Dodgers Dugout: How have Dodgers fared against playoff teams’ top starters?

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and now it’s just a matter of trying to get the overall best record while waiting for the postseason to begin.

As mentioned a couple of times before, in my mind the biggest threat in the NL postseason for the Dodgers will be the New York Mets, particularly Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Of course, now that I say that, watch both teams lose in the NLDS and not face each other.

Good pitching is paramount in the postseason, and deGrom and Scherzer give the Mets seemingly unstoppable two starters.

The Dodgers are 28-15 against teams with a winning record this season (a 105-57 pace) and 61-23 against teams with a losing record (a 118-44 pace), but how have they done against the best two pitchers on teams that might make the playoffs. On some teams, you could select more than one to be the second-best starter, so I’m going with who is the general consensus around the league. Since only seven NL teams have a winning record this season, we don’t have to look at too many teams.

New York Mets

Jacob deGrom (3-1, 2.15 ERA overall) vs. Dodgers in 2022: Has not faced Dodgers this season
deGrom lifetime vs. Dodgers: 0-4, 2.87 ERA, 62.2 IP, 44 hits, 18 walks, 60 K’s

Max Scherzer (9-4, 2.27 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: Have not faced Scherzer this season
Scherzer lifetime vs. Dodgers: 5-5, 2.59 ERA, 93.2 IP, 76 hits, 23 walks, 105 K’s

Atlanta Braves

Max Fried (12-4, 2.52 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: 1-0, 1.32 ERA, 13.2 IP, 8 hits, 1 walk, 17 K’s
Fried vs. Dodgers lifetime: 2-2, 3.19 ERA, 36.2 IP, 31 hits, 9 walks, 46 K’s

Kyle Wright (16-5, 2.99 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: has not faced Dodgers this season
Wright vs. Dodgers lifetime: has never faced Dodgers

Philadelphia Phillies

Aaron Nola (9-10, 3.08 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: 0-0, 4.38 ERA, 12.1 IP, 9 hits, 3 walks, 17 K’s
Nola vs. Dodgers lifetime: 2-0, 3.57 ERA, 40.1 IP, 27 hits, 11 walks, 49 K’s

Zack Wheeler (11-7, 3.07 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: 0-0, 5.06 ERA, 5.1 IP, 6 hits, 1 walk, 7 K’s
Wheeler vs. Dodgers lifetime: 2-2, 4.72 ERA, 34.1 IP, 33 hits, 10 walks, 40 K’s

St. Louis Cardinals

Adam Wainwright (9-9, 3.09 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP, 4 hits, 4 walks, 5 K’s
Wainwright vs. Dodgers lifetime: 7-5, 2.53 ERA, 103.1 IP, 89 hits, 32 walks, 79 K’s

Jordan Montgomery (7-3, 3.28 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: has not faced Dodgers this season
Montgomery vs. Dodgers lifetime: has never faced Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers

Corbin Burnes (9-6, 2.84 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: 1-1, 9.64 ERA, 9.1 IP, 12 hits, 4 walks, 9 K’s
Burnes vs. Dodgers lifetime: 2-2, 10.00 ERA, 18 IP, 26 hits, 9 walks, 19 K’s

Brandon Woodruff (9-3, 3.31 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: 0-0, 3.60 ERA, 5 IP, 5 hits, 2 walks, 8 K’s
Woodruff vs. Dodgers lifetime: 0-0, 5.79 ERA, 18.2 IP, 20 hits, 7 walks, 24 K’s

San Diego Padres

Joe Musgrove (8-6, 2.96 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: 0-1, 3.86 ERA, 7 IP, 5 hits, 1 walk, 10 K’s
Musgrove vs. Dodgers lifetime: 0-5, 4.19 ERA, 38.2 IP, 36 hits, 12 walks, 37 K’s

Yu Darvish (11-7, 3.41 ERA) vs. Dodgers in 2022: 0-2, 3.50 ERA, 18 IP, 16 hits, 3 walks, 22 K’s
Darvish vs. Dodgers lifetime: 2-5, 2.78 ERA, 55 IP, 35 hits, 15 walks, 73 K’s

The Dodgers more than likely will get a first-round bye in the playoffs, and play the best-of-five NLDS against the wild-card team with the best or second-best record, which at this moment would be Atlanta or Philadelphia.

