ST. LOUIS — The season which wasn’t supposed to end this way did.
This time, the Los Angeles Dodgers were supposed to get the last out in October and spray the champagne around their clubhouse after winning the World Series that their $200-million plus payroll demanded.
But once again, Los Angeles’ postseason dreams ended under the Gateway Arch, foiled by a team which is born and bred to win when the leaves change. St. Louis beat ace Clayton Kershaw twice for the second straight postseason, doing it in come-from-behind fashion Tuesday with a 3-2 decision forged on Matt Adams’ three-run homer in the seventh.
One reason might have been the Dodgers’ lack of production with runners in scoring position over the last three games. They were 1-for-7 on Tuesday, giving them four hits in 27 at-bats in that spot after a 4-for-14 showing in Game 1.
“We’ll look at everything and kind of where we need to improve,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “How do we get better? You look at the whole, as a season, and then you start evaluating your own club as you start trying to start over.”
Those are questions Mattingly and team executives didn’t anticipate giving a second thought to this soon. But starting Wednesday, those are questions they will have to answer through what should be an unpleasant offseason.