When the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League West on Sunday it set up a first-round matchup with the Washington Nationals, the champions of the NL East. The Dodgers had plenty of success against the Nationals this season, winning five of the six head-to-head meetings.
Additionally, the two teams are heading in opposite directions as the regular season draws to a close. Los Angeles has gotten healthy in recent weeks, particularly in their starting rotation, while Washington has lost key players to injury.
The most recent of the injuries was to catcher Wilson Ramos, who went down awkwardly in Monday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks when leaping to make a ball thrown home from the outfield.
According to CSN Nationals, Ramos has torn his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season and postseason:
There it is. Wilson Ramos has a torn ACL, Dusty Baker says.
— CSN Nationals (@CSNNationals) September 27, 2016
Ramos was having a strong 2016 campaign and was named to his first career All-Star team. In 131 games he batted .307/.354/.496 with 22 home runs and 80 RBIs. He also excelled against Los Angeles, batting .300/.333/.550 with one home run and two RBIs in five games.
The 29-year-old Ramos is set to become a free agent this offseason. Aside from now having lost their starting catcher, the health of Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Stephen Strasburg are of concern for the Nationals. Though, Strasburg’s availability for the NLDS is the only one that remains in question.
As of Tuesday night, Washington held a 1.5-game lead over the Dodgers for home-field advantage in the NLDS.
