If there is one thing Angels, Dodgers, and Padres fans have in common right now, it is the pain of watching another World Series go by and witnessing another season that failed to meet expectations.

For the Dodgers, many people (myself included) thought nothing could stop them from winning the NL, both going into the season and into the playoffs. In fact, after their amazing turn-around lead by the hot bats of Hanley and Puig, and the electric arm of Clayton Kershaw, who could blame someone for thinking that this team was destined to win its first World Series in 25 years? It is easy to blame the loss of the season on injuries and inexperience in the dugout, but the bottom line is that this was a hot team that cooled off just in time for the playoffs.

In a division with all eyes on the Giants and Dodgers, I felt the Padres were the perfect sleeper team to come out of the fog and come out on top, or at least take a wild card spot. With a pitching staff that looked pretty average and a lineup with a couple of big bats, all they needed was a couple of hot streaks and a little bit of luck within the NL West. Like most teams, the Padres found lots of adversity throughout the season. Injuries, suspensions, and close losses all proved to be too much to handle for this club. Looking to the future, this team will need a couple good arms and some young home-grown talent to take a division that may be the best in baseball this time next year. Fortunately for the Padres, they matched their record from last year despite key losses due to injury. They also have rookie second baseman Jedd Gyorko, who shows promise both at the plate and with his glove.

After the All-Star break, I had all but given up on the Angels making it to the World Series, which was my prediction at the beginning of Spring Training. Going into the season, the Angels’ lineup looked absolutely stacked. This team was built for big innings, and top to bottom, it looked better than any other in baseball. But with my eyes glazed over by the likes of Albert Pujos, Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton, and Mark Trumbo, I never considered how poor the pitching on this team was, especially in the bullpen. Talking to other Angel fans, I almost exclusively hear the blame go to the constant battle with injuries, but after witnessing the plague of injuries the Dodgers overcame, thanks to their great pitching, I’m chalking this season up to bad pitching. From the starting five to the back end of the bullpen this team would never have been able to put up the numbers to get much higher than .500 healthy or not.

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– DDB