Dodger fans can finally exhale

Which Dodger outfielder will be the odd man out come playoff time? If they make it to the World Series, it won’t matter in the AL park. By Dirk Hansen (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

With a cannonball into the pool, Nick Punto was the personification of the feeling Dodger fans have had throughout the year.

When the team came out slow, reasonable fans preached patience. When Yasiel Puig was called-up, there was at least energy, if not a winning streak. When the Dodgers were 9 1/2 game back on June 22, things seemed bleak.

We all know what happened next. The Dodgers went 42-8 over a 50-game span and turned the standings upside down.

So, when Punto, Kershaw, Puig, and co. went swimming, Dodger fans let out an exhale that could be felt from here to Arizona. Here are some clinching and pre-postseason thoughts.

How good does this feel right now?

Dodgers fans have been through a lot. Not like Boston a lot, and not like Cubs a lot, but still. The team has not been to the World Series in 25 years. The stench of old ownership had to be washed away by a fan boycott and with help from Major League Baseball.

Criticism of new ownership came swiftly as they spent more money more quickly than an NFL rookie without a financial advisor. It made this fan somewhat nervous.

Now it seemed all worth it. The team is in the playoffs with plenty of time to have their aces lined-up for their first series.

Who will be left out in the outfield?

I think the Dodgers will probably go with matchups. Since they have two lefties and two righties in the outfield, I would expect Ethier to probably sit vs. lefties. Who they sit against right handed pitchers is a little bit more of a guess, but I bet Puig will be left out of the starting lineup at least 1-2 times per series. I guess it gives them pinch-hitting/defensive replacement flexibility though late in games, which is a good thing if the players buy into it.

The pitching staff is all lined-up.

Really, there are no excuses for this year’s Dodger team. They should be able to line-up Kershaw, Grienke, Ryu, and Nolasco. They should be able to bring all their position players into the playoffs healthy. We will get a real chance to see who the best team out there is, and as a Dodger fan, I’ll take the odds with a pitching staff like this one.

Uribe

The much-maligned third baseman who was either injured or didn’t hit at all over the past two years has come up roses down the stretch. A huge contribution from Uribe during a World Series run would make for poetic justice would be served for a guy who took a lot from fans like me. Emojuanuribe.tumblr.com is still one of the greatest websites ever, though. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

A footnote about Arizona

Spring Training was a blast the past few years. The Phoenix area is as hospitable as anywhere else to fans from all over the country.

Their local team, though, is nowhere near as friendly or reasonable. Early in the year, Dodger fans behind home plate were forced to change into Arizona gear. Then this happened.

So, whether the Dodgers disregarded the Diamondbacks’ request, whether they swam in the pool, and whether they peed in the pool, people need to settle down. I wonder how many times the pool has been peed in by D-Backs fans. Probably a lot… .