After successful seasons in which the Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League West division title but came up short in October, the club made a change in 2015 by replacing Don Mattingly with Dave Roberts as manager.
Roberts ushered a talented team to a fifth consecutive NL West title and trip to the postseason, earning NL Manager of the Year honors. The Dodgers reached the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2013 but were eliminated by the Chicago Cubs.
They returned the following season and ran away with the best record in baseball and reached the World Series, only to lose the Houston Astros in Game 7. Both clubs went into the 2018 campaign among the favorites to reach the Fall Classic.
Houston again clinched the American League West, while the Dodgers remain in a competitive race that has several scenarios still at play for the NL postseason. However, their chances of keeping an NL West strike alive is not likely.
While Roberts considers that a bit of a letdown, he emphasized the Dodgers’ ultimate goal of reaching and winning the World Series remains obtainable, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“Obviously, the regular-season goal is to win the division,” said manager Dave Roberts. “That’s still our goal. Do we control it? No. Most importantly, ultimately, the goal is to win a World Series. To do that, you have to get into the postseason. To take the approach that it’s division or bust is discounting the importance of getting to the postseason. Would it be a disappointment not to win the division? Yeah. But you have to refocus and realize you have a chance to win a championship. If it gets to that point, I would assume that would be our mindset.”
If the Dodgers aren’t to win the NL West but reach the Wild Card Game, it would mean a date with the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. Winning that would put them into an NL Division Series matchup with the club that finishes with the best record in the league.
That currently is the Cubs, though they only have a one-game lead over the Brewers. Seeding is still left to be determined, but the Atlanta Braves (NL East champions), Brewers, Cubs and Rockies have each secured a postseason berth.
