Entering the final stretch of the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have come together in the past month to expand their lead in the National League West.
The Dodgers have received elite bullpen production, enough pitching at the frontend of their rotation to get the job done, and offense in bunches. A key piece to that mix has been the resurgence of Mookie Betts since he’s returned to the lineup.
Overall, the Dodgers are jostling for position with with the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the NL. Inside the NL West, they’ve been able to hold off the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been on their own torrid stretches, and move closer to another division title.
The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the NL West is 13 entering play Wednesday. While another NL West title appears to only be a matter of time, Betts is not overly focused or consumed by that.
“When playoff starts, that’s when we have to play the best version of Dodger baseball,” Betts said this week. “Obviously, yes, we do want to keep going and winning, get that number down. But that number doesn’t matter, man. When playoffs start, we’ve got to be ready to go.”
Betts and the rest of the Dodgers are doing all they can to remain on the upswing as the opportunities in the regular season dwindle down. That figures to be aided by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow both likely making an impact before the postseason begins.
Yamamoto impressed in his return from the 60-day injured list and Glasnow could potentially be activated next week without going on a rehab assignment.
Dodgers hoping to avoid postseason letdown
Back-to-back eliminations in the postseason are fresh in the minds of Dodgers fans, players and front office members. Losing in the NL Division Series two years in a row after successful regular season runs is a failure at it’s root.
Ensuring that their roster is in working order before the playoffs is a top priority, and will remain that way. Getting hot, and starting on a strong note, as Betts mentioned, is on the short list of keys for the Dodgers come the start of October baseball.
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