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Dodgers need to conquer playoff road woes to advance

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The Dodgers find themselves in the same situation as one year ago, after splitting the first two games of the National League Division Series they face two games on the road. If the Dodgers are going to avoid the same result as 2014, and if they are ultimately going to break their World Series drought, they will need to reverse their road woes.

Each of the last six times the Dodgers wore their road gray uniforms in a postseason game, they lost, scoring a total of eight runs in those games. The bulk of the agony has come in St. Louis, where the Dodgers' last two seasons have ended, accounting for the last five of those defeats.

St. Louis is just the new Philadelphia, the city of torment over a half-decade ago.

Since Orel Hershiser struck out Tony Phillips for the final out of the 1988 World Series, in Oakland, the Dodgers are just 4-17 on the road in the postseason.

That goes a long way in realizing how the club has only won three playoff series in 26 seasons.

The 2013 Dodgers tied for the best road record in the majors at 45-36. They were 1-4 on the road in the playoffs.

The 2014 Dodgers were 49-32 away from home, holding the best road record all to themselves. They were 0-2 in the playoffs.

This year, the Dodgers were 37-44 on the road, so maybe they're due?

Game 3 of the NLDS is Monday night at Citi Field in New York. If the Blue Jays win Sunday night in Arlington, the Dodgers-Mets Game 3 will start at 5:37 p.m. PT, but if Texas wins on Sunday the NLDS Game 3 will instead start at 5:07 p.m.

The Mets were 49-32 at home this season.

Here are the 21 Dodgers playoff road games since 1988:

Dodgers road postseason games, 1989-2014
Game Location Result
2014 NLDS Game 4 St. Louis L, 3-2
2014 NLDS Game 3 St. Louis L, 3-1
2013 NLCS Game 6 St. Louis L, 9-0
2013 NLCS Game 2 St. Louis L, 1-0
2013 NLCS Game 1 St. Louis L, 3-2 (13)
2013 NLDS Game 2 Atlanta L, 4-3
2013 NLDS Game 1 Atlanta W, 6-1
2009 NLCS Game 5 Philadelphia L, 10-4
2009 NLCS Game 4 Philadelphia L, 5-4
2009 NLCS Game 3 Philadelphia L, 11-0
2009 NLDS Game 3 St. Louis W, 5-1
2008 NLCS Game 2 Philadelphia L, 8-5
2008 NLCS Game 1 Philadelphia L, 3-2
2008 NLDS Game 2 Chicago W, 10-3
2008 NLDS Game 1 Chicago W, 7-2
2006 NLDS Game 2 New York L, 4-1
2006 NLDS Game 1 New York L, 6-5
2004 NLDS Game 2 St. Louis L, 8-3
2004 NLDS Game 1 St. Louis L, 8-3
1996 NLDS Game 3 Atlanta L, 5-2
1995 NLDS Game 3 Cincinnati L, 10-1
Totals: 4-17, 66 runs scored, 108 runs allowed