It’s a matchup for the ages.
It’s the Dodgers and the Giants, two historic rivals, facing off in the NLDS.
We’ve got the defending champions against one of the biggest surprises in baseball. The Dodgers come in hot after beating the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card game in dramatic fashion. The Giants come in after narrowly winning the NL West, coming from out of nowhere with strong platoon pieces and the ability to win games in so many different ways.
Both teams are stacked and are set for a historic series, but only one can walk away victorious. We’ll break down each team and make a case for why they may win the series, examine what edges one team may have over the other. So without further ado, let’s get set for Dodgers vs. Giants.
The Case For The Giants
They’ve had magic all year. They were projected to finish 75-87 by ESPN. There are so many ways this team can beat you. That rotation of theirs may not come off as a juggernaut, but their top starters, Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Logan Webb, and Alex Wood, have been getting it done all year.
Their lineup was already quite impressive with all of their platoon pieces, but then they picked up Kris Bryant, and everything seemed to fall into place. Not to mention that Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford seem to have found the fountain of youth in the latter stages of their careers.
The Dodgers will also be missing Clayton Kershaw and Max Muncy, so that could help San Francisco out a little.
The Case For The Dodgers
The Giants are also without an important piece, that being Brandon Belt, who went down with a fractured wrist at the end of September.
The Dodgers also have several options when it comes to first base. They can plug either Albert Pujols or Matt Beaty in that spot, not to mention that Cody Bellinger has experience as a first-baseman as well.
The defending champs are red hot. They’ve got both Turners, Corey Seager, Will Smith, Mookie Betts, and so many other deadly pieces in their lineup. Their pitching is strong as well, with a one-two punch in the rotation featuring Max Scherzer and Walker Buehler, and a stout bullpen.
Conclusion
It’s going to be wild. The Giants and Dodgers do not like each other and will fight tooth and nail the whole series. Both teams will pull out all the stops to ensure they gain an advantage. Would you expect anything less from these two teams in the postseason?
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