ATLANTA — By the time Juan Uribe's eighth-inning home run landed in the Dodger Stadium seats late Monday night on the West Coast, essentially sealing the Braves' NLDS fate, the Atlanta franchise already understood the feeling. The surprising shot from a guy many clamored for the L.A. organization to release prior to the season handed the Braves' their seventh-consecutive early playoff exit — they haven't made it out of the divisional round since 2001.
Uribe's home run erased plenty: The Dodgers' defensive miscues that nullified Clayton Kershaw's impressive start on three days rest, 37-year-old journeyman starter Freddy Garcia matching Kershaw on the scoreboard through six innings, The timely performances by Elliot Johnson and Jose Constanza and even Dodgers manager Don Mattingly's call for Uribe to bunt with Yasiel Puig on second base and no outs.
All of it erased with one swing of the bat that stole Atlanta's opportunity to bring the series back home for Game 5 and left veteran teammates consoling David Carpenter, the quality reliever whose hanging breaking ball Uribe sent sailing into the night, in the aftermath. It was a 96-win season for Atlanta — a season marred by injuries and offensive slumps, but the wins just kept coming — but, as manager Fredi Gonzalez said in the postgame press conference, it's going to take a while before the organization is able to look back on it.
Regardless of the NL East title, the October struggles weigh heavily on the team's collective mind as the offseason once again arrives far too soon.
How could things have gone differently? What would the organization alter about the NLDS in hindsight? One decision — the choice to leave Craig Kimbrel, the best closer in baseball, in the bullpen during the game-winning eighth inning — will certainly be questioned for years to come. The Chopcast team — Zach Dillard, Cory McCartney and Jay Clemons — discuss that and more in the NLDS wrap-up. Here are a few of the highlights:
-- What are your initial impressions and judgments of the NLDS, particularly Game 4 when everything slipped away from the Braves? What were the key moments/decisions that sent the team packing?
-- What's your judgment on the Kimbrel decision? How "by the book" should managers be in the postseason?
-- Were the Dodgers the better team anyways? What's your perception of the team's overall performance in the NLDS? Where were the missed opportunities?
