On paper, the Los Angeles Dodgers appear fairly protected with a 3 1/2 recreation lead over the San Diego Padres within the Nationwide League West.
There are solely two weeks left within the season. Other than Monday evening’s collection finale in Atlanta and a three-game homestand in opposition to San Diego subsequent week, Los Angeles has the remainder of the season to eat the Nationwide League scraps.
Three video games in Miami and 6 in Colorado couldn’t solely pave the best way for the Dodgers’ twelfth NL West title in 13 years, but in addition assist them acquire home-field benefit all through the NL postseason.
With a top-tier lineup price billions like Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman, Los Angeles must be in competition for a World Sequence, proper?
Properly, you continue to should pitch. This will probably be an actual drawback for the crew in October except Jack Flaherty makes the playoffs of a lifetime and Japanese rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto is wholesome sufficient to Again him to be the No. 2 starter.
Past that, the choices rapidly develop into empty. Tyler Glasnow as soon as once more proved he is fabricated from porcelain, and after a yr out, what’s left? Clayton Kershaw is within the waning days of a Corridor of Fame profession that breaks down extra with each look? Walker Buehler out of the blue loses management of his pitching?
The bullpen hasn’t been a lot better of late. Simply this week, it collapsed in two losses to the Chicago Cubs, then turned a decent recreation right into a 10-1 rout on Saturday evening in Atlanta.
The Warriors defeated the Warriors 9-2 on Sunday evening, and coach Dave Roberts spoke within the clubhouse to encourage his crew. The ninth inning of the seventh inning restored order to the evening.
“At sure instances throughout the season, it is a good reminder for guys to understand how good they’re,” Roberts stated. “However you additionally should play like this… General, it is good to play a extremely good baseball recreation.”
The following two weeks might deliver extra really thrilling baseball from the Marlins and Rockies, incomes Los Angeles a first-round bye. However how does a crew win 11 postseason video games with 27 shutouts when it is solely achieved that after within the final two years with more healthy pitching?
Until the reply is the return of prime Sandy Koufax or the 1988 model of Orel Hershiser, the Dodgers could also be in bother greater than they (or the community) hope E-book your October tee time early.