Dodgers-Nationals NLDS: Start times, how to watch, predictions, things to know
Here's everything you need to know about the Dodgers-Nationals NLDS matchup
By
Matt Snyder
•
8 min read
The National League Division Series begin on Friday and the one matchup we already know is the Dodgers against the Nationals. The Nats had the second-best record in the NL at 95-67 while the Dodgers won their fourth-straight NL West crown at 91-71.
Here is the schedule and broadcast information for the Dodgers vs. Nationals best-of-five NLDS matchup. All start times are Eastern Time.
| Date | Time | Venue | Starting Pitchers | TV | Streaming | Radio | |
| Game 1 | Fri., Oct. 7 | 5:38 p.m. | Nationals Park | Clayton Kershaw vs. Max Scherzer | FS1 | Fox Sports | ESPN Radio |
| Game 2 | Sat., Oct. 8 | 4:08 p.m. | Nationals Park | Rich Hill vs. TBA | FS1/MLBN | Fox Sports | ESPN Radio |
| Game 3 | Mon., Oct. 10 | TBD | Dodger Stadium | TBA vs. Kenta Maeda | FS1/MLBN | Fox Sports | ESPN Radio |
| Game 4* | Tues., Oct. 11 | TBD | Dodger Stadium | TBA | FS1 | Fox Sports | ESPN Radio |
| Game 5* | Thurs., Oct. 13 | TBD | Nationals Park | TBA | FS1 | Fox Sports | ESPN Radio |
* if necessary
The Nationals will surely go with Tanner Roark in Game 2, but they haven't announced it yet. They basically won't say anything past Game 1. Past Roark, Gio Gonzalez and Joe Ross figure to be involved, but -- if they need it -- don't sleep on a short-rest Scherzer in Game 4. On the Dodgers' end, Julio Urias is possible for Game 4, but nothing has been set in stone.
The "other" even-year thing
We hear plenty about the Giants and even years, with good reason, as they have won the last three even-year World Series. An interesting note here, though, is the Nationals have won their third-straight even-year NL East title while missing the playoffs in every odd year of their existence. In each of their last two trips to the postseason, they had the best record in the NL and were bounced in the NLDS by a wild-card team, too. So this year, they will be looking to exorcise some demons, albeit against a division champion.
Of course, they aren't alone in wanting to get rid of some bad postseason memories ...
Dodgers/Kershaw with something to prove
These Dodgers have won four division titles in a row, but they were bounced from the NLCS in 2013 in six games. In each of the last two years, they've lost in the NLDS round. This with Clayton Kershaw in his prime, too. Meantime, they've seen their biggest rival win three of the last six World Series.
A lot of their chances this season will come down to how Kershaw performs. Having a starter who is an automatic victory can turn an entire series and there are a litany of examples (Madison Bumgarner, anyone?).
I've written in the past that Kershaw's postseason failures are overblown due to a few ill-timed stinkers, but the fact of the matter is that overall he's 2-6 with a 4.59 ERA in the postseason in his career. The only way to shut the naysayers up is to turn that on its head.
If he doesn't, the Dodgers are due an(other) early exit.
Kershaw's balance?
Let's say Kershaw does pitch like himself. Isn't it possible that he'll be completely wiped out by an equally-dominant Max Scherzer? Scherzer is fresh off leading the majors in strikeouts and WHIP while leading the NL with 228 1/3 innings.
If there's one person in the league that more often has "no-hit stuff," it's Scherzer. There are times where through three innings it looks like it'll be an easy perfect game.
Of course, he can be had. He allowed at least five runs in a game five times this year and led the NL with 31 home runs allowed.
Overall, Scherzer is 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA in the postseason. His last time out, though, he gave up five runs in 7 1/3 innings, including two homers (2014 ALDS vs. the Orioles).
Dodgers owned the season series
Given that they play on opposite coasts, the two ballclubs only squared off six times this season, but the Dodgers won five. The only Nationals win was a lopsided 8-1 affair, but the Dodgers outscored the Nats 25-13 in the other five games. They won one on a walk-off, a few pitcher's duels and essentially a blowout (the score ended 8-4, but it was 7-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth).
Then again, if anyone paid attention last October, we know this doesn't mean things can't change. The 2015 Cubs swept the season series (seven games to none) against the Mets, but then were swept by the Mets in the NLCS.
On that front, let's point out that the two teams haven't faced each other since July.
Home-field advantage?
How much will this matter? Let's take a look at what we saw in the regular season.
