Only six out of 28 games remaining on the schedule are against winning teams for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and if you think that’s not a big deal for the National League standings, you’re not paying attention. With the NL Central leader Brewers holding an 83-51 record and the Dodgers sitting at 80-54, just three games back, this absurdly soft run-in could totally flip the script for playoff seeding. The Braves are right there too, 79-55, four games back, so every single game matters right now.
Recent Struggles and the “Pillow Soft” Rebound
The Dodgers have been through it lately, let’s be real. They just got absolutely swept by the Braves in Atlanta, following a tough series two weeks prior where the Brewers took three out of four from them in Los Angeles. Against the six other teams in the NL’s top seven, they’re only 23-25. And against any MLB team at .500 or better, their record is a losing 31-35. But here’s the wild part: the last 18 days have been a total reversal, with the Dodgers collecting three sweeps against losing teams like the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Manager Dave Roberts, talking to reporters in Atlanta, sounded pretty chill about their record against winning teams. He said he wasn’t “too concerned” because he knows they’ve “got a good ball club” and that “baseball is one of those things where how you’re playing, who you’re playing, and how they’re playing at a point in time” makes a difference. He even admitted he didn’t know the specific stat but he’d “still take our team against any of those winning teams.”
The Schedule That Makes You Say “Seriously?”
Now, let’s talk about this remaining schedule for Los Angeles, because it’s genuinely “pillow soft.” Starting August 28, they’ve got series against teams like the Tigers (62-71), Cardinals (67-68), Nationals (63-73), Reds (63-71, twice!), and the Giants (55-79, twice!). The only squads with winning records they face are the Marlins (68-66) for three games and the Padres (72-62) for three games. That’s a grand total of six games against winning teams out of 28! If the Cardinals manage to have a winning home series against the Pirates this weekend, that would bump it to nine games against .500 or better teams, but still, that’s not much. Meanwhile, their rivals are sweating. The Braves have a brutal September with 13 games against the Phillies, Rays, and Cubs, plus road series against the Marlins and .500-adjacent Astros. The Brewers aren’t off the hook either, facing nine games against the Cubs and Phillies, along with a series against the Cardinals.
Roberts is right, it all comes down to the Dodgers playing “good, winning baseball.” With a schedule this favorable, the final four and a half weeks of the regular season are a massive chance for them to stack wins and increase their shot at one of those top two National League postseason seeds. It’s on them to make it happen.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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