The Atlanta Braves are guaranteed to finish with the best record in the National League, which in turn locked the Los Angeles Dodgers into the No. 2 seed. The Dodgers nonetheless remain in the running for the second-best record in baseball.
That is noteworthy in the event the Baltimore Orioles and Dodgers play in the 2023 World Series. The Orioles currently hold a one-game lead over the Dodgers. The Braves would have have home-field advantage over the Dodgers — and any other opponent — in the NL Championship Series
While the Dodgers now are officially set in the No. 2 seed of the NL postseason bracket, that eventual outcome was all but guaranteed heading into the final week of the regular season. Entering play Tuesday, the Dodgers needed to win each of their games and have the Braves lose out in order to secure home-field advantage through the NLCS.
There was an opportunity for L.A. to close the gap on Atlanta during their four-game series at Dodger Stadium from August 31-September 3. But the Braves effectively put that to bed by winning the first three games.
Over recent days, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged there was a benefit to potentially overtaking the Braves for the best record in the NL, but that it wasn’t a focus for the team.
“Obviously there’s the benefit of looking way out to the home-field advantage in the CS,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“I just think it will play out the way it’s going to. I’m not going to make decisions on trying to catch the Braves. Our thought is just to beat these guys tonight and then get ready for the Giants. However it kind of washes out, we’ll prepare that way.”
This marks a third time in the past six seasons the Dodgers did not finish with the best record in the NL. They previously were third in 2018, and second to the San Francisco Giants in 2021.
Who are Dodgers playing in the NLDS?
With the Milwaukee Brewers finishing as the third-best division winner, they are due to face the third Wild Card team that is also the No. 6 seed in the NL postseason bracket. That currently projects to be the Miami Marlins, but the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are possibilities as well.
The Marlins hold a tiebreaker over the Cubs.
Thus, the Dodgers will play the winner of the Brewers-TBD team from the Wild Card Series.
2023 Dodgers postseason schedule
Game 1 of the NLDS is at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, October 7. Game 2 is scheduled for October 9, with Game 3 to follow on Oct. 11.
Should the NLDS extend beyond that, Game 4 is October 12, and if necessary, Game 5 would be back at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 14.
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