Tony Gonsolin

Tony Gonsolin was put on the 15-day IL on Monday because of a strained forearm. The Dodgers believe it is not serious and he will be back before the postseason. Of course, we heard that about Walker Buehler too.

“He was still able to play catch [Sunday],” Dave Roberts said. “And just where he’s at, and the evaluation from the docs, feels like we got ahead of it early. And I think we are being extra cautious right now putting him on the IL, to be quite honest.”

If it is a short-term problem and Gonsolin comes back fine, then this could be beneficial as it gives him a chance to rest his arm just before the postseason. Clayton Kershaw will come off the IL this week and will fill Gonsolin’s role in the rotation for now. If it’s a long-term problem, then the Dodgers really need Kershaw and Dustin May to remain healthy.

Where they rank

Here’s where individual Dodgers rank in the top 10 in various batting and pitching categories, through Sunday.

Batting average

1. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, .338
2. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, .326
3. Jeff McNeil, New York, .321
4. Trea Turner, Dodgers, .311
5. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis, .306
8. Gavin Lux, Dodgers, .294

Hits

1. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 161
2. Trea Turner, Dodgers, 159
3. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, 153
4. Dansby Swanson, Atlanta, 145
5. Austin Riley, Atlanta, 141

Runs

1. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, 99
2. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, 92
3. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 90
4. Dansby Swanson, Atlanta, 84
5. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee, 83
6. Trea Turner, Dodgers, 82

Doubles

1. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 42
2. Matt Olson, Atlanta, 41
3. Austin Riley, Atlanta, 35
4. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, 34
4. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis, 34
4. Jeff McNeil, New York, 34
4. Ian Happ, Chicago, 34
8. Trea Turner, Dodgers, 33

Triples
1. Gavin Lux, Dodgers, 7
2. Starling Marte, New York, 5
2. Brandon Nimmo, New York, 5
2. J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia, 5

Home runs
1. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia, 35
2. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, 33
3. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, 31
3. Austin Riley, Atlanta, 31
3. Pete Alonso, New York, 31

RBIs
1. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, 105
1. Pete Alonso, New York, 105
3. Matt Olson, Atlanta, 87
4. Trea Turner, Dodgers, 86
5. Francisco Lindor, New York, 85
5. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis, 85
10. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 80

Walks
1. Juan Soto, San Diego, 109
2. Max Muncy, Dodgers, 71
3. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee, 68
4. Jurickson Profar, San Diego, 65
5. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, 64
5. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia, 64
5. Josh Bell, San Diego, 64
12. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 58

Stolen bases
1. Jon Berti, Miami, 31
2. Tommy Edman, St. Louis, 26
3. Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta, 25
4. Trea Turner, Dodgers, 21
5. Starling Marte, New York, 18

OB%
1. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, .421
2. Juan Soto, San Diego, .413
3. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, .398
4. Mark Canha, New York, .377
5. Manny Machado, San Diego, .374
7. Gavin Lux, Dodgers, .370
12. Will Smith, Dodgers, .356
13. Trea Turner, Dodgers, .355

SLG%
1. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, .629
2. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis, .567
3. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, .560
4. Austin Riley, Atlanta, .552
5. Manny Machado, San Diego, .537
6. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, .516
10. Trea Turner, Dodgers, .488
15. Will Smith, Dodgers, .468

WAR
1. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis, 7.1
2. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis, 7.0
3. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, 5.7
4. Tommy Edman, St. Louis, 5.2
5. Manny Machado, San Diego, 5.1
7. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 4.9
11. Trea Turner, Dodgers, 4.6

Pitching

ERA
1. Tony Gonsolin, Dodgers, 2.10
2. Sandy Alcantara, Miami, 2.13
3. Julio Urías, Dodgers, 2.32
4. Max Fried, Atlanta, 2.52
5. Zac Gallen, Arizona, 2.66
6. Tyler Anderson, Dodgers, 2.69

What Vin Scully meant to you

Mark Taylor: I am a 68-year-old Angeleno who grew up here and never left. I was one of those kids who fell asleep listening to Vinnie as a child and feel so blessed to have lived my life with Vinnie as my constant companion. I met him once coming out of a doctor’s office, where I stopped in my tracks and said “Vin Scully, as I live and breathe” He replied, “young man, I am glad you did both” smiled, and went on his way. He was simply the best.

