How Do You Like Them Apples?

There were a lot of haters bashing the Dodgers before the start of the NLDS. They said the Dodgers couldn't stop Pujols, Holliday and Carpenter. They said the Dodgers were too reliant upon Manny Ramirez. They said the Cardinals bullpen was the best of the playoff teams, and that their rotation topped all comers as well. What do they have to say for themselves now?





Not only did the Dodgers shut down Pujols and Holliday, who went a combined 1-7, but the bullpen made sure no comebacks would happen on their watch. Scattering 5 hits over the final 5 1/3 innings the combination of Jeff Weaver, Ronald Belisario, Hong-Chih Kuo, George Sherrill, and Jonathan Broxton took center stage and never allowed the Cardinals to threaten.

"A lot of people believe they have one of the best bullpens in baseball," St. Louis right fielder Ryan Ludwick said. "They kind of shut us down. They shut the door."

"We had too many chances, too many chances," said Mark DeRosa, who left two runners on base in the third inning. "Their bullpen came in, and inning after inning, we didn't get the big hit we needed."

If you would have told me before the start of the game that the Cardinals would bang out eleven hits, that the Dodgers would leave sixteen men on base, that Matt Kemp would misplay two fly balls (both leading to runs), and that Jeff Weaver would be pitching in the 4th inning I would have curled up in the fetal position and started sobbing. After all, those things shouldn't add up to a win. However, at least for tonight, they did.

In the end, the Dodgers won tonight's game the way they've won games all season long. They didn't have to rely on Manny Ramirez, and they didn't need an "ace" to deal eight shutout innings. They just needed to be themselves, and get key contributions from certain players. Rafael Furcal comes to mind tonight, as does Jeff Weaver. The work is far from done, but it's off to a GREAT start.

Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of Mark J. Terrill. Photo 3 courtesy of Jae C. Hong.