Thread by @latimes

As winter sets in, the @Dodgers are reluctantly trying to determine why their well-oiled organizational machine once again sprung a postseason leak. latimes.com/sports/dodgers…

The #Dodgers locked up the NL West with 21 games to go.

They became the seventh team in MLB history to eclipse 110 wins and the first since the 2001 Seattle Mariners to score the most and yield the fewest runs in the same season. latimes.com/sports/dodgers…

They did it with a familiar blueprint — pairing an explosive lineup with a crafty pitching staff, and a star-studded core with waves of depth that Andrew Friedman and his staff had so meticulously assembled over the years. latimes.com/sports/dodgers…

Despite injuries down the stretch, the Dodgers still finished the regular season as the major-league leaders in scoring, team on-base-plus-slugging percentage and almost every statistical category with runners in scoring position. latimes.com/sports/dodgers…

But their decline over the final weeks, when they batted .215 and averaged less than 3 ½ runs a game over their final 15 contests, carried into the postseason.

“The postseason is not easy,” Mookie Betts said. “Nobody’s gonna roll over and let you win.” latimes.com/sports/dodgers…

Scouts noticed that the
@Padres
pitching staff, and their bullpen in particular, attacked the
@Dodgers
differently.

Others inside the Dodgers organization privately wondered why the Padres seemed more determined during the NLDS’ defining sequences. latimes.com/sports/dodgers…

Others inside the Dodgers organization privately wondered why the Padres seemed like the more determined team during the series’ defining sequences. latimes.com/sports/dodgers…

Friedman and Dave Roberts insist the team's demise wasn’t the fault of their pitching.

The margin for error was thin all series long.

In the bottom of the 7th in Game 4, it finally — fatally — backfired in an inning that will long live in Dodgers infamy. latimes.com/sports/dodgers…