With a win over the Giants on Friday evening, the Dodgers clinched the 2017 National League West Division Championship. It’s the Dodgers’ fifth straight and 16th overall NL West title, as the club reached the postseason in five consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Continue reading “Dodgers Clinch Fifth Straight National League West Title”
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As there’s still the matters of wrapping up the division, vying for home-field advantage, and putting together some much-needed continuity inside the final nine games of the regular season, many fans of the Dodgers can’t help but look ahead and wonder which players will be called upon for the 25-man roster when the postseason arrives in just a few short weeks.
Continue reading “Dodgers 2017 Playoff Roster Projections: First Edition”
Among the minds of many fans of the Dodgers, there seems to be the speculation that there are quite a few auditions currently being held for spots on the prospective NLDS roster. Yet, outside of perhaps one or two last minute decisions, the roster is probably close to being solidified—at least in the eyes of the management crew. One of the final contemplations, however, will be trying to figure out how to put the finishing touches on the bullpen, which could very well boil down to the inclusion of either Kenta Maeda or Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Continue reading “Better Playoff Roster Option: Kenta Maeda or Hyun-Jin Ryu?”
For those of you who follow the farm system of the Dodgers closely, you’ll know that the Double-A Tulsa Drillers had one of their best seasons in recent history. Anchored by the Texas League batting champ and MVP Matt Beaty, coupled with some of the best pitchers in the entire organization, the Drillers came up just one game short of bringing home their first league championship in 19 seasons.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospects: An In-Depth Conversation with Dennis Santana”
On the offensive side of things, there’s probably not a streakier hitter on the Dodgers‘ entire roster than catcher Yasmani Grandal. When he’s hot, he’s often capable of carrying the team’s production on his own shoulders, but when he’s cold, he sometimes shuts down completely. During these quiet stretches, the club’s output with the lumber frequently feels the effects of such nosedives, especially when he’s entrenched smack dab in the middle of the Los Angeles batting order.
Continue reading “3 Reasons Why Yasmani Grandal Continues to Lose Playing Time”
In just a little under three weeks, the Dodgers will embark on yet another postseason journey, with this year’s aspirations the highest they’ve been in recent years. The Los Angeles management crew will certainly have a difficult task in store when assembling the club’s prospective playoff roster, as a number of different factors will come into play for the squad selected to begin the NLDS on October 6.
Continue reading “Better Playoff Roster Option: Joc Pederson, Andre Ethier or Curtis Granderson?”
In an effort to gain momentum and show a bit of reader appreciation heading into the autumn months, the folks here at Think Blue Planning Committee decided it would be a great time to conduct our third official giveaway—another set of two Clayton Kershaw Bowman rookie cards.
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For those of you who have been fully entrenched in the big league scene of the Dodgers and unable to catch any of the latest minor league action, we have some good news for you—the Double-A Tulsa Drillers are only one game away from securing their first Texas League Championship since 1998.
Continue reading “Drillers Set Sights on Texas League Championship”
Being that the San Francisco Giants have resided in the cellar of the National League West for almost the entirety of the season, coupled with the fact that they are only a few games away from the Philadelphia Phillies for having the worst record in all of baseball, one would have presumed that a three-game series at AT&T Park was just what the doctor ordered to ease the Los Angeles Dodgers out of perhaps one of their worst team slumps in decades.
Continue reading “Some of These Starting Lineups Are Downright Ugly”
While there’s been very heavy speculation lately about the effectiveness of the Dodgers‘ most common batting orders, there’s little guarantee that moving around several regular pieces will make a huge difference in the overall potency of the offense. The same can be said about moving up right fielder Yasiel Puig in the lineup—he’s definitely thrived in the lower part of the order, but when given the chance to hit in the middle, hasn’t made much of a notable difference at all.
Continue reading “Will Dodgers Benefit from Keeping Yasiel Puig Higher in Batting Order?”
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