Improved Playoff Bound L.A. Dodgers


August 27th, 2012
Dodgers get Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto

Dodgers get Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto

The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to pull off the blockbuster trade of the season as they recently acquired Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto from the Boston Red Sox, and only had to give up James Loney and four prospects. The Dodgers are currently in the number two spot in the NL West, and only 3 games behind the SF Giants as of Aug. 25. The Dodgers have been in the playoff hunt all year despite having to deal with the injuries to star player Matt Kemp who is hitting .333 with 17 home runs even with the missed time.

Now that the Dodgers have added All-Star first basemen Gonzalez and starting pitcher Beckett, they should become the immediate favorite to overtake the San Francisco Giants and win the NL West. The Dodgers now have possibly one of the best offensives in the National League and have bolstered their pitching staff that already has reigning Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw and solid starters Chris Capuano and Chad Billingsley. Beckett has had a disappointing season for the Sox so far this year, with a 5-11 record with an ERA above 5. Hopefully the change of scenery for Becket helps him relax and play better as it did for infielder Hanley Ramirez who the Dodgers traded for earlier in the year from the Miami Marlins.

The other players involved in the trade that the Dodgers receive, Crawford and Punto, won’t have a significant impact for the Dodgers, Crawford won’t play for the rest of the season and Punto is mainly a defensive skilled infielder. The Dodgers will unfortunately have to pay Crawford’s ridiculously high salary that includes five more seasons and a total of $102.5 million at the beginning of next season. This will hamper their ability to sign players in the future with so much money tied up in current players, but as for their hopes to reach the playoffs this year and in the future, this trade seems like the right thing to do for the Dodgers and should help them make a deep run in the playoffs this season.

The second silver lining for the Dodgers is that they play in the same division as the Padres and Rockies who are both have a winning percentage under .500. The Dodgers have a total of 12 games vs. either of those teams along with six games left vs. the Giants, which could help the Dodgers overtake the number one spot in the West if they are able to win the majority of those games. However, as of now, the Dodgers are not only one spot out of the playoffs for their Division; they are also a game and a half behind the second Wild Card team the St. Louis Cardinals, who the Dodgers get to face four more times this year. Each game in that four game series could be one of the most important games of the season as it could dictate if the Dodgers get a spot in the playoffs or not.

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By Chris Cabrera
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Dodgers vs. Giants Rivalry Continues!


March 31st, 2011

The last time the L.A. Dodgers faced the S.F. Giants it was September 17, 2010. After a grueling game the Dodgers walked away with their heads tucked and a looming scoreboard of Giants 10-2. It was a bitter evening for the Dodgers. And one likely not forgotten as Dodgers Opening Day 2011 finally arrives. What a way to launch a new season! The Dodgers will once again take on century-old rivals and ever-so-hated San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium today at 5:00 pm. Broadcast by ESPN, each year Los Angeles Dodgers fans are clambering for their seats, planning their tickets months in advance. As a salty tradition continues, a glimpse into the history behind the rivalry makes the stakes seem that much higher.

The feud between the L.A. Dodgers vs.the S.F Giants is set back once upon a time when both teams were playing out of New York City. The Dodgers were then the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Giants were then the Manhattan Giants. The dispute was bitter as the Giants looked on their Brooklyn counterparts with disdain and disgust. And financially it was almost impossible to support a team based in Brooklyn- fans simply weren’t as interested! So, in 1957, Dodgers owner and wealthy businessman Walter O’ Malley decided to relocate the Dodgers. He is also responsible for the implementation of Dodger Stadium. Somewhere along the line O’ Malley talked Giants owner Horace Stoneham to maintain the rivalry between the infamous New York baseball teams. He urged Stoneham to consider also taking his Giants to California. Though the idea seemed ludicrous at the time, it was a decision that has proven lucrative today. Therefore, it seemed only natural that Stoneham would take his boys to San Francisco. After all, Los Angeles and San Francisco have always had their own rivalry; economically, culturally, and politically the two cities have been neck-to-neck for who has more.

To date the Giants vs. Dodgers have maintained an even balance where one fan can’t say to another their team is bar none the best. Each team has eighteen National League Pennants, more than any other franchise in the MLB, as well as six World Series Titles. The Giants 2010 World Series was their first since moving to California. And the Dodgers have not tasted such a victory since 1988. So as today kicks off a new start for each team, it is highly symbolic to long-time fans of the rivalry.

Posted in dodger stadium tickets, dodgers opening day tickets, dodgers tickets, dodgers vs. giants tickets, giants tickets, giants vs. dodgers tickets, l.a. dodgers vs. s.f giants, los angeles dodgers tickets, san francisco giants tickets | (0) Comments »
By Chris Cabrera
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