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3 lessons the Dodgers should learn from Phillies and Astros
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ historic 111-win season abruptly came to an end in the NLDS as the team was bested by the rival San Diego Padres in four games. Those Padres went on to lose the NLCS in five games, setting the stage for a Philadelphia Phillies-Houston Astros World Series.
The Phillies and Astros could not be any different in this matchup. Houston is the proven team that has been here before and dominated throughout the regular season. Philadelphia hadn’t made the playoffs for a decade and only got in thanks to the expanded MLB playoffs as an 87-win wild card team.
This is more proof that October is all about who gets hot at the right time, but there are still lessons the Dodgers can learn from these two teams. While Los Angeles has a lot of playoff experience, they have fallen short more than they have met expectations.
Andrew Friedman and Co. should be taking notes, even if their front office the best in the game. There’s always room to improve.
3 lessons the Dodgers can learn from Phillies and Astros.
3. Trust Your Best Pitchers
The Astros are a perfect 7-0 heading into the World Series and the main reason why is the pitching staff. Houston has a 1.88 ERA in the playoff thus far and, outside of Justin Verlander, everyone has been pitching exceptionally well for them.
Los Angeles had talented pitchers on its roster this past season, but unlike Houston, who has consistently thrown their best guys out there in key spots, the Dodgers tried to get cute and not simply ride their more reliable/effective arms.
Whether that be pulling Tyler Anderson too early when the Padres had absolutely no answer for him or going to Tommy Kahnle in the seventh inning to steal outs, there were multiple examples of the Dodgers not giving the ball to the hot hand and letting it go to work.
It’s almost like Houston has a lot of experience in the playoffs and knows how to manage a pitching staff perfectly to make a deep run every single year. If only the Dodgers had that kind of playoff experience under their belt … oh wait.