Dodgers aim to flip script from last year’s playoffs
LOS ANGELES — When the Cubs began their NL Division Series clincher Thursday night in Washington, the Dodgers watched it on their stadium video boards during an upbeat team workout at Chavez Ravine.
By the time Wade Davis got the final out in the Cubs’ 4-hour-37-minute victory, the Dodgers were gone. They could have been fast asleep by the time the Cubs’ plane left on its trip across the country, arriving midmorning Friday.
Whether the rested, hungry Dodgers can use these advantages in any meaningful way against the possibly bedraggled World Series champions will begin to be decided when they get together this weekend to play for the NL pennant again.
“The Cubs are the defending world champs, so there’s a lot to be said for having been there and done that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s virtually the same group.”
The Cubs and Dodgers are back for a rematch of last season’s NL Championship Series when Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for Game 1 on Saturday night, but these powerhouses’ circumstances are somewhat reversed.
After the Cubs finished far ahead of the Dodgers in the regular-season standings last year to earn home-field advantage, the Dodgers won 18 more games than the Cubs this year. And the Cubs had to sweat through a marathon series against the Nationals to reach the NLCS — the THE SCHEDULE same route took in 2016.
After four straight failures to win the pennant with high-priced NL West championship teams, the Dodgers have the confidence of a 104-win campaign heading into a chance to get back at the Cubs, who eliminated them in six games last October.
“It does help when you’re the winningest team for that current year, and we’ve showed how good the Dodgers we can be when we play our type of baseball,” Roberts said. “We’re a confident group and understand that we still have a lot of work to do.”
The Dodgers rolled into the NLCS with a sweep of the Diamondbacks, while the Cubs were stretched to the limit by the Nationals. Cubs manager Joe Maddon used seven pitchers in Game 5 of the NLDS, but the Cubs likely have the pitching depth to get through the weekend.
“It’s very interesting once again,” Maddon said of the rematch. “(The Dodgers) really overcame the inability to (hit) against lefties. They are better.
“They always have a good bullpen. They have Mr. Kershaw, obviously, and now they have (Yu) Darvish. Listen, we just went through (Stephen) Strasburg and (Max) Scherzer. That’s no day at the beach either. When you get to this time of the year, you really have to be prepared to beat good pitching, which they have.”