3 lessons the Dodgers should learn from Phillies and Astros

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.

1. Elite hitter that can’t defend > Elite defender that can’t hit

Defense is important in the game of baseball. There are so many key moments on the field where defense changes the course of a game. For example, Cody Bellinger has made his fair share of elite catches in the outfield that saved games for the Dodgers in the past.

Heck, Justin Turner turned in one of the most impactful plays of the entire 2020 World Series run after he doubled up the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS when they had runners on second and third and one out. Defense definitely is important.

However, what’s interesting about that Turner play is that he isn’t really considered to be a great defender, especially late in his career. Do you know who else isn’t a great defender? Yordan Alvarez, who has played six of seven games in left field in the postseason.

What about Kyle Schwarber and Nicholas Castellanos, both of whom have played the corner outfield spots all year for the Phillies? None of these guys are great defensive players; they’re in the lineup because of their bats.

Nobody is saying that the Dodgers should go out and sign a bunch of horrible fielders and throw them on the roster. But the team cannot keep justifying putting in a bat like Bellinger because “he’s a great fielder” (even though Trayce Thompson had better advanced metrics).

Granted, the Dodgers weren’t expecting Bellinger to turn into a Double-A hitter these last two years, but they have seen plenty to change how they approach the game, and it isn’t just Bellinger. They added guys like Joey Gallo, who “were great fielders at the very least” instead of just targeting the best bats. Offense wins the postseason. And the Dodgers went cold and failed to be clutch at the worst time because they didn’t have enough bats ready for the task.

Dodgers fans will love Joe Davis’ Bryce Harper HR call that ended Padres season

The San Diego Padres were eliminated from the postseason on an epic home run from Bryce Harper. Joe Davis on the call. LA Dodgers fans will love it.