If you would have told me back in June that the Dodgers would be fighting for the National League West on the last weekend of the season, I would have said you were crazy.
If you would have said it would be the Rockies who would be pushing them, I would have laughed in your face.
But that is exactly what the case is. The Dodgers let a nearly insurmountable lead get close a few times, but with a couple of weeks left, they seemed to have hit their stride again and were pulling away to win the West and to lock up the best record in the NL as well.
But what a difference eight games can make.
This team, the very team that is supposed to be a World Series contender right now, went 2-6 in their last eight games, which were matchups with the Nationals, Pirates and Padres.
Those three teams are a combined 192-285.
In four of those six losses, the Dodgers scored exactly one run, and now it has come back to cost them. Not only do they have to exert themselves on the final weekend, but they run into a team that is streaking again. They also can't be content with winning just one and locking up the West. They need to win at least twice to lock up home field, and perhaps three times. They are a game ahead of Philadelphia, but own the tiebreak, and two games ahead of St. Louis, but the Cardinals own the tiebreak.
This team has made its bed, and now they have to lay in it.
As it stands, the Dodgers best chance to clinch the West and to get a G.I. Joe Kung-Fu grip on the best record is tonight. With Randy Wolf on the mound, it is absolutely the best odds they are going to get.
Wolf has been great this year, and should be much better than 11-6. He's been pretty good against Colorado in three starts, going 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA.
The Dodgers have to deal with Ubaldo Jimenez, who is very tough as we know. The Dodgers have battered Jimenez around, but we know he is filthy so I'm not banking on that to happen this time.
If the Dodgers lose tonight, it gets very scary for the weekend. The Dodgers will have Clayton Kershaw on the mound in the heat of a pennant chase, and he has made just one start and has only pitched a total of six innings since Sept. 4.
Will the 21-year old be able to handle the pressure against a team that has knocked him around to the tune of a 5.73 ERA in four starts? The good news is that the Rockies would be countering with Jorge De La Rosa. Normally I wouldn't say dealing with a 16-game winner who has 189 strikeouts is good news, but he's 0-2 in three starts against LA with an ERA of 5.75.
If it came down to Sunday, the Dodgers don't have a starter listed, but they'd face Jason Marquis who has owned the Dodgers with a 1.65 ERA this year.
I've used phrases like "biggest series of the year" a couple of times, but that series has actually arrived.
I'm not thrilled about it, but I guess it will be exciting. That is, if the Dodgers have any fight left in them...
the boys came through...