Dodgers Dugout: Breaking down the Game 4 loss

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and let’s all observe a moment of silence when the clock turns to 10 to 2 today.

Game 4 thoughts

--Look at it this way: The Dodgers got all their fielding mistakes out of the way in one game, so it should be smooth sailing from here on out.

--Joe Buck must have had trouble sleeping from the excitement of his Cubs winning.

--I don’t understand the point of having an instant-replay system if they are still going to get the call wrong.

--People asked me if the outcome of the game would have been different had Adrian Gonzalez been called safe. Yes, it would have been dramatically different. Instead of losing 10-2, the Dodgers would have lost 10-3. You can’t blame this loss on one bad call.

--The fielding got so bad that at one point I expected to see Walter Matthau come out to make a pitching change.

--It was amazing to watch some Dodgers fans go from “When can we buy World Series tickets?” to “This team is horrible and needs to make drastic changes.” There are 13 National League teams that would like to be where the Dodgers are right now.

--Both teams start at 0-0 in today’s game.

--It’s funny to watch people talk about how the Cubs have all the momentum now, 24 hours after the Dodgers were supposed to have all the momentum. Perhaps momentum is a tad overrated.

--At least Kenley Jansen got the day off.

--At the time I am writing this, Kenta Maeda is still expected to start Game 5 tonight. Maeda pitched slightly better at home than on the road, so I think it’s the right call. They are still going to have to win a non-Clayton Kershaw game. If the Dodgers lose today, they will have Kershaw and Rich Hill on full rest in Games 6 and 7.

--After last night’s game, if Smokey the Bear saw Pedro Baez heading for a forest, he would stop him and made him head back home.

--None of my Twitter followers predicted the Game 4 final score. Follow me on Twitter (@latimeshouston) and try and predict the Game 5 score to win fabulous prizes! (Note: When I say “fabulous,” I mean get your name published in the next newsletter.) And don’t forget to follow our live coverage throughout the game on our website.

The NLCS schedule

Game 5: Today, Cubs (Lester) at Dodgers (Maeda), 5 p.m. PT. TV: FS1

Game 6: Saturday, Dodgers (Kershaw) at Cubs, TBA. TV: FS1

Game 7: Sunday, Dodgers at Cubs, TBA. TV: FS1 (if necessary)

In case you missed it

What our great crew of Los Angeles Times reporters is saying about the Dodgers:

Dodgers out of sync and out of focus in embarrassing loss

Dodgers have no choice but to save Clayton Kershaw for Game 6

Julio Urias was successful for three innings, before a bunt and bad luck

What others are saying

Even in defeat, Julio Urias cherishes “beautiful experience”

It’s time for Yasiel Puig to step up in the NLCS

Former Dodger David Ross has plenty of energy for Game 5

And finally

There were no highlights to watch from Game 4, so let’s take a look at a key moment in the Dodgers’ 1988 NLCS Game 5 over the Mets. Watch it here.

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter: @latimeshouston