The Los Angeles Dodgers removed some of the drama in the National League West by clinching the division with six regular-season games remaining. While Los Angeles secured a fourth straight NL West title, they have plenty to play for against the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
Entering Wednesday, the Dodgers trail the Washington Nationals by two games for home-field advantage in the NL Division Series. The Dodgers have already announced their first three starters for the series, even without the location determined for Games 1, 2 and 3.
“Considering the way we’ve played this year at home, we’ve put a lot of value on it,” Roberts said of home field. “It’s not the end all, be all, but where we’re at in the win-loss, we’re going to try to catch the Nationals.”
At of time of Roberts’ comments, Los Angeles trailed Washington by just one game in the standings. But a Nationals win and Dodgers loss Tuesday night put additional separation between the two teams.
The Dodgers went 53-28 at home this season, compared to their current 37-39 record on the road. All five games remaining on their schedule will come away from Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers end their season facing the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in what will also be the final broadcasts of Vin Scully’s 67-year career. The Giants currently hold the second Wild Card spot, sitting one game above the St. Louis Cardinals.
While the Dodgers are generally trending up as the season comes to a close, the Nationals are declining at a bad time. Besides the nagging injuries to Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper, Washington lost catcher Wilson Ramos for the remainder of 2016 due to a torn ACL.
In addition, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said it’s unlikely Stephen Strasburg will overcome his right elbow trouble in time for the NLDS. “Regardless of their injuries we still have the mindset to go after them,” Roberts answered when asked if the Nationals’ injury woes factored into the desire to pursue home-field advantage.
“It does kind of have us looking at and approaching them differently in the sense of how we’re going to prepare and field the best team possible. [The injuries] change the landscape of their club. They’re still a very good club.”
Regardless of whether the Dodgers are able to catch the Nationals in the standings, Roberts is hopeful his team will play well during the final week of the regular season to set a strong tone. “It’s about playing good baseball and remaining sharp, not to get complacent and lose our edge,” he said.
“I’ve been on teams where they continued to keep their moment and teams that go the other way. I think for us, knowing we have something to play for, incentivizes us.”
