The Tuesday Discussion: The Dodgers...

October 22, 2024

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This week we asked our writers to respond to the following:

What is your biggest concern regarding the Yankees' ability to defeat the Dodgers in the World Series?

Here are their replies...

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Lincoln Mitchell - This World Series features two very good but flawed teams. In most areas the two teams are evenly matched, so it is tough to figure out who will win or even what my biggest concerns are. On some level, I am concerned about everything including the Stanton and Judge going into slumps, Chisholm and Wells staying slumps, the defense falling apart, the bullpen being undependable etc. However, my biggest concern may be that the one clear advantage for the Yankees is starting pitching. My hope is that  Cole and Rodon pitch as well as they have at times this post-season and that the Yankees come back to New York up two games to none, but that means my fear is that the Yankees starting pitching collapses and they give back their biggest advantage. As a lifelong Yankees fan, I always root for them to win the World Series, but as a Giants fan with deep roots in San Francisco, I root extra hard when the Yankees are playing the Dodgers in the World Series.

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Tim Kabel - My biggest concern is that Aaron Boone will overuse the bullpen. It looks like Nestor Cortez will be on the roster as opposed to Marcus Stroman. Since Stroman was not used at all in the ALCS, it was pointless to even have him there. At least with Nestor, Boone might use him. The other side of the coin is the Nester hasn’t pitched in quite a while. Regardless, Boone has a propensity to overwork the bullpen, which he did in the ALCS. 

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Paul Semendinger - I haven't followed the Dodgers closely. (I'm too wrapped up in that team from the Bronx.) But, what is obvious is that the Dodgers have a ton of star power. They are a heavyweight team - probably the best team in baseball on paper. If they play to their potential, they're better than the Yankees. That's a concern. A big concern...

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Mike Whiteman - My biggest concern about the World Series is Dodgers' star Shohei Ohtani. He's one of the few players in the sport who can carry a team through a short series. Add in Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, and possibly Freddie Freeman (ankle injury in NLCS) and you have a formidable lineup. 

But I think neutralizing the Dodgers' potent offense starts with Ohtani. 

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Ethan Semendinger - I've recently become close with a large number of New York Mets fans, who have informed me that the Los Angeles Dodgers batters will not chase any pitches outside of the zone. To them, this was their biggest concern as the Mets rotation and bullpen were not pitchers, but throwers. I don't have this concern with the Yankees. For the most part, their pitchers now how to locate the zone. But, this didn't always count for the Yankees. That's because of some key people.

My biggest concern is the umpires. During the series against Cleveland, it felt (and this may be my bias) that the Yankees pitchers would rarely get a close pitch called for a strike, while the Guardians constantly were able to play around the zone. This hurt the Yankees offense and their pitching. Provided the umpires are consistent, I have no worries. But, I don't believe the umpires will be consistent.

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Ed Botti - My biggest concern is the infield defense. Rizzo does not appear to have recovered from the 2 fractured fingers in his glove hand. He appears apprehensive catching balls, and is even using his right hand as a cushion to soften the blow on throws (I don’t blame him). At third base is a crap shot. Jazz makes some nice plays, and then wets the bed on easy plays, and defensive positioning plays. He is a concern as the hot corner has proven  be the nexus for great defensive plays in the world series, no better examples than Craig Nettles in 78, Hayes in 96, Brosius in 98 and ARod in 09. Great plays made that stopped rallies. I had full faith in all of the previously mention third baseman, I can’t say the same for Jazz. It’s not his fault, I do not see a breakdown in concentration. He is simply new to the position. His footwork and anticipation are not where I would like it to been.

Let’s hope he can at least make the routine plays, and maybe even 1 level above routine, and I would be somewhat satisfied.

But, now is not the time to pick on deficiencies and cast blame. They are in the World Series. So, obviously, they did a lot of things right, and stepped up when it mattered,  to date.

Boone and Cashman have successfully guided this squad into the World Series. Congrats go out both of them!

