The Los Angeles Dodgers remain alive in their pursuit of a ninth consecutive National League West title, but should they fall short, it would amount to a matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Game.
The Dodgers punched their ticket for October baseball on Sept. 14, and the following night secured home-field advantage for a potential appearance in the NL Wild Card Game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals guaranteed themselves a spot in the one-game playoff with a victory on Tuesday night.
It was St. Louis’ 17th win in a row, which is a franchise record and longest streak by an NL team since the Giants won 16 consecutive games during the 1951 season. Furthermore, the Cardinals’ 17-game winning streak is the longest for any team during September since the Chicago Cubs strung together 21 straight victories in that month of the 1935 campaign.
With a potential matchup on the horizon, the Dodgers had several scouts at Busch Stadium on Tuesday, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
The Dodgers had seats for as many as seven scouts at Tuesday’s game between the Cardinals and Brewers — teams the defending World Series champs could face in the playoffs. The current standings would send the Cardinals to LA for a one-game playoff. Several of the scouts watched batting practice from the seats. Coming out of the pandemic, some teams don’t have seven pro scouts on staff, let alone dispatched to a game.
The Dodgers scouting the Cardinals of course is not groundbreaking, nor are they likely the only opponent being prepared for. It’s also not a first, as it was documented in late 2019 that the Dodgers sent advanced scouts to watch the Cardinals.
L.A. won four of the seven head-to-head meetings this season, which included taking two of three at Dodger Stadium from May 31-June 2.
Regardless of which teams play, the NL Wild Card Game is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 6, and will be nationally televised exclusively by TBS.
Cardinals vs. Dodgers postseason history
St. Louis and L.A. of course have met several times in the playoffs, with the results being largely one-sided. Their last postseason matchup came in the 2014 NL Division Series, which the Cardinals won in four games.
The Dodgers also were eliminated by them the year prior in the NL Championship Series. The 2009 NLDS marks the only time the Dodgers have ever eliminated the Cardinals in the playoffs.
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