The Dodgers have already locked up another division crown, but the real chase now is about position. After clinching their 13th National League West title in the last 14 seasons, Los Angeles is trying to hang on to a first-round bye - and Dave Roberts knows exactly what that would mean.
“It’s always helpful in the sense of giving your guys a break to reset. But given all the tax and where our guys are health-wise, to get that week would be huge,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said.
“We’ve still got to play well to finish out the season to get to that point. There’s a lot of people that could use the break.”
The Dodgers are currently four games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the No. 2 seed in the NL, and that edge matters because Los Angeles does not own the head-to-head tiebreaker. In other words, the Dodgers need to finish with a better record than Atlanta to keep that spot.
The top seed is still in play, but only on paper. The Dodgers trail the Milwaukee Brewers in the standings and don’t have the tiebreaker over them, so they can’t control that race themselves. Home-field advantage throughout the postseason would be nice, but the bigger prize is landing one of the top two division-winning seeds in the league.
Health is part of why the bye matters so much. The Dodgers are juggling injuries to Shohei Ohtani, Edgardo Henriquez, Andy Pages, Will Klein and, most recently, Blake Snell.
There is some good news on that front. Pages and Ohtani are expected to be activated before the regular season ends, and there’s optimism that Snell will avoid a trip to the injured list.
Henriquez is eligible to come back when the Wild Card round opens on Tuesday, Sept. 29, while Klein cannot return until the NLDS begins on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Even then, Klein’s postseason spot is not guaranteed. He has missed two months, so the Dodgers would have to decide whether to include him on the roster. Still, having that choice is better than not having it at all.
If Los Angeles finishes as the No. 2 seed, it would meet the winner of the Wild Card series between the third division champion and the sixth-place team. The exact matchup remains unsettled, especially with the San Diego Padres making a late push.
Right now, the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Padres are all tightly bunched, with each team still mathematically able to land in any of the three Wild Card positions.
In Other News...
Kyle Tucker Just Gave Dodgers Fans A Scare They Couldnt Ignore
Kyle Tucker gave Dodgers fans a brief jolt during the game against the Giants when he fouled a pitch off his right knee and had to leave the field. The Dodgers trainer called the move precautionary, and Tucker was later seen on the bench smiling even as he favored the knee, which helped calm the immediate worry around a player who has been swinging the bat well lately.
For a Dodgers team looking to keep its lineup humming, any moment involving Tucker is going to draw attention. His recent offensive run has made him one of the more reliable presence in the lineup over the last 15 games, so even a short scare like this was enough to put the focus on his status and how the knee responds once the adrenaline fades. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Chasing Giants Sweep With A New Kyle Tucker Concern
The Dodgers entered Sunday still managing the aftermath of Kyle Tucker leaving Saturdays game early with a shin injury, and they chose to keep him out of the lineup as they try to finish off a sweep against the Giants. Jack Dreyer is taking the ball for Los Angeles, with San Francisco countering with left-hander Matt Wilkinson, while Mookie Betts leads off and Freddie Freeman is in the cleanup spot.
For a Dodgers club trying to keep its momentum rolling, Tuckers availability is the new subplot to watch. His absence changes the look of the lineup for now, and the timing adds a little extra tension to a game already carrying the weight of a potential sweep, especially with the club still waiting to see how he responds after the injury. [Read more 🡒]
Blake Snells Status Just Put Dodgers In A Tough Late-Season Spot
Blake Snells latest setback has put the Dodgers in a delicate place as the season winds down. Snell left his last start after just one inning because of left groin tightness, and while he has resumed throwing from 90 feet as part of his recovery, the club is still trying to be careful with how it handles him this late in the year. Manager Dave Roberts has said he hopes Snell can make another start before the regular season ends, but the Dodgers are clearly balancing that optimism against the bigger picture.
The timing is what makes it tricky, especially with a series against the Padres coming up and playoff positioning still in play. Los Angeles wants to have Snell available without forcing the issue, and every decision now has postseason implications attached to it. Even with some encouraging signs in his recovery, the Dodgers are left waiting on whether they can get one more meaningful start out of him before October arrives. [Read more 🡒]