MLB Playoff Contenders Headed for September Collapses
Just ask Clayton Kershaw. It's time for the Los Angeles Dodgers to hit the panic button.
"I hope we're panicking a little bit," Kershaw told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times after the team recently tumbled through a season-worst five-game losing streak. "I think panic's a good thing, to a certain extent."
Surveying the league, the Dodgers are far from the only heavyweights whose wheels are starting to fall off at the worst possible moment. In the process of picking the four playoff contenders who appear to be careening toward a September collapse, an assortment of factors were taken into consideration:
- Recent play
- The remaining schedule
- The weak link(s) of the respective clubs
For some of the squads that cracked this unfortunate list, that final bullet point refers to a wobbly bullpen, an underwhelming rotation or a struggling lineup. For the Dodgers and one other club on the list, it refers to a manager who just can't seem to do anything right.
Los Angeles Angels
1 of 4
Record: 64-62 (six games out of first in the American League West; one game out of the second wild-card spot)
Signs of Bad Things to Come
The Los Angeles Angels can't buy a run.
The AL West club ranks last in that department in August and is also No. 30 in OPS (.625). Not even MVP candidate Mike Trout has been immune to the struggles. This month, the 24-year-old checks in with a .200 average and has connected on just a single home run while racking up 28 punchouts.
There have been problems in the field too. On Tuesday during a game in which the Angels ultimately topped the Detroit Tigers 8-7, a routine fly ball dropped in between Trout and right fielder Kole Calhoun after the players lost it in the lights.
Following the frame, starter Jered Weaver could be seen shouting in the dugout, but the vet insisted that his tirade wasn't aimed at Trout.
"I wasn't yelling at Mike or anyone in particular," Weaver told the Associated Press, via FoxSports.com. "I told Mike afterward that I would never show up a teammate like that, and he's certainly saved more runs for me in the outfield than he's ever given up. I just wanted the whole team to realize that we're in the middle of a pennant race and we have to start playing better.
Whomever Weaver was shouting at, the scene illustrated just how bad things have gotten for the Angels. And the pitching staff—especially the rotation—has also played a central role in the slide. Here's a look at how the group has fared in August:
- Weaver: 3.91 ERA
- Garrett Richards: 5.46 ERA
- Andrew Heaney: 5.88 ERA
- Hector Santiago: 5.13 ERA
- Matt Shoemaker: 8.78 ERA
With an offense that can't get on the board and a rotation that can't shut down the opposition, the Angels aren't just facing an uphill battle to defend their division crown—they're in serious danger of missing out on the postseason altogether.
Baltimore Orioles
2 of 4
Record: 63-63 (eight games out of first in the AL East; two games out of the second wild-card spot)
Signs of Bad Things to Come
Somebody has to win the second wild-card spot in the AL, but apparently the Baltimore Orioles have no interest in being that club.
After getting swept by the Minnesota Twins in a four-game set over the weekend, Adam Jones explained via Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun that the team was facing a "gut check."
"If we want to be in the playoffs, it'll show," said Jones. "If we don't, it'll show also. I think we can climb the mountain. It's just a matter of doing it. Me saying it doesn't mean nothing. We have to go on the field, between the lines, 25-man strong and do it."
Since then, the results have not been promising, as the Orioles have dropped two of three against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The road has not been kind to Baltimore, as the club's 26-38 record away from Camden Yards is the third-worst road record in the AL.
The bad news for Baltimore is that plenty of road clashes await the club. Of Baltimore's final 36 contests, 20 will be out of town, including visits to the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays, who are all jockeying with the Orioles for a postseason spot.
Another worrying sign for Baltimore has been the underwhelming performance of the rotation, which has struggled to give the team a chance to win on a regular basis. In August, the numbers have been alarmingly bad for Chris Tillman (5.63 ERA), Ubaldo Jimenez (6.35 ERA) and Miguel Gonzalez (6.84 ERA).
Los Angeles Dodgers
3 of 4
Record: 69-56 (lead the NL West by 2.5 games; four games out of the second wild-card spot)
Signs of Bad Things to Come
Don Mattingly is a popular scapegoat for the underachieving Los Angeles Dodgers.
While not all of the criticism of the skipper is deserved, there is some that definitely is. As David Schoenfield of ESPN.com noted, one of the most perplexing parts of Mattingly's decision-making is his continued use of Jimmy Rollins in the leadoff spot. On the year, the vet owns a .278 OBP.
"That's what's most stunning to me: The Dodgers, with like 26 general managers in the front office, are watching Mattingly bat his worst hitter leadoff," Schoenfield wrote. "How does that make sense?"
Schoenfield's critique of Mattingly also shines a light on the shortcomings of the Dodgers' All-Star front office, headlined by the likes of president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi.
The bullpen has been sinking the club since last season, and the brass downright struck out in its attempt to bolster the group at the deadline. Last month, the Dodgers picked up relievers Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson, who have gone on to provide no relief at all. Avilan is sporting a 6.35 ERA, while Johnson's mark sits at 21.00. In 2015, the relief crew as a group ranks No. 23 in baseball with a 4.16 ERA.
As if those late-inning problems weren't ominous enough, there's also the schedule for the Dodgers to worry about. Los Angeles still has to take on the San Francisco Giants seven times before the end of the season. So far, the Dodgers haven't had any luck against their rivals, as the Giants have won nine of the 12 matchups.
The teams will meet at AT&T Park for a four-game set in the second-to-last series of the year. With the Dodgers clinging to a 2.5-game edge in the division race, that series could end up determining which squad claims the NL West throne.
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Washington Nationals
4 of 4
Record: 63-62 (6.5 games out of first in the NL East; 10 games out of the second wild-card spot)
Signs of Bad Things to Come
The collapse has been going on all season.
The Washington Nationals entered 2015 as heavy favorites to win the World Series, but the campaign simply hasn't gone to script. With September looming, the Nats are staring up at the New York Mets in the standings (6.5 games out of first place in the NL East) and buried in the wild-card chase (10 games off the second spot).
There's no question that the flood of injuries to key contributors like Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg and Denard Span has contributed to the club's lackluster season.
But it also can't be ignored that skipper Matt Williams has face-planted in his second season at the helm in Washington. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports cited "major-league sources" who claimed that "Williams is struggling to maintain the confidence of his players."
With the team's October hopes fading, the once-vaunted starting five isn't doing Williams any favors. The biggest disappointment of all is righty Max Scherzer. After dealing for the first four moths of the season, the starter has fallen apart when the team can least afford it. In four August outings, Scherzer has run up a 6.86 ERA, and the opposition is hitting .307 against him.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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