MAN DOWN

Evan Davis

The Los Angeles Dodgers were hit with some unfortunate news yesterday, as it was announced that star pitcher Walker Buehler will be having season ending elbow surgery. My hope and prayer is that it is not Tommy John, but we won't know for another week. On the bright side, Dustin May is making his return from Tommy John and will pitch this Saturday at home vs the Marlins.

Walker Buehler has been out with elbow inflammation since June 10th and the Dodgers were hoping to use him as a bullpen arm when the calendar turned to October. It has now turned to the next man up mentality and the Dodgers still have plenty of options once the playoffs begin. Julio Urias is starting to look like the Julio Urias of last year and is 10-0 in his last 11 starts.

Tony Gonsolin has definitely slowed down a bit, but still leads the league in opponent batting average and still holds a 14-1 record. Tyler Anderson wasn’t even supposed to be a starter for the Dodgers at the beginning of the season and has put together an impressive 13-2 record. Since the All Star break, the Dodgers are a MLB best 20-4.

However, I am worried about a potential matchup with the New York Mets, who carry a firepower of pitching that consists of Max Scherzer, Jacob DeGrom, and Chris Bassitt. The Mets offense is also clicking at the right time, with Lindor, Vogelbach, and Alonso swinging the bat, but anything can happen in October. The Dodgers had Buehler, Urias, and Scherzer last year along with a firepower offense and weren’t able to clinch the pennant.

I will say though that great hitting has the capability to beat great pitching, and I believe that is where the Dodgers hold the advantage. The Dodgers have scored 61 more runs than the Mets and have given up 69 less runs than the Mets, but now with DeGrom back for New York, that stat doesn’t hold as much value as it typically would. The Mets would hold the advantage in the closing role, but I would give the Dodgers a slight uphand in the middle reliever role.

At the end of the day, losing Walker Buehler was a big blow for LA, but I still believe this team has the talent both on offense and pitching to still clinch a second World Series title in three seasons.