The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves facing the Arizona Diamondbacks in a pivotal four-game series at Chase Field that could go a long way in determining the National League West division.
The Dodgers became MLB’s first team to 80 wins this season but still find themselves just four games ahead of the Diamondbacks in the standings.
Overall, the Dodgers are 4-5 against the Diamondbacks this year, and with head-to-head record serving as a tie-breaker, getting a season series win could prove to be crucial.
Although there’s a lot on the line with the matchup, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t think his club needs to put extra pressure on themselves to reach a higher level.
“No, I wouldn’t say extra gear. I just want to play good baseball,” Roberts said. “I think that’s the bar and gear that I’m looking for, and to kind of sustain that. Over the last two weeks, I don’t know what the win-loss is, but I think we’re playing good baseball.
“And those other two teams are playing even better baseball, or winning more games. But I’m pleased with how we’ve been playing and I just want to sustain that to the end of the season.”
The Dodgers have not often found themselves in close division races since their playoff streak began in 2013. It took them a Game 163 to clinch the NL West in 2018, and they lost out by one game in 2021.
An argument could be made about playing through the end of the season being more beneficial than running away with the division and taking your foot off the gas to get extra rest.
While there may be some merit to both methods, Roberts prefers to see his club keep a nice lead in the division.
“I think when you’re chasing, you’re doing a lot more scoreboard watching than being able to control your own destiny,” Roberts said. “So I’d rather have it this way than chasing a team. That’s still up to us. It’s still in our control.”
The Dodgers won’t face the Diamondbacks again this season after the wraparound series at Chase Field.
Freddie Freeman expected to return to Dodgers lineup
Freddie Freeman missed all three games against the Orioles due to a hairline fracture in his right middle finger, but he is expected to be back in the lineup against the D-Backs.
Part of the Dodgers’ thinking was to let Freeman take a series off to heal against an American League club to get him healthy for their big series in Arizona.
“That was part of the math,” Roberts said. “I think the hope was if we could get from him working every day as far as the hitting, the workload with the finger, his swing wasn’t right. I think that’s a common thought with where he was at and how he was swinging the bat.
“So to have something linger over the course of the next six weeks, didn’t seem like the best way to go about things. So if we could sort of play the slice, get him off his feet for a few days and hopefully let the finger kind of calm down and then get him back in there.”
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