Many people, including myself, were skeptical about how the Dodgers would perform in the playoffs after limping into the playoffs and having an average second half of the season. Those thoughts were mostly erased after the Dodgers secured the three-game sweep of the Cardinals tonight.
This has to be so discouraging for Cardinals fans. The Cardinals were one of the better teams in the NL for much of the season, but much like the Dodgers, they limped into the postseason with some disappointing losses.
The turning point of this short series was definitely the Matt Holliday pop fly drop in Game 2 which would have sealed the win for the Cardinals. The Cardinals lost all of the momentum after that pivotal error.
As crucial as that drop was by Holliday, you can't blame him or start comparing him to Bill Buckner from the 1986 World Series. Yes, he should've made that catch, but there were other factors that led to the demise of the Cardinals.
How about closer Ryan Franklin in Game 2. After the error by Holliday, all Franklin had to do was get one more out and he simply couldn't do it. Not to mention Holliday hit a lead-off home run to in that game.
Also, as a team the Cardinals stranded runner after runner in this series. You can't blame an entire team problem on one player.
The Dodgers made a huge statement in this series. They showed all the critics that they should still be regarded as the team to beat in the NL like they were in the first half of the season.
Cardinal Woes
- 4 for 30 with runners in scoring position
- 6 runs scored in 3 games
- Pujols/Holliday: 5 for 22, 2 RBI, 3 K's
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