Dennis Hart of Madera, Ca.: Vin made me a Dodgers fan forever. I grew up in Fresno — loved baseball and radio — had a transistor, like every kid back then — and discovered Vin on KFI, which boomed into town at night on its 50,000 watts at 640 on the dial. Practically every summer night in my teens, I’d take that transistor to bed and listen to Vin paint picture-perfect images of what Sandy and Don and Maury and Junior were doing. It was all magic to my ears.

And, yes, I was there, on my transistor, that Thursday night in ‘65 when both Sandy and Vin achieved perfection. It was incredible. Long story short — Vin made my life better — happier — every day I listened. And that’s the truth.

Jacki Horwitz of Pacific Palisades: I don’t remember the year or who the Dodgers were playing but it must have been a tie in extra innings, late at night. I was maybe 13 or 14, in my bed, my room dark except for the glow of the radio and the sound of Vin Scully’s voice. I could not stop listening until the very end. Who knew what time it was? Or who won that night? Who cared? It was just Vinny and me, sharing a late night together.

The last two weeks

Let’s see how everyone has been doing the last two weeks, through Sunday:

Austin Barnes, .357/.400/.786, 2 homers, 7 RBIs
Freddie Freeman, .357/.379/.500, 5 doubles, 1 homer, 8 RBIs
Trea Turner, .346/.443/.404, 3 doubles, 3 RBIs
Justin Turner, .333/.407/.458, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 9 RBIs
Trayce Thompson, .320/.370/.640, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 6 RBIs
Mookie Betts: .314/.375/.726, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers, 9 RBIs
Gavin Lux, .269/.321/.500, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 homer, 4 RBIs
Hanser Alberto, .250/.308/.333, 1 double
Max Muncy, .217/.309/.391, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBIs
Chris Taylor, .216/.302/.378, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 2 RBIs
Will Smith, .205/.289/.333, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 9 RBIs
Cody Bellinger, .188/.257/.344, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs
Joey Gallo, .182/.333/.455, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 homer, 3 RBIs

Team: .280/.352/.474, 29 doubles, 3 triples, 18 homers, 5.62 runs per game.

Starting pitchers

Tony Gonsolin, 0.75 ERA, 12 IP, 5 hits, 3 walks, 11 K’s
Julio Urías, 1.06 ERA, 17 IP, 7 hits, 7 walks, 20 K’s
Tyler Anderson, 1.46 ERA, 12.1 IP, 8 hits, 5 walks, 10 K’s
Dustin May, 1.64 ERA, 11 IP, 6 hits, 3 walks, 13 K’s
Andrew Heaney, 4.22 ERA, 10.2 IP, 9 hits, 2 walks, 20 K’s
Ryan Pepiot, 4.22 ERA, 10.2 IP, 7 hits, 7 walks, 13 K’s

Relievers

Alex Vesia, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 10 K’s
Evan Phillips, 0.00 ERA, 4.2 IP, 0 hits, 0 walks, 4 K’s, 1 save
Brusdar Graterol, 0.00 ERA, 4.1 IP, 3 hits, 0 walks, 4 K’s
Chris Martin, 0.00 ERA, 4.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 walks, 8 K’s
Hanser Alberto, 0.00 ERA, 2 IP, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 K’s
Reyes Moronta, 0.00 ERA, 1.2 IP, 0 hits, 1 walk, 1 K
David Price, 2.70 ERA, 6.2 IP, 3 hits, 0 walks, 3 K’s
Craig Kimbrel, 2.70 ERA, 3.1 IP, 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 K’s, 1 save
Caleb Ferguson, 5.79 ERA, 4.2 IP, 4 hits, 4 walks, 5 K’s
Phil Bickford, 6.43 ERA, 7 IP, 8 hits, 4 walks, 10 K’s

Team: 9-4, 2.30 ERA, 117.1 IP, 67 hits, 40 walks, 135 K’s

Up next

Tuesday: Dodgers (*Andrew Heaney, 2-1, 1.94 ERA) at New York Mets (Taijuan Walker, 10-3, 3.38 ERA), 4 p.m., SportsNet LA, TBS, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (*Tyler Anderson, 13-2, 2.69 ERA) at New York Mets (Jacob deGrom, 3-1, 2.15 ERA), 4 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Thursday: Dodgers (TBD) at New York Mets (Chris Bassitt, 11-7, 3.34 ERA), 1 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

Stories you might have missed

For Dodgers’ Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman, playing every day is part of the deal

And finally

Vin Scully is interviewed on “Face the Nation.” Watch and listen here.