This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Charles Curtis is replacing Andy Nesbitt for today’s edition.
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to be snake-bit.
This is the franchise that’s won its division eight straight times and fallen short of a title — and huge expectations — in each of those years. They’ve kept tinkering with trades and signings that seem to make each team better than the next … and then they falter in soul-crushing ways.
All hope isn’t lost yet in 2020, but after Tuesday night’s 8-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves, it isn’t looking great. That was a game in which Clayton Kershaw — who’s had his share of postseason struggles compared to stellar regular seasons — was scratched due to back spasms. Tony Gonsolin made the start and gave up five earned runs. Then, down 8-3 in the ninth, the Dodgers bats came alive for four runs … and Mark Melancon got A.J. Pollock to hit into a groundout with Cody Bellinger — who’s had himself quite a playoffs — on third. Atlanta has a 2-0 lead in the NLCS.
Credit absolutely goes to the Braves, who have a balanced lineup and a young pitching staff that’s been lights-out the entire playoffs.
But this nightmare keeps happening to L.A. There was losing to the Nationals last year in extra innings in Game 5 of the NLDS thanks to a Washington comeback from a 3-0 lead early. In 2018, the Red Sox were a buzz-saw that kept the Dodgers’ bats mostly quiet. You know what happened in 2017 — the Astros won in seven World Series games and then everyone found out their sign-stealing tactics a couple of years later. The year before, it was the NLCS loss to the eventual champion Cubs. It goes on and on.
I get that you’re probably making the Joe Kelly face right now, that maybe you don’t feel so bad for a team that’s second in payroll (per Spotrac) and can afford to give Mookie Betts a huge contract extension. But I completely understand the frustration that this team just can’t live up to the hype.
Quick hits: Snoop Dogg’s new ink … What’s next for Dak Prescott … The Bachelorette is back … and more.
— Snoop Dogg got an incredible new Lakers tattoo with a Kobe Bryant tribute.
— Our Henry McKenna breaks down how the Cowboys could approach Dak Prescott’s deal in the offseason.
— If you’re a fan of The Bachelorette, you must read Nick Schwartz’s breakdown of the 2020 cast.
— LeBron James got his daughter a miniature house!