LA Dodgers: NLDS Sweep by the numbers

The Los Angeles Dodgers swept their NL West rivals the San Diego Padres right out of the National League Division Series (NLDS) in pretty easy fashion Thursday night winning 12-3.

After a lot of talk about the Padres being an up and coming team that could challenge the Dodgers the series reflected the gap between both teams.

The Dodgers outscored the Padres 22-9 and only trailed for one and a half-innings, the Dodgers hit .287 while the Padres hit .182, and Dodgers pitchers collectively had a 2.67 ERA, while the Padres staff posted a 7.92 ERA. Even on the field, the Dodgers managed to have just one error while the Padres committed three.

To sum it up the Dodgers completely outclassed the Padres in every facet of the game, these are the numbers that illustrate why the Dodgers earned their sweep.

4

Going into the series the Dodgers and Padres were neck and neck in terms of offensive categories in the NL, while the Dodgers bats heat up in the NLDS the Padres offense struggled. Not surprisingly one of the main reasons the Padres offense struggled, was due to the fact that their biggest producers were kept at bay.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado combined for four hits going just 4 for 23, hitting .174 striking out six times, and driving in just one run. Dodgers pitching ability to keep Tatis and Machado from getting hot doomed the Padres offense who went from scoring 19 runs in their Wild Card Series to just 9 in the NLDS.

5

Going into Game Three of the series, Dodgers catcher Will Smith must have been frustrated he was 0-5 in the series without driving in a run. Due to the large outfield and weird wall dimension of Globe Field Smith had some hits die on the warning track.

During Game Three Smith adjusted and took out the Padres almost single-handedly. Smith set a franchise record by recording five hits in the game and became just the ninth player in Major League history to have a five-hit playoff game. Smith also drove in three runs, as many as the Padres for the entire game and all with two outs.

Smith’s monster Game Three illustrates just how dangerous of a lineup the Dodgers have.

.333/.429/.750/1.179

That is the slash line for Dodgers superstar Cody Bellinger, who abused the Padres from the plate and in the field. Bellinger was a huge question mark going into the series after struggling at the plate all season hitting .239 just a year after winning the NL MVP.

Bellinger broke out in a big way against the Padres hitting his first home run and driving in his first runs (5) in the postseason since Game Seven of the 2018 NLCS. In Game Two Bellinger hit the home run and stole one from Tatis Jr. providing the indelible moment of the Dodgers playoff so far. In Game Three Bellinger continued his hot October driving in three runs and putting the game to bed with a ninth-inning two run triple.

If the Dodgers are going to finally win a World Series Bellinger will need to continue be a force at the plate and the field.