Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and judging by the numerous emails on the topic I’ve received, fans really want to beat George Springer.
Springer was the MVP of the 2017 World Series that was won by the cheating Houston (no relation) Astros.
—Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are the best hitters on the Blue Jays and have been playing very well this postseason.
—Actually, the whole Blue Jays offense is doing well, hitting 296/.355/.523 and averaging 6.45 runs per game. They haven’t faced a starting rotation as good as the Dodgers’ however.
—Even if you discount his 2017 postseason stats, Springer remains one of the best postseason hitters of all time.
—The Dodgers will go with Blake Snell in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2.
A quick chart for those of you who miss the days of starting pitchers pitching deep into games:
Most innings pitched by starters in a four-game LCS:
1979 Orioles: 33.1
1974 A’s: 29.2 IP
1983 White Sox: 29.1 IP
1990 A’s: 29.1 IP
2025 Dodgers: 28.2 IP
1983 Orioles: 28.2 IP
—Dodger pitchers have given up four home runs this postseason. Blue Jays pitchers have given up 18.
—How humble and cool is Shohei Ohtani? In the clubhouse after he was named NLCS MVP, he covered up his name on the trophy and replaced it with something that said Team Effort. You can see a picture of it here.
—Some bad news for the bullpen: Alex Vesia might miss the World Series because he and his wife are dealing with a “a deeply personal family matter.” From Jack Harris’ story:
“We have a little bit of time — I think 10 o’clock tomorrow or something like that — to finalize our roster,” Dave Roberts said. “But, yeah, we’re going through the process of trying to backfill his spot on the roster.”
One potential option for the Dodgers would be to place Vesia on MLB’s Family Medical Emergency List, which would require him to miss a minimum of three days but make it possible for him to rejoin the active roster later in the World Series.
—That would be a big blow to the Dodger bullpen. Vesia was one of the handful of guys they counted on this postseason. I would imagine Anthony Banda would fill his role as the main left-hander out of the pen.
—But the important thing is not how it hurts the Dodgers, it’s that Vesia and his wife come through this OK. Our best wishes to them.
—Which unlikely player will rise up to be a star this World Series? I’m going with Andy Pages, who is overdue to break his slump.
—The dream scenario: Dodgers win it at home, and have a big enough lead that Clayton Kershaw comes in to pitch the final inning.
—Because I had “4-0” and “4-3” on the mind (or, I’m just dumb), in the last newsletter I had the Dodgers defeating the A’s 4-3 in the 1988 World Series. It was 4-1 of course.
—What do the Dodgers need to do to win? Cool off Springer and Guerrero. Work the count and tire out the pitching staff, which pays off even more as the series progresses. The pitchers need to attack hitters and not just nibble around the corner. All of that is easier said than done though.
—Whichever team wins, Jose Ureña is guaranteed a World Series ring. He pitched for the Dodgers and Blue Jays this season. For the Dodgers he gave one run in three innings, for the Blue Jays, five runs in 12.1 innings. The Dodgers signed him on June 3 and released him on June 13.
—Familiar face Don Mattingly is the bench coach for the Blue Jays. Believe it or not, in his long, illustrious career, this is the first time he has been in a World Series.
—One thing the Dodgers have working in their favor: The Blue Jays don’t have many strong left-handed pitchers. They can’t just pound them with lefties like the Brewers did.
—The series won’t be easy. The Dodgers have made winning in the postseason look easy, but it isn’t. But there are four more wins left in them.
Prediction: Dodgers in 5.