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Cary Greene - Before answering this question, its kind of important to acknowledge that the Yankees beat two teams already this postseason, each with very good overall pitching. In besting the Guardians bullpen, which was regarded as being the best in baseball this season, the Yankees did something they've not been able to do in a very long while - they beat a team with a dominating bullpen. Considering that the Yankees also squeaked past a team like the Royals, who had the second best rotation in MLB and who also had a bullpen that was better than the Yankees pen this season, the Yankees knocked down a barrier that's plagued them ever since their 2017 ALCS to the Astros. The Yankees offense finally showed up for the postseason and if it hasn't been Aaron Judge, it's been Giancarlo Stanton or Juan Soto, so I'm feeling rather bullish regarding the Yankees World Series chances right now. Enter the Dodgers and this week's question, "What's my biggest concern regarding the Yankees ability to defeat the Dodgers in the World Series?

Well, the injury riddled Dodgers didn't exactly have stellar team pitching this season, as they ranked 13 in MLB with a 3.90 team ERA (League Average was 4.07). Fangraphs ranked the Dodgers team pitching at 20th, giving them a 10.1 fWAR. That said, the Boys in Blue have been bashing their way to victory in the postseason and considering the Dodgers held the Padres scoreless over the final 27 innings of the ALDS and also factoring in that the Dodgers shut out the Mets twice in the ALCS, it would be a big mistake to assume the Yankees offense will steamroll the Dodgers pitching. With a team ERA of 4.41 so far this postseason though, the Dodgers are pitching far worse right now than they did all season long, so in a tight series that might matter a lot. 

Besides, it's not the Yankees ability to score that worries me in this series as I do believe the Yankees will get their share of runs. What concerns me most is whether or not the Yankees can hold a very good Dodgers offense down enough to win 4 out of the next seven games, igniting a ticker tape parade in Manhattan and thereby cementing the franchise's 28th championship. The Dodgers are scoring an average of 6.4 runs per game this postseason and considering the Yankees are averaging 4.8 runs - I think it's reasonable to expect the Yankees offense to do a bit better versus Dodgers pitching. The million dollar question is - can the Yankees 6th ranked pitching staff, which pitched to team ERA of 3.74 during the regular season and has sharpened up to the tune of a 3.29 ERA so far this postseason, hold down the League's top rated offense? 

The Dodgers are getting contributions from all over their lineup so far this postseason - from top to bottom. Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts and of course, Shohei Ohtani are all raking, but Enrique Hernandez, Max Muncy, Andy Pages and Will Smith are all coming up with key hits in big spots so far. Freddie Freeman has a badly sprained ankle and Teoscar Hernandez has been quiet so far, so there's that to factor in as well. Yet, the Dodgers have beaten teams with worse pitching than the Yankees will bring to bear and since good pitching almost always beats good hitting the postseason, I'm favoring the Yankees in this series and I'm really not all that concerned. That said, I predicted a Braves vs Guardians World Series, so I'm not sure how much weight my predictions are good for this postseason. 

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Andy Singer - I actually think that the Dodgers and the Yankees make for a very interesting match-up. Both teams enter the World Series a bit banged up, but the best players for both teams (for the most part) are healthy enough to suit up. The teams play the game differently, but in the aggregate, I think they are a pretty even match.

Obviously, the Yankees can't take the Dodgers lightly. Yankee pitching, particularly the bullpen, has been quite good in the playoffs so far, but performing well against a lineup as deep as the ones the Dodgers can run out on a nightly basis is a much taller task than they've faced throughout the playoffs. Against the Royals and Guardians, the Yankees really had to pay attention to the middle of the order, but against the Dodgers, the Yankees will face a patient lineup that can punish mistakes from top to bottom. The Yankees' offense is known for working pitchers and pushing long counts; the Dodgers' offense is identical in that sense. Look for the offense to try to push the Yankees' starters out of games early so that it exposes the Yankees' bullpen depth. If I were the Dodgers' hitting coaches, that would be my instruction, and that team is well suited to comply. That's my chief concern.