Dodgers Dugout: Dodgers could be left out in the playoffs

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I’m still trying to figure a way to convince Vin Scully to come back next season.

Left out

There are only 17 games left in the regular season and the Dodgers have a five-game lead over the Giants, so I am going to go out on a limb and predict the Dodgers make the playoffs. (Yes Rockies fans, I know you still have a mathematical chance, but it’s not going to happen. Wait till next year).

So, let’s address the elephant in the room: The Dodgers’ inability to hit left-handed pitching. Let’s look at the evidence, comparing them to the other teams that have a realistic chance to make the playoffs:

vs. left-handed pitching:

Batting average (overall NL rank)

Chicago, .265 (4th)

San Francisco, .261 (6th)

Washington, .258 (7th)

New York, .254 (9th)

St. Louis, .250 (11th)

Dodgers, .214 (15th)

OB%

Chicago, .356 (1st)

San Francisco, .329 (6th)

Washington, .327 (7th)

New York, .324 (8th)

St. Louis, .319 (11th)

Dodgers, .294 (15th)

SLG%

Washington, .457 (2nd)

Chicago, .451 (3rd)

New York, .434 (5th)

St. Louis, .424 (8th)

San Francisco, .403 (10th)

Dodgers, .335 (15th)

Record when left-handers start

Chicago, 28-17 (2nd)

San Francisco, 26-20 (5th)

Washington, 18-13 (6th)

New York, 18-17 (7th)

Dodgers, 18-20 (10th)

St. Louis, 18-21 (11th)

Yep, the Dodgers are last in three categories and barely better than St. Louis in the other, thanks mainly to the strength of their pitching.

Now let’s look at individual Dodgers against lefties this season:

Adrian Gonzalez, .245/.296/.313

Yasmani Grandal, .238/.392/.397

Kiké Hernandez, .194/.331/.378

Howie Kendrick, .260/.361/.323

Joc Pederson, .096/.226/.173

Yasiel Puig, .256/.320/.467

Josh Reddick, .152/.212/.152

Corey Seager, .255/.319/.436

Justin Turner, .196/.299/.329

Let’s look at how many lefties are in the rotations of the other potential playoff teams

Washington: Gio Gonzalez

Chicago: Jon Lester (plus their closer, Aroldis Chapman)

New York: Steven Matz (currently on the DL)

St. Louis: Jaime Garcia

San Francisco: Madison Bumgarner, Matt Moore

You just know that Giants Manager Bruce Bochy is figuring out a way to pitch Bumgarner and Moore against the Dodgers as much as possible in the final six games between the teams.

But as far as the playoffs go, it’s certainly not a fatal weakness. Someone needs to step up against lefties, just so the Dodgers don’t have to depend on their starters to pitch a shutout every time they are facing a left-hander.

Ryan Braun?

I’ve gotten a lot of emails wondering if the Dodgers are going to get Ryan Braun in time for the playoffs. No. If they acquired him now he wouldn’t be eligible for the playoffs, which is why the Dodgers wouldn’t even think of acquiring him now. The team you see on the field is the team that will be in the playoffs. For better or worse, this team is the one that will have to win the World Series. And this team can do it. I feel more confident about this team doing it than any of the other Dodgers teams the last three years. I’m not saying they are a lock by any means, but I think they have the best chance of defeating the Cubs in the playoffs.

Kershaw is back

Since coming off the DL, Clayton Kershaw has given up two runs and six hits in eight innings, striking out 10. His ERA has climbed from 1.79 all the way up to 1.81. Maybe they can unload him in the trade for Braun.

No playoffs for Vin, unless...

Vin Scully told Times baseball writer Bill Shaikin that he would not be calling any games on the radio in the playoffs, which means the Oct. 2 game at San Francisco is his last game ever.

OK, so here’s the plan: The Dodgers get to the World Series, and go to a seventh game against the Yankees, who made a furious late-season rally to make the playoffs.

Doesn’t Vin have to come back for the one, final game?

The rest of the schedule

HOME (7 games): Sept. 19-21 vs. San Francisco, Sept. 22-25 vs. Colorado

ROAD (10 games): Sept. 15-18 at Arizona, Sept. 27-29 at San Diego, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at San Francisco.

