The Los Angeles Dodgers were crowned National League West champions for the 10th time since 2013, but suffered yet another deflating postseason exit with being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Division Series.
It marked the second consecutive year the Dodgers were eliminated by an NL West opponent foe in their first-round playoff matchup.
Whereas the Dodgers set a franchise record with 111 wins behind a star-studded roster in 2022, the club had a much different look this year due to injuries and player departures from the previous offseason.
The Dodgers relied on several rookies and unexpected contributors throughout the season, and still managed to reach triple digits in wins for a third straight year.
But after their latest October heartbreak, one rival executive posed the question of whether the Dodgers roster is built for success in the postseason, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“Is this a roster that’s built for the regular season? Or built for the postseason?” the scout said. “I think that’s a very, very fair question to ask.”
Since winning the World Series in 2020, the Dodgers have gone just 7-12 in their last 19 playoff games. The source of their struggles has ranged from poor starting pitching and situational hitting, to team-wide offensive slumps and star players underperforming.
The starting rotation was arguably the team’s biggest Achilles’ heel in this year’s NLDS as Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller and Lance Lynn all struggled against the Diamondbacks.
Kershaw was limited by an unspecified left shoulder injury, Miller had 22 career MLB starts under his belt and Lynn did not pitch all that well since being acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline.
Aside from the starting rotation’s struggles, the Dodgers lineup scored only six runs in the three NLDS games. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman went a combined 1-for-21 at the plate.
Scout disagreed with Andrew Friedman on Dodgers’ NLDS issues
The rival scout also disagreed with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s assessment of the Dodgers in the NLDS.
Friedman said the loss was an “organizational failure” and believed offense was their downfall. The scout blamed the early postseason exit on the club’s pitching issues.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
