Before the season began, many were wondering how good the Los Angeles Dodgers could be in 2024. Not only did they add $700 million man Shohei Ohtani to a star-studded lineup, but with the additions of Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the rotation, it looked as if Los Angeles was primed for a monster regular season.
Well, not everything has gone according to plan for the Dodgers this season, as they have dealt with injuries to everyone from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to Glasnow, Yamamoto and rookie Gavin Stone. And yet, despite a rollercoaster in the health department and a second-half surge by the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers clinched their 11th NL West title in the last 12 seasons on Thursday, winning two of San Diego’s three.
Before this week’s series against the Padres, the Dodgers were in the midst of an up-and-down September. They’ve been searching for answers to a litany of questions in their rotation, but they also seemed bored. And after they lost the first game against San Diego via a triple play that closed out the game and clinched a postseason berth for the Padres, it looked like the Dodgers might be on the verge of a late-season collapse.
But the one thing the Dodgers have been all about this year is their resilience, so really, their comeback in Games 2 and 3 to win the series and clinch the division shouldn’t be a huge surprise. .
Now that they have taken over the division, the Dodgers have a chance this weekend to secure first place in the National League and the best record in MLB, which would ensure home-field advantage throughout the postseason, as long as they take care of business against the lowly Rockies to end the season.
And while there has been some debate in recent years about the value of earning the top playoff berth, this Dodgers team might need a first-round bye more than any other team heading into October.
On the one hand, the five days off will give the Dodgers some time to decide how to deploy their rotation in the NLDS. The Dodgers will be without Glasnow, Stone or Clayton Kershaw, who, while still trying to recover from bone spurs in his foot, is not recovering as quickly as he or the team had hoped.
That leaves Jack Flaherty, whom the team acquired at the trade deadline, as the most likely starter for Game 1. After Flaherty, the questions begin. What version of Yamamoto will we see? The Dodgers rookie pitched well in his first two outings since coming off the disabled list due to a right shoulder strain, but struggled in his most recent start against the Rockies and hasn’t gone more than four innings since returning. . Still, he’s probably in line to pitch Game 2 for Los Angeles.
After that, it appears that veteran Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler will be the third starter. Buehler has had some inconsistencies since returning from his second Tommy John surgery, but he has been trending positively, with a 3.31 ERA in his last three starts, including Thursday’s divisional win. Finally, with Tony Gonsolin making his third rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, he could be called up the final weekend of the regular season as a postseason option either in the rotation or out of the bullpen.
The extra days to recover will also be welcomed by the Dodgers lineup, which lost first baseman Freddie Freeman to a sprained ankle in the series finale on Thursday. Freeman told reporters after the game that he will not play in the remaining regular season games, but his goal is to be ready for Game 1 of the NLDS.
Additionally, shortstop Miguel Rojas, who has been huge for the Dodgers this season, aggravated a left adductor injury against San Diego. An MRI then revealed a tear that will reportedly require offseason surgery, but Rojas We’ll try to reproduce it in the meantime.. His ability to provide elite defense at shortstop and add some offense will be key to the Dodgers’ future.
When firing on all cylinders, the Dodgers are as tough a team to beat as any. But the reality is that even though they are in a position to have the best record in the MLB, they are not out of the woods yet. While a young, hot team like the Tigers could lose momentum by having a first-round bye, the Dodgers are a veteran team with plenty of postseason experience.
A few days to mentally reset while giving some key contributors time to recover is exactly what they need heading into October.
