Plenty of blame to go around for Dodgers’ NLDS loss

With a day to reflect, Monday morning’s Leading Off with True Blue LA podcast looks back at the Dodgers stunning NLDS loss to the Padres, and dissects the various reasons Los Angeles is now home for the winter.

The Dodgers failed to meet their own lofty expectations, and while some questionable decisions were made during the Division Series, there is no real scapegoat to blame for the Dodgers failings. To that end, as Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times reported and Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic confirmed, Dave Roberts will return as manager, a post to which he’s signed through 2025.

In this episode, I looked at the costs of some of those decisions, like choosing to start Tony Gonsolin in Game 3 over Tyler Anderson, and how several things are intertwined. Some of the pitching moves may have worked as-is had the Dodgers simply hit, but instead they averaged three runs per game for the series and scored just seven runs in the final 32 innings of the NLDS.

Several regulars didn’t hit, and the flawed quartet splitting time in left field and center field — trimmed to a trio with Joey Gallo not getting a single at-bat during the series — combined to go just 3-for-27 (.111) in the NLDS, plus three walks from Trayce Thompson.

I’m also not buying that the Dodgers’ long layoff and the new MLB playoff format was to blame for LA’s misfortune, especially considering the start of Game 1 was the best and freshest the Dodgers looked all series. The Dodgers just didn’t play well enough to win, and now they are home.

The offseason is upon us.

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Episode link (time: 18:17)