Plenty of players emerged from Tuesday’s games disappointed, but perhaps none more so than a former MVP and a three-time Cy Young Award winner.
All Clayton Kershaw could do was watch as the Los Angeles Dodgers fell behind 7-0 in a game he was supposed to start. A late rally notwithstanding, the Dodgers still lost 8-7 as the Atlanta Braves took a 2-0 lead in the NLCS.
In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Houston Astros 5-2 to take a 3-0 series lead. And while Jose Altuve homered to get the scoring started, that’s not what we’ll remember about his Game 3 performance.
Here are some observations after a night of highs and lows in the LCS...
Altuve’s throwing issues persist
The play was as routine as they come. With none out and a runner on first in the top of the sixth inning, Brandon Lowe hit a grounder to Jose Altuve, who fielded the ball cleanly and turned to throw the ball to second. Simple enough for any second baseman, let alone a 10-year veteran.
Only Altuve skipped the ball past Carlos Correa for his third throwing error in the past two days. Soon afterwards, the Rays put the game out of reach with a five-run inning.
To his credit, Altuve keeps hitting, with another home run Tuesday, his fourth of the playoffs. But when a player makes that many errors over such a short period of time, it’s a strong indication something isn’t right. Whether the root of those issues is mental or physical is hard to discern from afar, but either way manager Dusty Baker seems to be sticking with his guns for Wednesday’s game as the six-time all-star will be playing second base.
Making a difference on defence
The day after Manuel Margot made one of the most impressive catches of the year, the Rays’ outfielders kept making more spectacular plays. Kevin Kiermaier made two of them – first at the centre field wall and later in shallow right-centre field.
Then, with two out in the seventh inning, right fielder Hunter Renfroe made a spectacular diving catch of his own to rob George Springer of a hit. The very next inning, Renfroe raced in and made another diving catch to steal a hit from Kyle Tucker with the bases loaded.
From Margot to Kiermaier to Renfroe, the Rays’ outfield defence has been nothing short of exceptional this series.
Teams forced to trust more players
In years past, there have typically been two scheduled travel days during each LCS: one after Game 2 and one after Game 5. But with games taking place at neutral sites this year, no travel is required anymore and that small shift impacts playing time decisions.
On Tuesday, for example, backup catchers. Michael Perez and Dustin Garneau started for the Rays and Astros, respectively, as starters Mike Zunino and Martin Maldonado got partial days off.
That’s just one instance of a broader challenge teams are now facing. Because there are no days off, teams must rely on a wider range of position players, starters and relievers. The star-heavy approach we typically see in October just isn’t as realistic when there are no days off.
Seager’s big year continues
Once Atlanta took a 7-0 lead, the game looked to be out of reach, but a three-run home run from Corey Seager made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh, and two innings later he sparked a four-run ninth with an RBI double that brought the Dodgers within one.
In the end, it wasn't enough, but Seager's big night at the plate represents the continuation of his best offensive season yet. At 26 years old, he's already a veteran of five full big-league seasons, and none were as productive on a per at-bat basis as 2020. In 52 games, Seager hit 15 home runs on his way to a career-best .943 OPS.
Now, Seager’s building on those numbers when it counts most for the Dodgers (the timing works on a personal level, too – another year like this and the Scott Boras client will be looking at a huge contract when he hits free agency in a year’s time).
Dodgers falter without their ace
The Game 2 loss may sting a little more for the Dodgers considering who was supposed to be starting. Unimpressive playoff record or not, the Dodgers are a better team when Kershaw’s on the mound, especially after a season in which his velocity increased. But back spasms sidelined the left-hander, and Tony Gonsolin started instead.
Granted, Gonsolin had a strong season of his own, posting a 2.31 ERA in 46.2 innings, but he faltered against Atlanta's offence and the Dodgers now trail 2-0. Whether Kershaw can pitch later in the series remains in question, but manager Dave Roberts said chances are very good he will do so.
He won’t be starting Wednesday, though, as the Dodgers will attempt to rebound with Julio Urias on the mound in Game 3.
