Big Innings Are Killing The Dodgers

I know some Dodger fans are a bit panic-strickened today. That's understandable considering LA is down 0-2 to the Phillies.

However, as I have told some fans since that Game 2 loss, there's no need to panic until the Dodgers face an elimination game. Until then, anything is possible.

Don't believe me? Just ask Manny Ramirez. His 2004 Red Sox team was down 0-3 to the Yankees in the ALCS. Boston responded with 4 straight wins to advance to the World Series before sweeping the Cardinals in the Fall Classic. So again, anything is possible.

But if the Dodgers are going to make this comeback dream a reality, they will have to stop giving up the big inning. Their inability to limit the damage has been the main reason they find themselves in this 0-2 hole.

Even with Ramirez, the Dodgers simply don't have the firepower to overcome large deficits. During the regular season, LA went 15-41 in games in which the Dodgers gave up 3 or more runs in any one inning.

So what did the Phillies do in the first two games of this NLCS? They scored 3 runs off Derek Lowe in the 6th inning of Game 1, and then 4 runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings off Chad Billingsley and some help from the bullpen in Game 2.

If that trend continues, the Dodgers pursuit of their first World Series title since 1988 will have to wait until next year.