The Los Angeles Dodgers waited until the seventh inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series to collect a hit with a runner in scoring position.
Andy Pages' bases-loaded single against Robert Suarez in the series-clinching game came not a moment too soon. Andrew Friedman wouldn't mind if it happened sooner in the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
“No, it was not [part of the plan], but the one [hit] was big,” Friedman said. “I think it speaks to the vast number of ways we can win a baseball game. But certainly, for quality of life, [I] would like us to cash in a few more of those opportunities in the next round.”
The baseball postseason is typically dominated by pitching. Collecting hits in any situation is hard, especially this year.
The worst OPS by any team in the regular season belonged to the Los Angeles Angels (.679). The best OPS by any team in the postseason is a mere nine points higher (the Brewers' .688).
Luck also plays an outsized role in short series. The Chicago White Sox got 14 hits with runners in scoring position in seven playoff games, but were eliminated on Saturday. The Tampa Bay Rays, who are moving on to the ALCS, got two hits with runners in scoring position.
In other words, it's easy to make a lot out of the Dodgers' lack of success with runners in scoring position against the Atlanta Braves. But the broader context is important too.
Few hitters are having success overall in any situation, for any team.
That's why the Dodgers' offensive formula for success in Atlanta might be less worrisome this October compared to most.
They were able to hold the Braves to a .145/.259/.242 slash line in the NLDS, and their starting rotation is lined up optimally to beat the Brewers. Both teams' pitching staffs are among the deepest in baseball, so the numbers might be ugly on both sides in the NLCS.
It might not matter. The Dodgers just need more more timely hits than the Brewers. Outhitting your opponent over the course of a series is optional. Recent history offers a useful reference point.
The Dodgers slashed .203/.294/.364 against the Toronto Blue Jays in last year's World Series. The Blue Jays produced a much more respectable .269/.347/.398 slash line and still lost.
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