Let’s take a look at how the teams compare and where they ranked among the 30 teams:
Batting
Runs per game
Dodgers, 5.09 (2nd)
Blue Jays, 4.93 (4th)
MLB average, 4.45
Batting average
Blue Jays, .265 (1st)
Dodgers, .253 (5th)
MLB average, .245
On-base %
Blue Jays, .333 (1st)
Dodgers, .327 (5th)
MLB average, .315
Slugging %
Dodgers, .441 (2nd)
Blue Jays, .427 (7th)
MLB average, .404
Doubles
Blue Jays, 294 (3rd)
MLB average, 258
Dodgers, 257 (13th)
Triples
Dodgers, 21 (T12th)
MLB average, 21
Blue Jays, 13 (26th)
Home runs
Dodgers, 244 (2nd)
Blue Jays, 191 (T11th)
MLB average, 188
Walks
Dodgers, 580 (2nd)
Blue Jays, 520 (13th)
MLB average, 513
Strikeouts
MLB average, 1,355
Dodgers, 1,353 (16th)
Blue Jays, 1,099 (29th)
Stolen bases
MLB average, 115
Dodgers, 88 (T21st)
Blue Jays, 77 (28th)
Sacrifice bunts
Blue Jays, 35 (3rd)
MLB average, 19
Dodgers, 13 (T20th)
Batting average with two out and runners in scoring position
Dodgers, .271 (1st)
Blue Jays, .264 (4th)
MLB average, .233
Pitching
ERA
Dodgers, 3.95 (16th)
MLB average, 4.15
Blue Jays, 4.18 (19th)
Team ERA after All-Star break
Dodgers, 3.45 (2nd)
Blue Jays, 4.23 (17th)
MLB average, 4.28
Rotation ERA
Dodgers, 3.69 (5th)
MLB average, 4.21
Blue Jays, 4.34 (20th)
Bullpen ERA
Blue Jays, 3.98 (16th)
MLB average, 4.08
Dodgers, 4.27 (21st)
FIP (click here for explainer)
Dodgers, 3.93 (7th)
MLB average, 4.16
Blue Jays, 4.27 (23rd)
Walks
Dodgers, 563 (5th)
Blue Jays, 517 (15th)
MLB average, 513
Strikeouts
Dodgers, 1,505 (1st)
Blue Jays, 1,430 (6th)
MLB average, 1,355
Saves
Dodgers, 46 (5th)
Blue Jays, 42 (T12th)
MLB average, 40
Blown saves
Dodgers, 27 (T7th)
MLB average, 24
Blue Jays, 23 (T14th)
Inherited runners who scored %
Dodgers, 26.1% (3rd)
Blue Jays, 27.6% (8th)
MLB average, 31.8%
Relief innings
Dodgers, 657.2 (1st)
Blue Jays, 597.1 (13th)
MLB average, 595
Relief wins
Dodgers, 44 (T1st)
Blue Jays, 44 (T1st)
MLB average, 33
Relief losses
Dodgers, 33 (T7th)
MLB average, 29
Blue Jays, 22 (T26th)
Fielding
Errors
Blue Jays, 86 (12th)
MLB average, 82
Dodgers, 68 (25th)
The players
When comparing the main players on the teams, keep in mind that players can move around depending on who is starting and managerial whim. For a full look at the Blue Jays statistically, click here.
DH
Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani. .282/.392/.622, 25 doubles, 55 homers, 102 RBIs
Blue Jays, George Springer, .309/.399/.500, 27 doubles, 32 homers, 84 RBIs
The best hitter on both teams bats leadoff. Far cry from the days when the DH would be the slow, aging, plodding slugger, batting fourth or fifth.
Catcher
Dodgers, Will Smith, .296/.404/.497, 20 doubles, 17 homers, 61 RBIs
Dodgers, Ben Rortvedt, .224/.309/.327, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs
Blue Jays, Alejandro Kirk, .282/.348/.421, 8 doubles, 3 homers, 20 RBIs
Blue Jays, Tyler Heineman, .289/.361/.416, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 17 RBIs
Don’t expect Rortvedt or Heineman to get too much, if any, playing time.
First base
Dodgers, Freddie Freeman, .295/.367/.502, 39 doubles, 24 homers, 90 RBIs
Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., .292/.381/.467, 34 doubles, 23 homers, 84 RBIs
Guerrero is red hot. He was named ALCS MVP after hitting .385 with three homers and he hit .529 in the ALDS. He has six home runs and 12 RBIs in 11 postseason games this season. Priority one will be slowing him down some.
Second base
Dodgers, Miguel Rojas, .262/.318/.397, 18 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBIs
Dodgers, Tommy Edman, .225/.274/.382, 13 doubles, 13 homers, 49 RBIs
Blue Jays, Andrés Giménez, .210/.285/.313, 11 doubles, 7 homers, 35 RBIs
OR
Blue Jays, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, .262/.297/.334, 21 doubles, 2 homers, 40 RBIs
When I see good glove, no hit guys like Giménez in a World Series lineup and begin to think “easy out,” I stop myself and start thinking about Brian Doyle in the 1978 World Series. He was a career .161 hitter who hit .438 in that series.
Third base
Dodgers, Max Muncy, .243/.376/.470, 10 doubles, 19 homers, 67 RBIs
Blue Jays, Ernie Clement, .277/.313/.398, 35 doubles, 9 homers, 50 RBIs
Shortstop
Dodgers, Mookie Betts, .258/.326/.406, 23 doubles, 20 homers, 82 RBIs
Blue Jays, Andrés Giménez, .210/.285/.313, 11 doubles, 7 homers, 35 RBIs
OR
Blue Jays, Bo Bichette, .311/.457/.483, 44 doubles, 18 homers, 94 RBIs
The Blue Jays’ middle infield depends entirely on the health of Bichette. He has been out for six weeks because of an injured left knee, but says he will be ready for the World Series. If he is, then Giménez slides over to second. If not, the Giménez plays short and Kiner-Falefa plays second.
Left field
Dodgers, Kiké Hernández, .203/.255/.366, 8 doubles, 10 homers, 35 RBIs
Blue Jays, Nathan Lukes, .255/.323/.407, 19 doubles, 12 homers, 65 RBIs
Center field
Dodgers, Andy Pages, .272/.313/.461, 27 doubles, 27 homers, 86 RBIs
Blue Jays, Daulton Varsho, .238/.284/.548, 13 doubles, 20 homers, 55 RBIs
Right field
Dodgers, Teoscar Hernández, .247/.284/.454, 29 doubles, 25 homers, 89 RBIs
Blue Jays, Addison Barger, .243/.301/.454, 32 doubles, 21 homers, 74 RBIs
Barger is Max Muncy, if Muncy didn’t draw any walks.
Of the Blue Jays, Giménez, Lukes, Varsho and Barger bat left-handed. Heineman is a switch-hitter.
Starting pitchers
Dodgers
*Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.35 ERA, 61.1 IP, 51 hits, 26 walks, 72 K’s
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12-8, 2.49 ERA, 173.2 IP, 113 hits, 59 walks, 201 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 2.87 ERA, 47 IP, 40 hits, 9 walks, 62 K’s
Tyler Glasnow, 4-3, 3.19 ERA, 90.1 IP, 56 hits, 43 walks, 106 K’s
Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman, 10-11, 3.59 ERA, 193 IP, 155 hits, 50 walks, 189 K’s
Shane Bieber, 4-2, 3.57 ERA, 40.1 IP, 34 hits, 7 walks, 37 K’s
Trey Yesavage, 1-0, 3.21 ERA, 14 IP, 13 hits, 7 walks, 16 K’s
Max Scherzer, 5-5, 5.19 ERA, 85 IP, 87 hits, 23 walks, 82 K’s
These are the four pitchers who started for the Blue Jays in the ALCS. It’s conceivable they could use left-hander Eric Lauer as a starter, or as an opener, to help neutralize Ohtani and Freeman. He started for them during the season before going to the bullpen when Bieber joined the rotation.
The main relievers
Dodgers
*Alex Vesia, 4-2, 3.02 ERA, 5 saves, 59.2 IP, 37 hits, 22 walks, 80 K’s
Emmet Sheehan, 6-3, 2.82 ERA, 73.1 IP, 49 hits, 22 walks, 89 K’s
Blake Treinen, 2-7. 5.40 ERA, 26.2 IP, 30 hits, 19 walks, 36 K’s
Roki Sasaki, 1-1, 4.46 ERA, 36.1 IP, 30 hits, 22 walks, 28 K’s
*Anthony Banda, 5-1, 3.18 ERA, 65 IP, 45 hits, 34 walks, 61 K’s
Blue Jays
Jeff Hoffman, 9-7, 4.37 ERA, 33 saves, 68 IP, 54 hits, 27 walks, 84 K’s
Louis Varland, 1-0, 4.94 ERA, 23.2 IP, 24 hits, 9 walks, 28 K’s
*Mason Fluharty, 5-2, 4.44 ERA, 1 save, 52.2 IP, 36 hits, 24 walks, 56 K’s
*Eric Lauer, 9-2, 3.18 ERA, 104.2 IP, 90 hits, 26 walks, 102 K’s
Seranthony Dominguez, 2-1, 3.00 ERA, 21 IP, 12 hits, 12 walks, 25 K’s
*-left-handed
Postseason numbers
How the Dodgers and Blue Jays have done this postseason:
Batting
Alex Call, .750/.857/.750, 3 for 4, 2 walks
Ben Rortvedt, .429/.500/.571, 3 for 7, 1 double, 1 RBI, 3 K’s
Miguel Rojas, .375/.444/.375, 3 for 8, 1 RBI
Kiké Hernández, .306/.375/.417, 11 for 36, 4 doubles, 4 RBIs, 4 walks, 9 K’s
Mookie Betts, .293/.370/.439, 12 for 41, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 RBIs, 4 walks, 4 K’s
Tommy Edman, .286/.306/.486, 10 for 35, 1 double, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 1 walk, 12 K’s
Will Smith, .286/.375/.286, 8 for 28, 2 RBIs, 3 walks, 10 K’s
Teoscar Hernández, .268/.302/.585, 1 double, 4 homers, 11 RBIs, 2 walks, 11 K’s
Freddie Freeman, .231/.333/.410, 9 for 39, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 5 walks, 11 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, .220/.333/.634, 9 for 41, 1 triple, 5 homers, 9 RBIs, 7 walks, 17 K’s
Max Muncy, .214/.389/.357, 6 for 28, 1 double, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 7 walks, 6 K’s
Andy Pages, .086/.135/.114, 3 for 35, 1 double, 1 RBI, 9 K’s
Dalton Rushing, 0 for 1, 1 K
Team, .256/.340/.430, 17 doubles, 2 triples, 13 homers, 35 walks, 93 K’s, 4.6 runs per game
Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., .442/.510/.930, 19 for 43, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 12 RBIs, 6 walks, 3 K’d
Ernie Clement, .429/.444/.619, 18 for 42, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 7 RBIs, 1 walk, 2 K’s
Nathan Lukes, .333/.381/.410, 13 for 39, 3 doubles, 7 RBIs, 3 walks, 5 K’s
Addison Barger, .286/.375/.514, 10 for 35, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 4 RBIs, 5 walks, 7 K’s
Daulton Varsho, .273/.304/.500, 12 for 44, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, 2 walks, 12 K’s
Andrés Giménez, .263/.317/.447, 10 for 38, 1 double, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, 2 walks, 5 K’s
George Springer, .239/.321/. 609, 11 for 36, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 5 walks, 11 K’s
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, .238/.238/.333, 5 for 21, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 K
Alejandro Kirk, .222/.286/.467, 10 for 45, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBIs, 4 walks, 7 K’s
Myles Straw, .222/.300/.222, 2 for 9, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 2 K’s
Anthony Santander, .200/.250/.200, 3 for 15, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 5 K’s
David Schneider, .200/.385/.300, 2 for 10, 1 double, 3 walks, 4 K’s
Joey Loperfido, 0 for 1
Team, .296/.355/.523, 26 doubles, 1 triple, 20 homers, 33 walks, 64 K’s, 6.45 runs per game
Pitching
Anthony Banda, 0.00 ERA, 1.2 IP, 2 walks, 1 K
Jack Dreyer, 0.00 ERA, 2.2 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Tyler Glasnow, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 8 walks, 18 K’s
Blake Snell, 3-0, 0.86 ERA, 21 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 5 walks, 28 K’s
Roki Sasaki, 1.13 ERA, 3 saves, 8 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER,, 2 walks, 6 K’s
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2-1, 1.83 ERA, 19.2 IP, 13 hits, 4 ER, 4 walks, 18 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, 2-0, 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 4 walks, 19 K’s
Alex Vesia, 2-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 3 walks, 4 K’s
Blake Treinen, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 5 hits 3 ER, 2 walks, 5 K’s
Emmet Sheehan, 10.80 ERA, 3.1 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 2 walks, 2 K’s
Clayton Kershaw, 18.00 ERA, 2 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 3 walks
Edgardo Henriquez, infinity, 0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 2 walks
Team, 9-1, 2.45 ERA. 4 saves, 92 IP, 56 hits, 25 ER, 38 walks, 104 K’s
Blue Jays
Chris Bassitt, 0.00 ERA, 2.2 IP, 3 K’s
Jeff Hoffman, 1.23 ERA, 2 saves, 7.1 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, 12 K’s
Kevin Gausman, 2-1, 2.00 ERA, 18 IP, 10 hits, 4 ER, 9 walks, 12 K’s
Max Scherzer, 1-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 4 walks, 5 K’s
Louis Varland, 0-1, 3.27 ERA, 11 IP, 8 hits, 4 ER, 1 walk, 13 K’s
Seranthony Dominguez. 1-0, 4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 5 walks, 5 K’s
Trey Yesavage, 2-1, 4.20 ERA, 15 IP, 10 hits, 7 ER, 7 walks, 22 K’s
Shane Bieber, 1-0, 4.38 ERA, 12.1 IP, 16 hits, 6 ER, 3 walks, 15 K’s
Mason Fluharty, 6.23 ERA, 4.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 2 walks, 7 K’s
Braydon Fisher, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, 6 K’s
Eric Lauer, 9.00 ERA, 3 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, 5 K’s
Yariel Rodríguez, 10.13 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 hits, 3 ER, 4 walks, 1 K
Brendon Little, 0-1, 12.00 ERA, 3 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 4 walks, 2 K’s
Tommy Nance, 13.50 ERA, 1.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 1 walk
Justin Bruihl, 54.00 ERA, 0.1 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER
Team, 7-4, 4.36 ERA, 2 saves, 97 IP, 84 hits, 47 ER, 44 walks, 108 K’s
Poll results
We asked, “Who will win the World Series?”
After 13,296 votes:
Dodgers in five, 44.5%
Dodgers in six, 40.7%
Dodgers in four, 6.3%
Dodgers in seven, 4.5%
Blue Jays in six, 1.9%
Blue Jays in seven, 1.2%
Blue Jays in five, 0.6%
Blue Jays in four, 0.3%
Up next
Friday: Dodgers (Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.35 ERA) at Toronto (Trey Yesavage, 1-0, 3.21 ERA), 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio
Saturday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12-8, 2.49 ERA) at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio
Monday: Toronto at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio
Tuesday: Toronto at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio
x-Wednesday: Toronto at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio
x-Friday, Oct. 31: Dodgers at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio
x-Saturday, Nov. 1: Dodgers at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio
x-if necessary
In case you missed it
Alex Vesia might not pitch in World Series because of personal matter
‘It’s just in our DNA’: Why Dodgers treat title pressure as routine while chasing dynasty
Dave Roberts doesn’t think the Dodgers are villains
Cuban Andy Pages’ Dodgers success is bittersweet due to family separation
How a difficult season transformed Blake Snell into the Dodgers’ October ace
Dodgers’ Justin Dean has not batted yet in the playoffs. Here’s how he still contributes
And finally
Freddie Freeman hits a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.