The Dodgers are back in the National League Championship Series, and it’s a rematch with the Milwaukee Brewers, with both teams closing out their Division Series on Wednesday night.
The NLCS begins on Sunday night in Milwaukee, with exact series start times to be announced.
But first, some more after the Dodgers closed out the Atlanta Braves in four games in the NLDS, including manager Dave Roberts telling the team in the celebratory visitor’s clubhouse at Truist Park, “We talked about this. There’s
no more talented team than the Los Angeles Dodgers. We’re the best organization in sports, top to bottom. We’re smarter, we’re better, and we’re tougher.”
Roberts during his pre-celebration speech singled out a handful of players for their effort this season, including Edwin Díaz, who has looked considerably better since returning from his neck inflammation in late September. Díaz has worked his way back up the trust tree and closed out each of the Dodgers’ last two wins in Atlanta.
Roberts expanded on the thought during his postgame meeting with media.
“He’s had a tough season. He’s been hurt. He was having trouble with his delivery and went on a long rehab assignment. But to get him pitching the way — that’s the reason why we got him. The last two nights, that’s the reason why we acquired a guy like Edwin Diaz. He’s one of the great closers in the game,” Roberts said. “For him to be pitching his best right now, that’s what you hope for, and I give him a lot of credit.”
Díaz pitched three games during the series, pitching three scoreless innings, with three strikeouts among his 10 batters faced. He allowed a leadoff double in the ninth inning of Game 3, but stranded him.
“The team trusts me. I think that was the most important thing for me, the team trust me. They give me the ball every single day. And the last two nights it’s been amazing,” Díaz said in the interview room in Atlanta. “That’s why I came here to win games and close games like this one. So I’m really happy right now.”
Links
- Andy Pages had multiple hits in each of the last two games of the NLDS, and had the game-winning two-run single in the seventh inning of Game 4, after four hits in 51 at-bats and only one RBI in 16 games last postseason. Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic wrote about the turnaround for Pages.
- After leaving Game 3 in the eighth inning with lower back pain, Miguel Rojas was unavailable in Game 4 after still feeling after effects on Wednesday. Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register has more on the veteran infielder.
- Davy Andrews recapped NLDS Game 4 for FanGraphs.
