The Los Angeles Dodgers will play within the Nationwide League Division Collection for the twelfth straight season this Saturday. The important thing query because the Dodgers await the winner of the Wild Card sequence between the Padres and Braves: can they keep away from one other early exit?
The Dodgers have been shockingly upset in every of their final two NLDS appearances — by their NL West rivals annually, to make issues worse. The San Diego Padres shocked Los Angeles in 2022, whereas the Arizona Diamondbacks pulled off a sweep of the Dodgers in 2023.
The Dodgers can not afford one other first-round exit, particularly after they dedicated greater than $1.2 billion in salaries final offseason to get the group again to the World Collection. The group acquired expertise like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to forestall October heartbreak and convey again extra trophies. Even when there are many accidents to the beginning rotation, there are not any extra excuses for the group this time round.
The Dodgers know higher than to miss their first-round opponent, however they’ve struggled to adapt to the break between the top of the common season and the NLDS. This has particularly been true for the group’s hitters, who’re used to usually hitting every single day in a row.
Dodgers common supervisor Brandon Gomes broke down a number of the changes the group is making over their break to make sure they’re prepared for the NLDS.
“We’re going to play some video games on Wednesday and Thursday and attempt to make it in order that our guys aren’t dealing with our guys,” Gomes stated, through Invoice Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “We’ll have sufficient ‘stay-hot’ guys (gamers who gained’t be on the NLDS roster however will proceed figuring out in case they’re wanted) or guys from Triple-A, guys which are on the roster however haven’t been right here. Make it such that we’re not pitching tentatively to certainly one of our personal gamers so guys can get after it extra like they might usually.
“Speaking with our hitting guys, they’re arising with some stuff we’re going to take action our guys can face high-velo and issues they’re going to do to face high-octane stuff between to get further reps,” Gomes stated, through Plunkett.
The Dodgers start the postseason on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Photograph Credit score: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports activities
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