Dodgers Dugout: For Dodgers fans, eight will be just enough

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Eight more Dodgers victories sure would be nice.

That was easy

Before the playoffs began, the consensus of fans was that the Dodgers were stumbling into the playoffs, were going to play Arizona, which had won six in a row against them over a two-week period, and that the Dodgers were probably going to lose in the first round.

Meanwhile, in the American League, the Cleveland Indians went 19-9 in August and 25-4 in September, including winning an amazing 22 in a row. There were the clear World Series favorites.

Because momentum is everything, if you have it, well, you’re unstoppable. Cleveland had it. The Dodgers had the opposite of it.

Then the playoffs began, and the Dodgers swept Arizona, while Cleveland is eliminated by the Yankees. The Dodgers were the only team to sweep their opponent in the first round.

So now they have all the momentum going into the NLCS, right? I’m not falling into that trap. As I said before the playoffs began, if I gambled, I’d bet on the Dodgers. Anything can happen.

So how did the Dodgers beat Arizona? Offense, pitching and defense. On offense, no one had a bad series. Cody Bellinger rebounded in Game 3 to drive in two runs and make a couple of amazing plays on defense. Justin Turner hit .462, Yasiel Puig hit .455, Logan Forsythe hit .444. I was hoping Puig or Forsythe would step up in a big way. They both did.

I also think the series showed that Austin Barnes needs to be in the lineup every day. He hit .500 with a double, a homer and three RBIs and gave the team one solid at-bat after another.

Pitching-wise, when the worst outing by a starter is Clayton Kershaw and you still sweep, that speaks for itself. Yu Darvish did his job well. The bullpen was excellent (except for Tony Watson), and Kenta Maeda was a revelation and can join Brandon Morrow as the bridge from the seventh inning to Kenley Jansen.

Defensively, let me just state again: If Puig does not get a Gold Glove this season, then it is a crime. No one runs on him, so he prevents a lot of runners from going from first to third on base hits to right. And believe me, first and second with one out is a lot better than first and third with one out.

In short, the Dodgers thoroughly outplayed a good Diamondbacks team. If they can continue that level of play, they are the team to beat.

Plus, the NLDS showed the advantages of winning the division. The Diamondbacks had to use Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray in the wild-card game, meaning they had to turn to Taijuan Walker in NLDS Game 1 and had to use Ray on short rest to start Game 2. That had a huge impact, as Turner homered in the first inning of Game 1, and the Dodgers never looked back from there.

Apologies

I know I said Dodgers Dugout would come out every day during the playoffs, yet I strangely disappeared the last few days. I was laid up for a few days with a sinus infection and pinkeye in both eyes. I was so sick, I didn’t even watch Game 3 live. I slept through it and watched it later.

But reports of my demise of have been greatly exaggerated and I am back now, first with this abbreviated edition. Tomorrow we will look at the NLCS matchup in preparation for Game 1 against the Chicago Cubs.

The NLCS

Game 1: Saturday, 5 p.m. PT, Chicago at Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw), TBS

Game 2: Sunday, 4:30 p.m., Chicago at Dodgers, TBS

Game 3: Tuesday, TBA, Dodgers at Chicago, TBS

Game 4: Wednesday, TBA, Dodgers (Alex Wood) at Chicago, TBS

Game 5*: Thursday, TBA, Dodgers at Chicago, TBS

Game 6*: Saturday, TBA, Chicago at Dodgers, TBS

Game 7*: Sunday, TBA, Chicago at Dodgers, TBS

*-if necessary

One more thing

Many of you emailed to ask of other sources for Dodgers information. If you want more analysis of the Dodgers other than what you get in this newsletter, you should first check out The Times’ Dodgers page, which features award-winning reporters covering the team.

The second place you should go? Steve Mason’s Breaking Blue podcast. Mason, a longtime Dodgers fan, has baseball experts on from around the country talk about the Dodgers. Heck, he even has me on occasionally. To listen, go here.

And finally

I am sick and tired of losing in the NLCS. Time to go out there and win it.

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

Houston.mitchell@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimeshouston