*Photo from True Blue LA*
*Photo from Redbird Rants*
In any other universe, this game would probably be on the front page of previews, not sitting behind the AL Wild Card game. But, since the AL Wild Card matchup is more storied in terms of history, here we are. That's not to say this game won't be entertaining, because it definitely will be. The 106 win Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending world champions, are playing a team that's been the definition of on fire lately. It's the Dodgers vs the St.Louis Cardinals, under the October lights at Dodger Stadium.
Let's start off with the Dodgers, because if they didn't play in the same division as the San Francisco Giants, they wouldn't be in the wild card game. The defending champions are really, really good. Despite Clayton Kershaw being out for the foreseeable future and Trevor Bauer having not pitched in a while, they still have one of the scariest rotations in baseball, featuring Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer, and Julio Urias, with Tony Gonsolin as the likely 4th starter. Scherzer has transcended reality since he became a Dodger, and Buehler and Urias are humming along, so good luck.
The bullpen in particular has been killed injury-wise this year, but they still have really good guys out there too. Who's first, oh, just a Cy Young winner in David Price who didn't make the rotation because of all the starters they have. They also feature high leverage arms like Blake Treinen, Corey Knebel, Brusdar Graterol, and Kenley Jansen, which is more nightmares for opposing hitters. Who knows, Joe Kelly could re-emerge and have a dominant postseason, very similar to what he did in 2018.
Despite losing Max Muncy in the lineup, the Dodger bats are still a force to be reckoned with. Cody Bellinger, despite his struggles, can still kill the ball. Austin Barnes and Will Smith are one of the best catcher tandems in baseball. Albert Pujols has experience a renaissance at the plate since he signed. Corey Seager as well as both Trea and Justin Turner give the Dodgers a very potent infield. They've also got AJ Pollock, Chris Taylor, and that Mookie Betts guy roaming the outfield, so that's not getting any easier.
Let's now take a look at who they'll be hosting, those Cardinals. They had big expectations before the year, after they landed superstar Nolan Arenado in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. They had been playing middling baseball all season, until the trade deadline, when it can be best described as catching lightning in a bottle. They surged back into contention, winning a half dozen games in a row in September, bringing them to this point.
The starting pitching has been a big part of their comeback. Jack Flaherty was always reliable when healthy this season, Adam Wainwright has turned the clock back 10 years, Miles Mikolas has returned after a mysterious injury, and deadline day acquisitions Jon Lester and JA Happ are also pitching like they're 10 years younger. It's a huge boon for the Cardinals, they have 5 reliable starters entering the playoffs, good if there needs to be a spot start.
The bullpen has also come up clutch. Kwang-Hyun Kim has taken up residence there after being bumped out of the rotation down the stretch, but it wasn't his fault for it, he's been performing well. Their big 3 high leverage guys of Giovanny Gallegos, Alex Reyes, and Genesis Cabrera can stop any hitters in their path, and they have reliable mid inning options in TJ McFarland, Dakota Hudson, Luis Garcia, and they still have Andrew Miller hanging around.
I can't talk about the Cardinals breakout without mentioning the hitting. That's also been on fire. Yadier Molina is back to hitting well, Arenado is still doing Arenado things, Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman, Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa, and Matt Carpenter headline a potent infield. The outfield is just as good, if not better. The big performer of late has been Tyler O'Neill, who has been destroying seemingly every pitch he sees. Harrison Bader and Dylan Carlson have also been really good, and Lars Nootbaar has come out of nowhere to become reliable as well.
This game can really go both ways, because both these teams have been really, really good lately. My personal inclination here is to say that the Dodgers are going to take the win, at home on the biggest stage. They'll beat the Cardinals 4-3, and move on to face their division rivals in the NLDS on Friday. Buckle up everyone.
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