Tuesday, October 6th, will kick off Game-1 of the 2020 National League Division Series for the Dodgers against their NL West-rival San Diego Padres. The 43-17 Boys in Blue may be the number-one seed in the NL, but the number-four seeded 37-23 Padres have proven to be a very worthy opponent for them.
The games will take place in a “bubble” due to COVID-19 safety protocols to keep the teams and those with family in attendance safe. The matchup will take place at Global Life Field in Arlington, TX, the new home of the American League Texas Rangers.
The Dodgers got some time in at the new ballpark during interleague play against the Rangers in late August during the COVID-19-shortened 60-game regular season. When asked if having already played there – albeit only three games – might prove beneficial to his team, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had this optimistic response during his Zoom press conference on Sunday afternoon.
“Certainly. Just the turf itself is kind of like Arizona – getting it off the bat, reads off the bat, how the infield plays,” Roberts answered. “As I understand it, I think the roof is going to be open, but when we were here [in August], it was closed. So just kind of adjusting to that, which we’re going to have one of these [workout] days with the roof open to see. But certainly, three games is better than none.”
With daytime temperatures expected to be in the mid-to-upper 80s during the best-of-five Division Series in Arlington, there was some concern that the roof being open might impact how the ball carries. But when it was pointed out that only 66 home runs were hit at Global Life Field in the thirty games played there compared to 99 home runs sent over the wall at Dodgers Stadium, Roberts again replied with unwavering confidence.
“From what I understand, it does allow for the ball to travel a little bit further. What that means, I really don’t know.” Robers said. “It still just comes down to executing pitches and putting the barrel on the ball. And it’s a level playing field regardless. It’ll be different in the sense that we just haven’t experienced it here.”
Roberts’ point is a valid one – it will indeed be a level playing field.
The Dodgers scored 327 runs and slugged 118 home runs during the truncated 2020 season, whereas the Padres scored 325 runs and hit 95 home runs. But with this win-or-go-home best-of-five series being played on unfamiliar turf, the Dodgers will definitely need to make some adjustments in a ballpark with a reputation of the ball carrying.
One major adjustment might be the need for the Dodgers to focus on ‘small ball’ versus swinging for the fences. This could prove to be a game-changer (no pun intended), especially against a Padres team that slashed .257/.333/.466/.798 during the regular season – something that every ‘armchair manager’ knows all too well.
With a pivotal series looming, there will, of course, be some roster moves, on offense, defense, and pitching. The Dodgers need all of their bats in their potent lineup firing on all cylinders. Fans have undoubtedly noticed some significant misfires from some of those bats – bats that could be counted on in the past – particularly those of infielder Max Muncy, first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger, and outfielder Joc Pederson. Although all three have had their hot moments this season, all three have been painfully cold of late.
But despite his recent struggles, Roberts remains 100 percent committed to Muncy, telling the (Zoom) media on Sunday that he plans to keep him in the middle of his lineup. Although Muncy has been on fire in previous years, he finished the 2020 campaign with a dismal slash line of .192/.331/.389/.720.
“He’ll be in the middle of our lineup,” Roberts responded point-blank when asked if he might consider moving his struggling first baseman further down in his lineup. “I thought he got off some really good swings, just didn’t make contact. But I still think that he’s seeing the baseball considerably better, and I like him where he’s at.”
In true Dave Roberts form, he went on to defend his almost everyday first baseman, much to the chagrin of some fans who may want a more reliable and productive bat in the Dodgers postseason lineup.
“The second game [of the just-concluded Wild Card Series] I thought he took some very good swings.” Roberts said, “I mean, I think that, yeah, he missed some pitches that they executed, but I still thought the swings were considerably better than they had been at the middle of the year.”
When responding to similar questions about Bellinger, Roberts had positive things to say about him as well – mostly centered around Bellinger’s drive to fight and compete no matter how poorly he has been hitting. Roberts added that this was all that anyone could ask for from the defending NL MVP.
Almost.
Dodger fans can also ask for Belly to improve on his less-than-ideal career postseason slash line of .183/.237/.324/.561. If the 25-year-old Scottsdale, AZ native and Dodgers fourth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, AZ can get back to his MVP-caliber play of last year, he could prove to be the difference between the first Dodgers World Series trophy in 32 years or yet another disappointing also-ran season.
The team will have quite a few adjustments to make in this unique postseason. In addition to not having real home-field advantage since they will be playing in another stadium, they will also be playing five days in a row without an off-day – again, against a team that has proven to be a worthy opponent.
“Both teams have shown the ability to win games late and play to the last out,” Roberts summarized. “I know that our guys are ready, we like the matchups potentially. But we still gotta go out there and execute. But again, both offenses can explode on you at any point in time and especially late.”
This next series will keep the Dodgers and their fans on the edges of their respective seats. Here’s to a more-than-capable Dodgers team making the adjustments needed and adapting to all of the unique circumstance 2020 has thrown at them.
Let’s go Dodgers!!!