The Dodgers are staring down a massive night in Cincinnati, with a playoff berth on the line tonight against the Reds. This isn’t just another game, folks, this is the real deal.
One Win or Two Losses? How They Get In
Here’s the deal: Los Angeles opens a series against the Reds on Monday. If they take that win, BOOM, playoff berth secured. Simple, right? You just grab that W and pop the champagne. But wait, there’s even more drama for you. Even if they somehow drop that game to the Reds, they can *still* clinch a playoff spot on Monday. How? They’d need both the Padres to lose to the Rockies at Coors Field and the Diamondbacks to fall to the Marlins in Arizona. So yeah, grab your popcorn, because you might be watching three games at once for this outcome!
Right now, the National League standings tell a story. The Brewers are leading the pack at 93-57, with the Dodgers right behind them at 90-59. Then you’ve got the Braves at 88-62, Cubs and Phillies both at 83-67, Padres at 81-68, and the Diamondbacks hanging on at 79-71. This isn’t just about a playoff spot either, though that’s the main prize tonight. The Dodgers are a strong nine games up on the Padres with only 13 games left to play. Plus, they’re sitting on a magic number of four to clinch the NL West, thanks to already owning the season series against San Diego. They’ve won seven of their first 10 matchups, with three more intense games coming up next week. Pretty solid, right?
The Wild Card Mess and Why Tiebreakers Matter So Much
This whole clinch scenario for the Dodgers is about guaranteeing they finish better than the No. 7 seed, which is currently the Diamondbacks. And here’s where it gets dicey: the Dodgers actually don’t have the tiebreaker against Arizona, having gone 6-7 against them this season. Ouch. But the reason they can clinch tonight boils down to the potential for a wild three-team tie for two spots, especially with the Padres and D-backs still having three games left against each other at Petco Park from September 25-27. Can you imagine the drama in that final weekend?
Let’s break down those head-to-head records going into Monday, because they’re absolutely huge in any three-team tie scenario: The Dodgers are 13-10 against the Padres and D-backs combined. The D-backs are 12-11 against the Dodgers and Padres. And the Padres? They’re struggling at 8-12 against the Dodgers and D-backs. This math is brutal, and it could decide everything when the dust settles.
Even in a doomsday scenario where the Dodgers lose out after Monday, and Arizona wins out, leading to a tie in wins and losses, and the Padres lose at least three games to the D-backs to create a crazy three-team logjam, the Dodgers still find a path. In such a scenario, the D-backs would snag the NL West crown. But that then leaves a two-team tie for a Wild Card spot between the Dodgers and Padres, and Los Angeles would win that tiebreaker because they’d at worst be 7-6 against San Diego. So yeah, they’re in a good spot no matter how you slice it or what chaos ensues. They’ve basically got this, one way or another.
Tonight, the Dodgers face the Reds in Cincinnati. A win means they’re in, period. If they can’t get it done, it’s a scoreboard watch party hoping the Padres and D-backs falter. Either way, get ready, because this team is on the brink of solidifying their postseason journey and shaking up the National League playoff picture!
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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