony Gonsolin?
Is Diego Cartaya the next Mike Piazza or not?

There will be a lot of sleepless nights with Friedman. He will have to trade away his coveted prospects to improve the team and other teams are waiting to pounce. The trade of Yordan Alvarez for Josh Fields haunts him each night. The bottom line is that Friedman goofed this year and must learn from it.

 

[duke1861]

Let's all take a minute and LOL @ The Dodgers

All I heard for the last month is... This is the best team by a mile... This team won so many games they can't be beat.. They have the deepest pen in all of baseball... It's the Dodgers vs whoever makes it to the world series to get beat by them... Never bet against the Dodgers... This is a thousand year team...

Bunch of overrated bitches

An Astros fan talking smack about the Dodgers? Never thought I would see the day....

Any suggestions for a place to buy trash cans? Asking for a friend.

 

[10HtownRebs]

An Astros fan talking smack about the Dodgers? Never thought I would see the day....

Any suggestions for a place to buy trash cans? Asking for a friend.

Standing on a trash can and looking over the fence is the only way for you to get in the stadium this year... with your thousand year record for wins this year...

We'll send you post cards...

 

[duke1861]

Standing on a trash can and looking over the fence is the only way for you to get in the stadium this year... with your thousand year record for wins this year...

We'll send you post cards...

Just remember to not tear off any jerseys and have those buzzer batteries fresh!

Remember a fastball is "1" thump and a curveball is "2" thumps. You will be fine!!!

 

[10HtownRebs]

Just remember to not tear off any jerseys and have those buzzer batteries fresh!

Remember a fastball is "1" thump and a curveball is "2" thumps. You will be fine!!!

As long as there's no asterisk....keep stacking while you can..

Dodgers have cheated plenty over the years.

 

[duke1861]

As long as there's no asterisk....keep stacking while you can..

Dodgers have cheated plenty over the years.

Really, LA has cheated over the years? Can you let us know how that MLB investigation went because I cannot find it? You are making up stuff now.

I am sure Astros fans hate LA because the Dodgers tipped off the National regarding the cheating scandal in 2019. The Nationals had to change up signals mid-game as Kurt Suzuki said they knew the Astros were doing it. The Astros would have had yet another World Series if LA did not intervene.

The bottom line is that 3 franchises were impacted by the cheating scandal: Astros, Red Sox, and Mets. However, it all started with the Astros. It was an embarrassment to the whole sport and the title should have been stripped; however, Manfred is the worst Commissioner in professional sports and is a coward.

The Astros could NOT beat LA then without cheating and they can't beat them NOW without cheating either.

You see Boltsfan72, this is what LA fans have dealt with regarding Astros fans. They change the subject, accuse others of cheating, or minimize what happened. Their owner, fans, and some former Astros players refuse to really own up to it. It must be difficult know that your team is the most hated team in MLB and can only win a World Series by cheating. Not sure why anyone is an Astros fan anymore to be honest.


Nationals' Kurt Suzuki says Astros were still cheating during 2019 World Series

 

[10HtownRebs]

Stealing signs have been going on for 100 years... every team has done it.

Can't do it anymore. That's to the Astros. We fixed the flaw in the game.

 

[10HtownRebs]

Really, LA has cheated over the years? Can you let us know how that MLB investigation went because I cannot find it? You are making up stuff now.

I am sure Astros fans hate LA because the Dodgers tipped off the National regarding the cheating scandal in 2019. The Nationals had to change up signals mid-game as Kurt Suzuki said they knew the Astros were doing it. The Astros would have had yet another World Series if LA did not intervene.

The bottom line is that 3 franchises were impacted by the cheating scandal: Astros, Red Sox, and Mets. However, it all started with the Astros. It was an embarrassment to the whole sport and the title should have been stripped; however, Manfred is the worst Commissioner in professional sports and is a coward.

The Astros could NOT beat LA then without cheating and they can't beat them NOW without cheating either.

You see Boltsfan72, this is what LA fans have dealt with regarding Astros fans. They change the subject, accuse others of cheating, or minimize what happened. Their owner, fans, and some former Astros players refuse to really own up to it. It must be difficult know that your team is the most hated team in MLB and can only win a World Series by cheating. Not sure why anyone is an Astros fan anymore to be honest.


Nationals' Kurt Suzuki says Astros were still cheating during 2019 World Series

There's no difference in stealing signs or putting 3 defenders on one sign the base because you have statistics showing a player hits that side 75% of the time. You still using information to your advantage.

 

[duke1861]

There's no difference in stealing signs or putting 3 defenders on one sign the base because you have statistics showing a player hits that side 75% of the time. You still using information to your advantage.

So why did Manfred pass down the biggest sanctions against a single team in MLB history if the Astros were simply "using information"?

You don't believe what you are saying and you know it. The Astros cheated to win and will always be known for that. It will never go away and hopefully, the next commissioner removes the title from Houston.

In 2001, MLB issued a memorandum banning the use of electronic equipment to communicate during the game...especially for sign stealing. Those are the rules black and white, and the Astros knew it and broke it.

If an MLB batter knows the incoming pitch, he is much more likely to have success in actually hitting the ball. That is the purpose of breaking balls; it keeps the hitter off balance. If a batter knows a fastball is coming, he knows he must react quicker than if a breaking ball or change-up is coming. If they know a breaking pitch is coming, they delay the swing obviously.

Nobody agrees with what you are saying and the mental gymnastics you are doing. The shift was used by any and all teams....it was a level playing field. The Astros were using electronic equipment to their advantage, no other team was doing that at the time. Cora brought it over to the Red Sox and Beltran was probably going to do the same with the Mets.

FYI, the shift will be banned in 2023.

If you are truly an Ole Miss fan, then you must be used to supporting cheaters. Surely you know Hugh Freeze was one of the greatest NCAA football cheaters in the past 30 years. Freeze vacated 27 wins due to violating recruiting and academic violations. WOW.....