End of the Road 2015: Los Angeles Dodgers

(Getty Images) After losing NLDS Game 5 to the New York Mets on Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been eliminated from the MLB postseason. That means they’ve effectively come to the end of the road. As we’ll do with each eliminated team this season, let’s give them a send-off that would make Boyz II Men proud.

We’ll look at the highs and lows of their season, what bright spots their future might hold and what questions need answering as they prepare for 2016.

[Elsewhere: Mets clinch NLCS berth with Game 5 win over Dodgers]

HIGH POINT: Once again, the Dodgers were the team to beat in the NL West. They held first place from April 18 until the very end, locking up their division title under manager Don Mattingly. Los Angeles really took control with a 17-5 stretch beginning on Aug. 25. By the time it ended, the division lead swelled from 1.5 to 8.5 games over the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants.

LOW POINT: Unfortunately, regular season success still hasn’t translated to postseason success for Los Angeles as they once again fell short of a World Series appearance. Though it was hardly the fault of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, the Dodgers lost two of the four postseason starts made by their studs, and that spelled doom with Hyun-Jim Ryu and Brandon McCarthy unavailable. The Mets took advantage of a Game 3 matchup against Brett Anderson and then pummeled the Dodgers overextended bullpen, scoring 13 runs. That was the key game in the series, because in Games 1 & 5 they simply couldn’t crack Jacob deGrom when it mattered most.

Your browser does not support iframes. BEST HIGHLIGHT: Greinke and Kershaw were the story of baseball this summer when they posted historic and overlapping scoreless streaks. Greinke’s streak reached 45 2/3 innings, good for the fourth longest streak in MLB since 1961. Strangely enough, Greinke’s streak was ended by Jacob deGrom, his opponent in Game 5. Kershaw’s streak ended at 37 innings. Kershaw also reached a milestone on the final day of the season when he reached 300 strikeouts. That had not been done in a season since 2002.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: With a payroll exceeding $300 million, the Dodgers have shown they’re willing to spend and spend and spend some more. That almost assures they’ll stay competitive year in and year out. The presence of Kershaw doesn’t hurt either. We also saw the beginning of two promising careers in Joc Pederson and Corey Seager. A lot of parts could end up moving around them, but those two young stars should remain a part of the foundation for years to come.

[Check out Big League Stew on Tumblr for more cool stuff from the MLB postseason]

QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING: Now what? Yes, we know they can spend the money. Now president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi have to turn that money spent into results. As the Stew’s Chris Cwik recently wrote, they have plenty of questions they’ll need to answer, especially if Zack Greinke opts out of his deal. Another key issue will be determining whether or not Don Mattingly fits their vision going forward. They have a long offseason ahead, and we’re certain their wheels are already turning. Big decisions could come soon.

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