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Three reasons why the Los Angeles Dodgers could make (or miss) the World Series
Clayton Kershaw got the first save of his MLB career in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Nationals to help the Dodgers advance to the NLCS. The Washington Post/Getty Images

Three reasons why the Los Angeles Dodgers could make (or miss) the World Series

No team had to fight harder to reach the League Championship Series round than the Los Angeles Dodgers did. They had to go coast to coast with elimination hovering over them in nearly each inning to move on in the postseason, and they scratched, crawled and ultimately survived into the NLCS.

It has been the trend of the year for the Dodgers to fight from behind to secure their place in the season. They chased down the San Francisco Giants to take over the National League West and did so again to emerge over a Nationals team that had both home-field advantage and got to unleash its ace twice in a five-game span.

If they are to continue along this season, they will have to overcome the most formidable team in all of baseball in the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers will once again have to go to the proverbial whip in continuing their “against all odds” campaign, which has seen them overcome a slow start and decimating injuries to their pitching staff, all while being carried by rookie contributors and a first-time manager as well. Yet with all of these elements underneath their belts, it should be no surprise that the Dodgers are in better-than-imagined position to continue on into the Fall Classic.

With that being said, here are some of the key elements that could make — or break — the L.A. run through October.

Key Players

Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw is the most pivotal player in the series as a whole. He has pushed himself to the limit thus far in these playoffs, making three appearances in the NLDS, including back-to-back outings in Games 4 and 5 (one in relief). Kershaw will likely never be completely fresh again this year but should be counted on to be able to make at least two important starts in the series and potentially a critically timed relief appearance as well. It would reason that he would make a Game 3 start in L.A. but also be available if needed in any elimination scenario and to be positioned into any crucial slot that could take place in the back end of the series that could go back to Wrigley Field.

Kenta Maeda

Due to Kershaw being called on so often versus the Nationals, the responsibility for taking the ball in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on the mound will likely fall to the rookie Maeda. He will be in line to make a pair of starts, opposed by Jon Lester in both potentially. He must be better than in the Game 2 NLDS loss inc which he lasted only three innings in against the Nationals because Lester will be on point.

Corey Seager

Seager made headlines for two big early series home runs against the Nationals but went deathly cold for the majority of the series. After a first-inning double against Gio Gonzalez in Game 3 of the NLDS, Seager has gone on a 0-for-13 skid. He was the most important part of the Dodgers' everyday lineup, and they will be incapable of pulling the upset against Chicago if he does not get back to his early series form soon.

Justin Turner

While Seager has struggled, Turner has continued with the understated impact that he has made at the heart of the L.A. lineup all season. He drove in five runs, scored another five and led the club with 11 total bases. Turner can do a bit of it all and will need to continue the timely hitting that has been his hallmark all season — he was a .325 hitter with runners in scoring position this year.

3 Reasons Why They Will Win It

1. The Best Pitcher In The World, On Call

There is much debate about Kershaw’s lackluster postseason performances in the past, and some of it is valid. But a fair amount is overblown as well and is due in part to being held up to his own all-time great standard. He is a battler who did everything in his power to get back on the field after missing two months of the year. And now he has pitched in parts of three games already in the postseason, winning one start and picking up the decisive Game 5 save. Kershaw is the rare pitcher who can be a part of any game at any time.

2. The Bullpen Matchup Game

The Dodger bullpen was one of the best in baseball this year, in large part due to Kenley Jansen’s shutdown presence at the end of games. In this postseason, it has largely been a place where the club has been able to stash its excess of starters to be able to be utilized in long relief as well. The presence of the electric 20-year-old Julio Urias was invaluable in Game 5 of the NLDS, and while he could be tabbed to start in the NLCS, having him available along with J.P. Howell, Grant Dayton, Luis Avilan and more is a luxury few teams have.

3. The Survivor’s Knack

Things don’t always make sense, and baseball is certainly no exception to that rule. The Dodgers even being in the postseason at this point defies logic in many ways. They actually got better when they lost Kershaw midseason and tracked down the Giants, who had the best record in baseball when they started their surge up the standings in July. At one point they had over 10 pitchers on the disabled list simultaneously, including nearly their entire Opening Day rotation. All the while, they still fought on and are alive still. They are a zombie-like sort of undeniable, and that is something that should be respected… even by baseball’s best team.

3 Reasons They Will Lose It

1. Unsettled Starting Pitching

In a way, the Dodgers have done it with smoke and mirrors thus far in regard to starting pitching performances. Only Kershaw has managed to pitch at least into the fifth inning in the postseason, and that is not going to cut it against the top-flight Chicago staff. Someone else will need to step it up, or the Dodgers are looking at being overmatched in the vast majority of the series on the mound.

2. Losing The Left-Handed Battle

Many of the biggest L.A. bats swing from the left side of the plate, including Seager, Chase Utley and Adrian Gonzalez. The Cubs are uniquely equipped to deploy multiple options out of their bullpen to counteract this. Travis Wood, Mike Montgomery and, of course, Aroldis Chapman will be very busy this series and could be the biggest advantage the Cubs have on a nightly basis.

3. Burning Out

The Dodgers have been grinding for months now, no time more so than outlasting the Nationals. The Cubs, on the other hand, did not play their best baseball in the first round but still managed to win out and get some early rest. The quick one-day turnaround between series gives L.A. little time to get some vital rest and rehab time. The Dodgers could be toward the bottom of their tank early on in the series.

X-Factor: They have played neck-and-neck with the Cubs already

On the year, the Cubs won the season series 4-3 against the Dodgers but did so against one of the many lesser incarnations of the team, as L.A. was a constantly changing roster throughout the year. Neither Kershaw, Rich Hill or Maeda pitched against Chicago this year, so they will have the rare advantage of throwing new looks at a league foe this late in the year. And the Cubs did only hit .200 in their NLDS matchup, so there could be room for the Dodgers to establish dominance early on the mound.

VERDICT

L.A. has a tall task ahead in the Cubs, who are well-rested and will be able to kick the series off at home, where they have been the most dominant home team in baseball this year. There are a lot of areas that should give the Dodgers hope, both internally and how the Cubs have been playing of late. However, it is difficult to imagine them stopping the superior pitching and hitting of the Cubs over a full series and on non-Kershaw days. However, they won’t go down without a fight; it is simply not their way.

Cubs win in six.

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