Ask Ross Porter

Former Dodgers announcer Ross Porter will be answering select reader questions for the rest of the season. Email me a question for Ross and I will pass it on. His latest response:

Thomas Smith asks: Ross, is there truth that the Giants were relaying signs to their hitters such as Bobby Thomson in the 1951 playoffs against the Dodgers?

Ross: The Giants stole not only the Dodgers’ signs, Thomas, but those of every team that played in the Polo Grounds the last 10 weeks of the 1951 season. Most importantly were the finger signals relayed from catcher to pitcher indicating the pitch coming up. An electrician and a telescope played significant roles helping every New York batter know what pitch would be thrown.

The Giants clubhouse was located high above the center-field wall and in line with home plate, a perfect position to steal signs. To get the signs transmitted from behind a wire mesh screen in the clubhouse, electrician Abraham Chadwick was a key conspirator. The bullpens were in fair territory along the outfield walls and the relief pitchers sat on benches.

Chadwick put in a bell and buzzer system in the clubhouse and connected it to the phones in the bullpen and the dugout. All that had to be done was to press a button in the clubhouse and the phones would buzz the sign — once for a fastball and twice for an off-speed pitch. The Giants were relaying signals from the bullpen. The man doing the relaying would sit closest to center field. After hearing the buzzer he might denote a fastball by crossing his legs. Merely tossing a ball in the air might indicate another pitch.

On Aug. 11, 1951, the Dodgers enjoyed a 13 1/2 game lead. But, the Giants won their next 16, 13 at home, and won 37 of the next 44. New York made up the large deficit in 53 days, forcing a three-game playoff for the National League pennant.

The teams split the first two. In the deciding third game, the Dodgers carried a 4-2 advantage to the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out and two runners on base, Bobby Thomson clouted a three-run homer off Ralph Branca to win it for the Giants. It was Thomson’s third home run off Branca in four meetings.

Branca dismissed the possibility of a stolen sign, saying, “He still hit the pitch.”

It took some years for the Giants players to admit there was sign stealing, but eventually a large percentage confessed.

What Vin Scully means to me

I asked you to tell me your best Vin Scully memory, and I got a lot of responses. I will publish selected ones in each newsletter. And keep emailing them to me.

Alejandra Sanchez: I am 23 years old, so I know I’m younger than most of the people that email you. But when I was 8, we had this very old school radio that had big speakers. One night, I was playing with the radio, pushing buttons and looking for stations and somehow I stopped when I heard a voice. I started listening and the voice kept explaining how Eric Gagne was about to enter to finish this game. I had no idea whose voice that was but I wanted to know why he was explaining a game that no one can see and just listen.

I had NEVER in my life listened to a baseball game, but because I was a girl and wanted to understand I got a notebook and started to write how fast Gagne’s first pitch was and every detail I could write to later understand this game. I remember using tally marks to see if it was a ball or a strike.Fast-forward a good seven years, I had the opportunity to go to my first Dodgers game ever. I was 15, and I got to the stadium entrance and heard Vin Scully say, “It’s time for Dodgers baseball!” I knew that I had found my passion for the rest of my life.

He is the reason the 8-year-old me started liking baseball, and I thank him because if he was not talking when I was playing with that radio, I would never have been introduced to the boys in blue.

The TV situation

If you would like to complain about the Dodgers’ TV situation, you have three options: The Dodgers, Time Warner Cable and whatever local cable or satellite provider you have that doesn’t carry the Dodgers. Here’s who to contact:

For the Dodgers, click here or call (866) DODGERS ([866] 363-4377). (I hope you like form letters.)

For Time Warner, click here.

For DirecTV, call (800) 531-5000 or click here

For your local cable or satellite provider, consult your bill for the customer service number and for the website.

What others are saying

Pantone 294 makes its presence felt in the Bronx

Jerry Doggett’s 100th birthday

And finally

Vin Scully has some fun talking about four little girls in the stands. Watch and listen here.

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter: @latimeshouston