Podcast: ‘Dugout Blues’ episode 178 – NLDS recap, NLCS preview, AFL

On this episode of “Dugout Blues,” Jared Massey (Dodger Blue) and I recount what may have been the most intense baseball game either of us have ever witnessed. Oh, and the rest of the NLDS.

Game 5 of the NLDS was one for the ages. The Dodgers eked out a 4-3 win to advance to the NLCS for the first time since 2013. A 4-run seventh was all the Dodgers needed on offense, and Dave Roberts‘ aggressive managerial decisions (Joe Blanton in the third inning, Kenley Jansen in the seventh, Clayton Kershaw in the ninth) probably saved the game, series and season.

This comes one game after I criticized him for leaving Kershaw in too long during Game 4. Kudos to Roberts for making the right decisions, even if Jared wasn’t fully on board with them.

Oh, and Jared also left Carlos Ruiz off his NLDS roster prediction. You know, one of the most important bench players the Dodgers had in the series. Nice one, Jared.

The Dodgers are now on to the NLCS to face the best team in baseball in the 103-win Chicago Cubs. It isn’t going to be easy, but they aren’t as dissimilar from the Nationals as they might appear. One thing’s for sure: They’re a lot healthier than Washington. It’s going to be a tough series.

Those two segments comprise the bulk of the episode. We also throw in a couple notes about the minors. Cody Bellinger is off to a decent start in the Arizona Fall League, and Corey Seager was named Baseball America’s Rookie Of The Year. But enough about that.

We finish with a Q&A session that saw the same question come up a number of times. Please keep them coming.

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Look for new episodes of “Dugout Blues” every Monday. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and review us on iTunes. We want to make this the best podcast we can so we’re always looking for suggestions and ways to improve.

If you have questions you’d like us to answer or certain topics/players you want to hear more about, feel free to email us ([email protected]) or send us messages on Twitter (@JaredJMassey or @DustinNosler). You can also “Like” the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.