Dodgers vs. Cubs: Who has the Edge?

Bullpen

The Cubs bullpen is solid, all leading up to newly acquired closer Wade Davis. Davis has been nothing short of dominant this year, holding his opponents to a .127 AVG against him. This is nothing new for him as he has always been dominant when healthy. So this team has a lot of matchup guys, and that’s all they need to get to their closer.

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The bullpen is very similar to that of last year’s team, but they have an upgrade at closer. Davis may not throw as hard as Chapman, but he is more reliable in late-inning games.

The Dodgers had always struggled with their bullpen up until last year. In fact, the previous years had caused so much hysteria amongst fans that most won’t believe how well the bullpen performed recently.

Well, they are adding on to their performance last year by putting up an encore. A big reason for this is they have arguably the best closer in baseball. Kenley Jansen has used that Mariano Rivera-esque cutter to his advantage. This season the 29-year-old has over a 16 K/9, which is beyond impressive.

Verdict

Both bullpens have one job and one job only: Get the ball to their closer. Both pens are similarly built. They are constructed around matchups and being interchangeable. The Dodgers do not have a set-up man because they just use whomever they think is best for the given situation.  Since the bullpens are both similar, it comes down to Jansen vs. Davis. Jansen gets the edge here, and it is because of his utter dominance, not just this season but the last season as well.

Dodgers, Final Score: Dodgers 5-3

Next: Slowing Down the Lefty Struggles Narrative

As baseball fans we are fortunate to see these two teams meet up anytime. Both of these franchises have youth and talent that has this rivalry looking to be one of the greatest in recent decades. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of the Cubs, especially in the postseason. The Dodgers were able to take this positional series. Let’s hope they can do the same come October.