Saturday, October 11, 2014

2014 Postseason Report Card

It didn't last long, as the Dodgers were bounced by the Cardinals in four games in the NLDS.  But nonetheless, here's how I graded everyone based on their short stay.

A

A.J. Ellis - It looked like Ellis jumped out of his own body and straight into Mike Piazza's for the playoffs.  He hit .538, smacked a homer, drove in two, and took four walks for a .647 OBP.  Not bad for a guy who couldn't even break .200 in the regular season.

Zack Greinke - Did all he could in Game 2, which ended up being a victory despite him getting robbed of a win.  Pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven.  Also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored.

Hyun-Jin Ryu - Nobody really knew what to expect from him in Game 3, as he hadn't pitched in almost a month because of a bad shoulder.  But when he took the mound, he was really good, giving up one run in six innings.  Like the other loses, a blown lead in the late innings cost him a win.

Hanley Ramirez - Had an impressive showing by hitting .429 with a couple of RBIs, and some slick plays with his glove.  Probably could've caught a liner that was just over his head in the seventh inning of Game 4, which soon led to Matt Adams' game-winning three-run shot, but it wasn't an easy play.  I'd say he left a pretty good impression in his quest for a big contract.

Matt Kemp - Did all of his damage in the first two games, and his solo homer in the eighth inning of Game 2 led to the their only win.  Still hit .353 despite going 1-for-8 over the final two games.

Brandon League - The only middle reliever worth a damn, as he had an 0.00 ERA in four appearances, and allowed none of his inherited runners to score.

Kenley Jansen - Only got one chance for a save, and closed the door in Game 2 with two strikeouts.  The middle relief was so bad, that's the only time we saw him in four games.

B

Andre Ethier - Didn't have much of a chance to make an impact, but made the start in center for Yasiel Puig in Game 4 and took a couple of walks.  Hit a big pinch-hit double in the ninth inning of Game 1 to get the Dodgers that close to tying it up.

C

Carl Crawford - Collected five hits, but took too many strikeouts with seven, one short of Puig for the team lead.  His groundout to second to end Game 4 ended up being the final nail in the coffin.

Brian Wilson - Only made one appearance, giving up a double, intentional walk, and strikeout.  Neither runner ended up scoring, so he got a little lucky.  Still, his stuff was so bad by the end of the year, was barely even worth giving the ball to.

D

Clayton Kershaw - I never thought I'd put him this low, but it's reality.  In both Game 1 and Game 4, took a lead into the seventh inning and just fell apart.  Game 1 was totally on him, but Game 4 he at least kept things manageable.  Still, I'm doubting the Dodgers were counting on a 7.82 ERA from him.  If he could've made a few more big pitches, they could very well still be playing.

Adrian Gonzalez - Hit a two-run shot to try to begin the comeback in Game 1, but that was it for highlights.  Went 3-for-16 and consistently failed to drive in runs from third in key situations.  A big letdown for baseball's leading RBI man in the regular season.

Yasiel Puig - Had two hits and three runs in Game 1, then tripled and scored in Game 3.  In between all of that, looked completely lost and helpless at the plate, striking out a whopping eight times.  Finally got benched for Ethier in Game 4, which was a total slap in the face to him.  But a deserved one.

Dee Gordon - Looked worn out at the plate, and only reached base five times with one steal.  Pretty shocking that the leadoff man never scored one run in all four games.

Pedro Baez - Recovered a bit in Game 4 with 1 2/3 innings of shutout ball.  But his three-run gopher ball he surrendered to Matt Holliday in relief of Kershaw in Game 1 proved to be the difference.

Juan Uribe - Played his typical good defense at third, but a 2-for-17 showing at the plate with six strikeouts was very disappointing.

F

J.P. Howell - His nosedive from September carried over into the playoffs, as he consistently got pounded in three games to the tune of a 13.50 ERA.  Made a very lucky play on a grounder between his legs to turn a double play in Game 4, or his numbers would actually be worse.

Scott Elbert - Relieved Ryu in Game 3 with the game tied 1-1.  Three batters later, the score was 3-1 thanks to a Kolten Wong two-run homer.  Another middle reliever, another bad outing.

Justin Turner - It's not very fair to him, as he only had two at-bats after being the superstar utility guy in the regular season.  Fair or not, failed both times to drive in runs in Games 1 and 4.

No comments: