The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently playing the best they have all season and are in the midst of another successful week by winning four of five games entering Friday’s series opener against the Colorado Rockies.
The weekend series will be played at Dodger Stadium, where the Dodgers just were but only for two games. After sweeping the Seattle Mariners, both teams flew north to pick back up with the home and home series.
Considering everything that is going on with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Major League Baseball has made it a priority to limit the amount of travel teams have this season. The Dodgers are limited to playing only National League and American League West teams.
With the efforts to limit travel, it was a bit peculiar that the Dodgers and Mariners split their four-game series between the two ballparks, especially since there is no real home-field advantage this season due to the absence of fans.
“It is odd,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the arrangement. “Whether it’s four games here or four games in Los Angeles, you’d think that cutting down the travel makes more sense. There’s obviously some logic behind it, but yeah, in these times I think either club would’ve been fine playing four at their respective cities.”
MLB has not given an exact reason for their schedule choices, although it possibly could have to do with keeping the schedule balanced for all. It could also have to do with the league not wanting teams to be on the road in the same place for too long at a time, which may also be why they did not go with any five-game series this season.
The Dodgers went into the 2020 season earmarked to the be the ninth-most traveled team.
Roberts does not believe he is at increased risk
A number of teams have already had coronavirus outbreaks this season, which has forced some players, coaches and staff members to reconsider their decision to play or participate in 2020.
Roberts is a cancer survivor, although he does not believe he is at increased risk, therefore did not consider opting out of the season.
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