Dodgers: Three key stars lackluster in NLDS defeat

Corey Seager’s Rough Postseason

Seager’s season went up and down more than my emotions during the NLDS. He had hot stretches in the first half and second half, and yet he didn’t reach the .280 mark in either half. He had a nice little stretch of batting average over his 10 games played in June (he hit .425), but lacked power.

His best action came in September, and yet none of that mojo carried into postseason play. He didn’t make an error at shortstop all month, and he hit .291 with 7 home runs, reminding fans of his 2016 Rookie of the Year campaign.

But all year, Seager battled injuries and the consequent inconsistencies those injuries bred. Even though he hit 44 doubles, which is right around where he should be, as are the 19 home runs, his batting average needs to be much closer to .300 than to .270.

In the NLDS though, the lanky shortstop went 0-8 with runners in scoring position on his way to a .150 AVG in general. He also made an error that made Buehler do a little extra labor that may have contributed to his needing to be pulled out of the game before completing seven innings.

I think having another full season under his belt will help him continue to make more in-season adjustments and become a more consistent source of hits. But none of that manifested this NLDS.

Cody Bellinger’s Continued October Slump

Bellinger’s age 24 season went better than could have been expected. He smacked 47 home runs while still managing to hit for AVG, with a .304 AVG and 34 doubles. He also is more than likely to earn a Gold Glove for his play in both center field and right field. Don’t forget he led the team in stolen bases by going 15-20.

He failed on the biggest stage, and as I mentioned earlier, he did so in direct juxtaposition with Rendon and Soto smacking fastballs and sliders off of Buehler, Ryu, Kershaw and the bullpen all series long.

Bellinger did not add a home run to the two hit by his teammates in Game Five, and he did not hit one at all this series. In fact, he did not drive in a single run after driving in 115 this season.

Why didn’t that version of Bellinger show up? Obviously, it’s impossible to tell, and it’s easy to blame Bellinger for the losses. But he did still contribute, and it’s amazing to see how hard he works away from the plate when his bat is not at its peak. He stole two bases and made an amazing defensive play in Game Five.

He’s still young, so some volatility is expected, especially with how hard and long his swing can be. In all three of the postseasons he’s been in for the Dodgers in his young career, he’s struggled. His one redeeming series came in 2018’s NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, a series in which he won the MVP. Hopefully, this experience further drives him to improve his batting average skills to continue to drive the team to success in 2020.

Oh, Clayton… 

Should I have seen this one coming? I sort of did after Game Two. Should Roberts have seen this one coming? Did his decision to bring in Kershaw have anything to do with helping his ace dispel the narrative surrounding his postseason past?

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Probably not. But bringing in his best pitcher to act as a firefighter was certainly gutsy. It paid off, too. But then again, it meant he had to come back into the game to face Rendon and Soto. After beating Rendon down it seemed, the ball continued to carry over the left-field wall, traveling only 381 feet to bring the game within one. Then he floated a spinning slider inside on Soto, who already was fired up after beating Walker Buehler inside earlier in the game to make the score 3-1. The game was tied after just two swings from the middle of the order.

The cameras stayed trained on Kershaw long after his departure. He looked defeated, embalmed within what may be the worst of his terrible postseason outings. Then Kenta Maeda came in and locked down the tie, before being lifted after one inning to bring in Joe Kelly (though I won’t get into the backwards logic of that decision here).

Kershaw really needed to come into this game. Roberts had to use his best arm to get out the best hitters on the other side, that’s just how it was going to have to be. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the bats, which belong to players on the upswings of their careers, won the day and the night.

It’s hard to be mad at Kershaw after all he’s done for the team and the city and the franchise in general. He didn’t waste his prime on worse teams than those of the past three seasons, the old and new front offices did.

Now that he’s blown another postseason appearance though, it may be time to fully consider putting Kershaw in the fallen star category. Buehler is clearly the ace, with Kershaw as the big name and big pit of knowledge. He’ll need to act as the veteran leader and help swap adversity for a World Series berth in 2020.