With the way the Dodgers are playing this year, anything is possible in the playoffs. They could finish the postseason with a perfect playoff record or barely make it out of the first round—and it really seems to depend on whether the Dodgers can rise to the occasion, not how well their opponents are doing. On paper, this Dodgers team should be winning every series easily: they have incredible offensive power and pitching to match. But the bats have gone quiet for long stretches, the pitchers have struggled
to stay in one piece, and there’s trouble in the outfield to boot. So, what can we expect? Here’s a peek at two potential best and worst case scenarios.
Best Case Scenario
This one’s easy: The Dodgers win the division and sail through to the end of October. Even in a tiebreaker scenario, the Dodgers have the advantage over the Padres thanks to their head-to-head record with San Diego, which helps matters.
If the Dodgers get the win and the top seed, they’ll play the No. 5 seed, which should make life easier; ranking second gets them the #3 competitor, which could shape up to be the Philadelphia Phillies or Cincinnati Reds, according to Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller. My money’s on the Phillies in that series, and the Dodgers and Phils are pretty evenly matched when it comes to overall records this season. But if we’re talking absolute best case scenario, wouldn’t you rather play the barely-above-.500 Reds? The Dodgers have a 5-1 record against Cincinnati, which bodes well for a playoff meeting.
Worst Case Scenario
Could it actually get worse than what we’re about to outline here? Sure, if the Dodgers lose every game from now until the end of September and the Rockies suddenly superpower their team. But it’s unlikely, so let’s go with this: The Dodgers lose the division. They end up in the fifth seed, according to Miller, and take on the National League’s fourth seed in the Wild Card game. Let’s keep rolling with Miller’s take here and say it’s the Chicago Cubs. Can the Dodgers move on to the next round? It’s likely, as long as their pitching stays healthy—just what we all want to hear. But that’s always a big if with this team.
If the Dodgers were to make it out against the bear fight alive, it really depends on who wins what. The Dodgers tend to have a hard time in the playoffs, so if they’re up against a particularly hot team in the division series—like the Milwaukee Brewers—there might be some trouble.
