Coming off a successful campaign in which they clinched their first National League West title in four years, the Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2014 season looking for continued success.
The club returned the majority of its core from the previous year and made a few notable additions over the offseason, emerging as a favorite to represent the NL in the World Series.
Under the guidance of manager Don Mattingly, the Dodgers fought their way to a second consecutive NL West title. Looking to avenge themselves against the St. Louis Cardinals, L.A. came up short and was defeated in the first round of the postseason.
Another early exit led to significant changes for the Dodgers that winter, with Ned Colletti being removed from the general manager position and Andrew Friedman taking control as president of baseball operations.
Regular season
The Dodgers opened up the 2014 campaign with a two-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Sydney, Australia. However, that was followed by Clayton Kershaw being placed on the injured list for the first time in his career.
The club’s first game in California took place on March 30 at Petco Park, where they were defeated by the San Diego Padres, 3-1. The Dodgers played at a near .500 pace in April, finishing the month with a 13-11 record.
They trailed the first-place San Francisco Giants by 1.5 games entering May. L.A.’s mediocre start carried over into the second full month of the regular season, as they won the same amount of games as losses (15-15).
The Dodgers at one point faced an eight-game deficit in the division, largely due to the Giants’ excellent showing by comparison (20-9). The tide turned for the Dodgers in June.
Their 18 wins represented the most in any month during the regular season. Kershaw had returned and dominated the opposition and tossed his first career no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies on June 18, striking out 15 batters while only yielding one baserunner.
By the start of July, the Dodgers pulled even with the Giants in a tie for first place in the NL West. The two teams battled neck-and-neck for most of the month, and only three games separated them heading into August.
Despite going just 15-13 during the month, the Dodgers never relinquished their first-place lead over the Giants. The two teams continued going in opposite directions in September, as L.A. padded their advantage while S.F. fell further behind.
On Sept. 24, the Dodgers officially clinched their second consecutive NL West title with a 9-1 win against the Giants at Dodger Stadium. By wrapping up the division, the Dodgers solidified the No. 2 seed in the NL portion of the playoffs and ensured another showdown with the Cardinals.
Postseason
Finishing with the better record, the Dodgers played host to the Cardinals in Games 1 and 2 of the NL Division Series. Kershaw, who would win the NL MVP and Cy Young Award later that offseason, was on the mound for the opener.
A Randall Grichuk home run in the first inning gave the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. But Kershaw would settle down from there, tossing four consecutive scoreless frames against St. Louis.
The Dodgers at one point led the Cardinals, 6-1, and looked to preserve a four-run lead in the seventh inning. That’s when things unraveled for Kershaw, who allowed four consecutive singles to begin the frame.
When it was all said and done, the Cardinals put up an eight-spot on the left-hander and found themselves back on top against the Dodgers. Despite a late rally by L.A., it was St. Louis that pulled out a stunning 10-9 win in Game 1.
The Dodgers were able to rebound with a victory in Game 2, evening up the matchup as the series shifted to Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals’ pitching staff went on cruise control from there, limiting the Dodgers to just three combined runs in Games 3 and 4. For a second consecutive year, St. Louis had bounced L.A. from the postseason.
The Cardinals couldn’t capitalize on their stunning series victory and fell to the Giants in five games in the NLCS.
Despite winning just 88 games during the regular season, the Giants were the last team standing for the third time in the last five campaigns.
