-The Dodgers won their 90th game of the season on Friday and after today’s game against the Marlins, will have played 149 games, or 92% of the regular season. Only thirteen games remain after today.
-Heading into play this afternoon, nothing short of a complete collapse will prevent the Dodgers from winning the division. The Padres have been hot of late but the Dodgers’ slide in August seems a distant memory.
-The only real mystery left is how the playoff seedings will land. Milwaukee owns MLB’s best record at 93-56, the Dodgers are 90-58, followed by Atlanta is 88–61. Assuming the Dodgers hold on to the second best record or even catch the Brewers, they will not have to play the wild card round.
– Catching the Brewers is a long shot, given how well Milwaukee is playing. They are 7-3 in their last 10 and like the Dodgers, have built a 10-game lead in their division.
-The Brew Crew has the highest run differential in baseball (+196, the Dodgers are second at +172) and after today’s game against the Reds finish with Pittsburgh (bad but competitive), Baltimore (better than their record shows), Philly (very good), and St. Louis (good but not a playoff team).
-The Dodgers finish with Miami today and then travel to Cincinnati (not good but competitive), then get the Giants (terrible) and Padres (very good) at home, and end the season in San Francisco. We just have to wait and see how things play out.
-Baseball is a grind and every team is nursing injuries this time of year. Per usual, the Dodgers have some key players on the mend.
-Freddie Freeman’s right knee is hurting. He had a few days’ rest this week which should help. Roberts has acknowledged the knee is impacting that beautiful swing. Entering today, Freddie’s hit one homer in his last 53 ABs.
-Shohei is on the injured list and won’t play again until October. Thanks to outsized production from Tommy Edman in the leadoff spot and great starting pitching, it doesn’t feel like we’ve lost all that much. But the post season could be a different story. Getting the best player on the planet back to start the playoffs will a huge win.
-Josue De Paula made his debut on Friday, and wow does he look great. He’s gone hitless in two games but it’s only a matter of time before that kid figures things out and starts hitting line drives.
-A very cool thing happened yesterday. Mookie Betts hit his 20th homer of the season, which was also the 10,000th Dodger homer since the move from Brooklyn in 1958.
-Said Betts: “So, I guess I’ll always be remembered for something.” Yes, Mook, that and 1,000 other incredible highlights.
-Finally, noting that Dodgers fan critic Pete Crow-Armstrong has joined the 40 home run, 35 stolen bases club.
-Yay.
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