NFL
By: George Lopez
The 2022 MLB ended much sooner for the Los Angeles Dodgers than anyone expected, losing to the San Diego Padres in the NLDS. The Dodgers posted a regular season record of 111-51, which was 4th best in major league history. All season long, the Dodgers were the prohibitive favorites to not only reach the World Series but to win the World Series. The team that Dodgers fans saw all season did not show up in the postseason. Dodgers fans are left wondering what went wrong after another season without a championship.
The Dodgers had a run differential in 2022 of +331, the highest differential since 1939. In the NLDS they were outscored by the Padres 17-12. All season, the Dodgers produced with runners in scoring position, hitting .272. In the NLDS, the Dodgers were a combined 5-34. They were not able to generate any consistent offense throughout the series. Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman both hit .333 and .357 but only had 2 and 3 RBI’s respectively. Mookie Betts, a catalyst to the Dodgers offense, hit .143 with only 1 RBI coming on a sacrifice fly ball.
Decisions manager Dave Roberts made will be questioned. In game 2, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was pulled after 5 innings in a 3-3 tie. Though Kershaw wasn’t as sharp at the start of the game, he did find his rhythm as the game went along retiring the final 9 batters he faced. Most fans expected to see Kershaw come out for the 6th inning and were surprised to see that he had been pulled. Prior to the start of the playoffs, the Dodgers announced that Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, and Tyler Anderson would be the game’s 1-3 starters. After losing game 2, Roberts announced that Tony Gonoslin would start game 2. Gonsolin was having a tremendous season going 16-1 before a forearm injury towards the end of the season limited him to a short start. Gonsolin was only able to go 2 innings in game 3, which forced Roberts to use his bullpen more. In a must-win game 4, Tyler Anderson was pitching a gem, leading 3-0 after 5 innings. His pitch count was at a point where Anderson should have gone out for the 6th inning. Roberts again made the decision to pull his starter too early and trust his bullpen.
During the regular season, the Dodgers bullpen had an E.R.A of 2.87, which was 2nd in Major League Baseball. In the must-win game 4, the Dodgers bullpen imploded allowing 5 runs in the 7th. Roberts chose to bring in Tommy Kahnle to start the 7th inning. Kahnle had thrown 12 innings all season. Brusdar Graterol was available in the bullpen, but Roberts chose not to bring him in. Dustin May and Blake Treinen were not considered. The bullpen was not able to hold the lead in an elimination game nor were they able to keep the score tied in game 2.
The window for the Dodgers to win more championships has not closed, but the team will look different next season. The Dodgers will have decisions to make on a number of players. Trea Turner, Clayton Kershaw, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Anderson, and Joey Gallo are free agents. WIl the Dodgers open the bank to resign Trea Turner? Kershaw has indicated that he is leaning towards playing in 2023, but will that be with the Dodgers or will he sign elsewhere? Will the Dodgers tender a contract to Cody Bellinger or let him walk? The Dodgers have a team option on Justin Turner for 2023. His 2023 contract would pay him $16 million or the team can buy him out for $2 million. Turner has been the heart of the Dodgers for years, but is it time to move on and give their top prospect Miguel Vargas a shot at 3rd? Who will the Dodgers target in free agency, and what needs will they address? These are the questions Andrew Friedman will have to answer this off-season.
The Dodgers have made the playoffs 10 consecutive seasons, winning the NL West in 9 of those seasons. They have made the World Series 3 times, winning once. They have been one of the most dominant regular-season teams in league history but have come up short in the postseason. Their regular season run and lack of championships have drawn comparisons to the 1990s Atlanta Braves. Tough decisions will need to be made going forward if the Dodgers want to lift the World Series trophy in 2023
