TBS Baseball Analyst Ron Darling Talks Dodgers' Exit, National League Championship Series

Ron Darling knows a little about October baseball. After all, the former New York Mets right-hander won a World Series with New York in 1986.

Since retiring from the mound and ending a 13-year career in the majors after the 1995 season, Darling has stayed plugged in, working as a broadcaster first for the Oakland A's, and the, among other assignments was part of FOX's popular early-2000s show called The Best Damn Sports Show Period. Darling currently works as a national baseball commentator and analyst for MLB On TBS.

Starting Friday, Darling will join Brian Anderson, Jeff Francoeur and reporter Lauren Shehadi in presenting the National League Championship Series (NLCS) featuring the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals. TBS is the exclusive home of the 2019 NLCS, and live coverage begins Oct. 11, at 8 P.M. ET.

Today, I caught up with Darling to talk about the exciting playoffs run, and about what's in store for baseball this week and beyond.

Ron Darling: Yeah, the Nats just took it away from them. Here's a guy, Howie Kendrick, having a tough series, and the Nationals' manager Dave Martinez trusts him and lets him stay in the game and he ends up hitting a grand slam home run. Sometimes that's just October. We also so other lesser-known players like Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto hitting home runs on consecutive pitches.

I know this for a fact-and it's not anything negative on the Dodgers, who didn't win-but for the teams that win, there's just a little magic happening for them in the postseason. Some pixie dust, something happening, I don't know how you account for that.

Darling: I think you hit the nail on the head. They played very good ball clubs in that division. For the Cards, the last four-game series at Wrigley showed their mettle, and the way they came back and played in that series shows them to be better than a 91-win team. Offensively, however, I think they underperformed during the regular season.

I don't think the Cardinals had Paul Goldschmidt and Marcel Ozuna performing during the regular season they way there are right now, whether it was Goldy getting off to a slow start, or Ozuna's myriad of injuries. Plus the Cards scored the fewest runs of any team in the postseason. But they got hot at the right time.

Darling: If you follow baseball all the time, I think everyone was thinking that the Nationals would give the Dodgers the best postseason series, because of their starting pitching. The way they used pitchers Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin, Doolittle and Hudson as they did, you can see which way they're going to go, very aggressive. It was sustainable in a five-game series, and we'll see if it can be sustainable in a seven-game series.

On a national level not a lot of people know (Nats third baseman) Anthony Rendon, and they're going to see what a good player he is. Also, Juan Soto is often second in the (National League's batting) conversation behind Ronald Acuna Jr., but I think he's important to watch. And the other player that's underrated is shortstop Trea Turner. So far Washington has not won a playoff series, but now we'll get to see those other outstanding players in the Nats roster.

Darling: I think each postseason team has their Achilles' heel. For the Yankees it's getting enough starters to pitch enough innings, and then putting their bullpen in the best place to be über-effective-that's their challenge. For the Rays, it's about whether they have enough firepower to get the job done all the way through to the end, and the way they use their pitching.

Then, the Astros have probably the least of an Achilles' heel, and they are loaded up and down. Sure, the back of their bullpen is not perfect, but with Justin Verlander and Gerritt Cole pitching as they have, they don't need it to be. And if Zach Greinke can call on his experience to add some dimension, the Astros will be tough.