Considering how the 2018 season has unfolded for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it is fitting they remain locked in a tight National League West race with the Colorado Rockies. Little has come easy for the Dodgers, and capturing a sixth consecutive division title won’t break that trend.
After sweeping the Rockies and seeing their lead in the NL West grow to 2.5 games, it’s been cut to just a half-game entering playing Wednesday. The Dodgers and Rockies are even in the loss column; Los Angeles has four games remaining, and Colorado has five on their schedule.
Should the teams wind up with identical records through Sunday’s season finales, they would be required to play a 163rd game on Monday to determine an NL West champion.
There’s no denying any one-game playoff scenario can be unsettling. But for the Dodgers, it would be hardly insurmountable.
First and foremost, the tie-breaking game would be played at Dodger Stadium by virtue of the Dodgers winning the regular-season series with the Rockies, 12-7. Furthermore, the club’s ballyhooed depth, especially in the starting rotation, would factor heavily into the matchup.
By opting to start Hyun-Jin Ryu on Friday in lieu of Rich Hill, the veteran southpaw can be saved for a potential play-in game. That would leave the Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler as options to start Games 1 and 2, respectively, if the club advanced to the NL Division Series.
If Kershaw is needed in another heroic relief appearance for the Dodgers to so much as reach the postseason, then Ryu and Buehler remain available for an early NLDS start.
What would change the feeling around a 163rd game for the Dodgers is a three-way tie in the NL postseason picture. Under one scenario, the St. Louis Cardinals would host the loser of the NL West game in a play-in game to get into the Wild Card Game the following day.
Entering play Wednesday, 4.5 games separate the top six teams in the NL: Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Dodgers, Rockies and Cardinals. Among the group, only the Braves have clinched a spot in the postseason by virtue of being NL East champions.
When it comes to winning a World Series, there’s not one clear-cut path that’s superior to all others. The Dodgers need to look no further than the rival San Francisco Giants playing their way to a championship as a Wild Card team.
The Dodgers have maintained their talent would eventually carry them into October. How challenging that ultimately becomes will be decided in the next few days, but at the very least they’ve given themselves an opportunity to earn it on the field. No matter how difficult.