Dodgers on road: 38-43, -2 run differential
Nationals at home: 50-31, +58 run differential
Nationals on road: 45-36, +93 run differential
Dodgers at home: 53-28, +89 run differential
This seems to tilt the scales in favor of the Nationals, as they are a very good road team while the Dodgers are, frankly, pretty terrible on the road for a playoff team.
The Southpaw factor
Much has been made of the Dodgers' woes against left-handed hitters this season and it's a legitimate concern. As a team, they hit .235/.304/.359 against lefties all season. Oh wait, that's their line against left-handed starters. What if we include relievers?
Against all lefties this year, the Dodgers are .213/.290/.332.
That's a lineup full of all-glove backup catchers, which is a rough proposition in a playoff game.
The Nationals do have a lefty starter in Gio Gonzalez (11-11, 4.57 ERA, 1.34 WHIP). He's far from a sure thing and has suffered through some consistency issues the past several years. The perfect remedy should be facing the Dodgers. Expect him to get the ball in Game 3 on the road, where his teammates play quite well. This could turn the series.
As for the bullpen, the Nationals do have several lively arms to choose from when constructing their NLDS roster. Marc Rzepczynski will be used in his typical LOOGY role. Sammy Solis is sure to be in the late-inning mix and then there are Felipe Rivero and Oliver Perez. The hunch is one of those two doesn't make the roster, I'm just outlaying the options.
Then again, the maybe Nationals load up on lefties in the bullpen knowing the Dodgers' struggles against Southpaws. It would be good business.
Injury Impact
Needless to say, the impact is significant here. The Dodgers set a record for players on the disabled list in the regular season, but it's not just that.
On the Nationals' side, they could end up crippled. All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos is out for the season with a torn ACL and it happened so late that we didn't really see them in an extended stretch without him. Stephen Strasburg is unlikely to toe the rubber at all due to an elbow issue. Bryce Harper has dealt with various injuries all season and the best guess is that's why he hasn't quite himself at the plate. Daniel Murphy is also dealing with a buttocks (try to read that without hearing Forrest Gump's voice, I dare you) issue that should be cleared up, but of course you never know.
That's quite a bit of starpower there, no?
Ironically, the record-holder here has fewer issues at this time. The rotation is about eight deep right now while the offense is also mostly healthy. Clayton Kershaw seems better, but he hasn't thrown more than 91 pitches in a game since he returned from a back issue that caused him to miss roughly 13 starts. Before the injury, that was his lowest pitch count of the year and one of just four starts where he wasn't over 100.
Also, Rich Hill has been dominant for most of the season, but there are still concerns with blisters on his pitching hand. The Dodgers were worried enough about them coming back that they pulled him from a perfect game on Sept. 10.
So while the Dodgers look in better shape right now, that spins on its head with injuries to Kershaw and Hill (of course, that would be awfully bad luck to happen to both, right?).
Nationals advantage in running game
The Nationals were arguably the toughest team in the NL to run on this season, allowing only 54 stolen bases (lowest in NL) and throwing out 35 percent of would-be thieves (rankings second in NL). Meanwhile, the Dodgers ranked 13th in the NL in steals and only one team had a lower percentage of converted stolen base attempts (the Cardinals).
On the other end, the Nationals ranked fifth with 121 steals and tied for the second-best percentage (76) in successful stolen base attempts. The Dodgers are slightly better than average, defensively, on both fronts.
One mitigating factor: Ramos did the overwhelming majority of the catching for Washington this season and he's considerably better at throwing out runners than backup Jose Lobaton is (it was 37 percent to 27 percent this season).
Puig as X-factor?
We know all about how dynamically talented Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is. He's had some very memorable postseason moments, but hasn't been very good since the start of 2015. Well, that is until he was demoted to the minors and then came back this year.
Pre-demotion Puig in 2016: .260/.320/.386, 10 2B, 7 HR, 303 plate appearances
Puig after his return: .281/.338/.561, 4 2B, 4 HR, 65 PA
The old Puig would be a welcome sight for the Dodgers in this round.
CBSSports.com predictions
What would a preview post be without some predictions? Here's what the five CBSSports.com baseball scribes expect the outcome of this NLDS to be:
| R.J. Anderson | Mike Axisa | Jonah Keri | Dayn Perry | Matt Snyder | |
| NLDS Winner |  |  | | | |
| No. of Games | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
That everyone has this one going to five should be a nice illustration of how good a series we expect here. Those five-game series are generally toss-ups, too, so consider the confidence level low on these selections -- not that it would stop anyone from the rampant complaining or accusations.
