Drillers, Quakes Capture League Championships

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(Mandatory Credit: Rich Crim/Tulsa Drillers)

For those of you who didn’t stay connected to the media after the Dodgers‘ 3-0 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night, you missed even more good news as the night progressed.

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Schedules and Playoff Implications for Dodgers & Other NL Contenders

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The slog of the Dodgers‘ season continues. Los Angeles still sits 1-1/2 games behind the Colorado Rockies in the NL West, but have moved up to one game back in the Wild Card standings.

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Series Preview: Dodgers Prepare for Showdown with Cardinals in St. Louis

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(Getty Images photo)

What was once anticipated to be the most difficult leg of the current road trip has now turned into the most critical. With 16 games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Dodgers begin a four-game series against the Cardinals on Thursday evening, which could conceivably dictate the direction of both clubs in the postseason.

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Underachieving Dodgers Salvage Final Game of Cincinnati Series

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Just when you think the Dodgers are about to push themselves out of the 2018 playoff picture, they surprise you—like winning two out of three in a volatile setting like Denver. Yet on the other hand, right when you think the Boys in Blue have established momentum and might make a run at another division title, they lose two at home to the lowly Mets, then another two on the road to the cellar-dwelling Reds.

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Dodgers Weekly Minor league Report: Two Teams Left Standing

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Photo Credit: Rich Crimi/Tulsa Drillers

OKLAHOMA CITY DODGERS (Pacific Coast League-AAA): Although it was an exciting down-to-the-wire regular season finish for manager Bill Haselman‘s OKC club to kick-off the previous week, their luck eventually ran out at the hands of the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals affiliate) as they were dusted off in four games of the PCL American Conference Championship series. Still, it was a a largely successful 2018 campaign for the team as they posted a very good 75-65 regular season record which culminated in them clinching the PCL American Northern Division title. Key players of note who were getting it done this past week are 26-year old OF/former 2010 5th round pick of the Boston Red Sox Henry Ramos (.765/.778/1.118 in the month of September, also batted a white-hot .500 avg with 3 HR and 7 RBI in the OKC/Memphis division series), 26-year old INF/OF Connor Joe (.545/.737/.909 with a HR and 5 RBI during the same stretch; .299/.408/.527 with a career-high 17 HR and 55 RBI combined between AA Tulsa and AAA OKC this season), and 24-year old corner player Edwin Rios (.467/.529/.800 this month with a HR and 5 RBI; .304/.355/.482 with 35 XBH and 55 RBI in 88 games for OKC this season).

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Series Preview: Dodgers Seek Revenge Against Reds in Cincinnati

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Once again it wasn’t necessarily pretty, but the Dodgers got the job done in Colorado, taking two of three from the Rockies and moving within a half-game of the NL West lead.

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Matchup-Based Lineups Failing to Provide Dodgers with Offensive Charge

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(Mandatory Credit: Joe Comporeale/USA TODAY Sports)

We’ve been talking about it a lot lately, and it seems to gain momentum in the critical games, especially when they’re played in the thin air of Coors Field. Whomever is writing out the lineup card for the Dodgers is sticking to their guns, though, despite the club failing to deliver at times when they need to win the most.

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Dodgers Roster: Ranking the Arms in the Starting Rotation

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(Mandatory credit: Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports)

Considering all the obstacles the Dodgers have faced over the course of the 2018 season, starting pitching has not been one of them. Sure, there have been quite a few injuries, but each hurdle prompted somebody new to step into the group and perform admirably. Heck, even young righty Brock Stewart deserves some kudos for the hundreds of thousands of frequent-flyer miles he racked up before the All-Star break.

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In a Pivotal September Series, Dodgers Prepare for Rockies in Colorado

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(Photo: Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports)

We Dodger fans have spent a lot of time over the last month or so lamenting that the team needs to start winning, or it will be too late. Well, I think that we may have actually arrived at the Make or Break Weekend.

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Dodgers Bullpen: Still No Solutions for an Otherwise Shoddy Relief Crew

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Many followers of the Dodgers hoped the addition of veteran reliever Ryan Madson would bolster the team’s relief corps just a little bit, but that doesn’t seem to be the case—at least not yet. Since returning from the DL because of nerve irritation in his lower back, Madson has made four appearances—one for the Nationals (before he was traded) and three for the Dodgers. In 3-1/3 innings of work, the righty has surrendered  five hits (one of which was a long ball) and a walk, resulting in three earned runs. Despite his heater sitting in the 94-95 MPH range, he still hasn’t been able to find any mojo from his former self from a long time ago.

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