LOS ANGELES — It’s hard to believe the regular season is coming to an end. In just three weeks, the Dodgers will be getting ready to attempt to win their first World Series since the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.
Though there’s still work to be done for the Dodgers — like winning the National League West for the 11th time in 12 seasons and securing one of the top two seeds in the NL — all eyes are already on what the team will look like when its postseason run continues the first week of October.
As well as the Dodgers are playing, there’s still a lot of uncertainty of how all the pieces will fit into the puzzle. With just a few weeks remaining, let’s answer a few questions sent in via X.
This is a good question and there are some important layers to it. Even with their extended time on the injured list, the Dodgers do expect Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to be available for the postseason. Not only do they expect it, but they need both of their key offseason acquisitions to perform at their best.
Now, there are some legitimate questions as to how effective they’ll be. The best start of Yamamoto’s season came in his last one against the Yankees, dominating one of the best lineups in the Majors. However, he did that by utilizing his slider more than any other start. Though Yamamoto has shut the notion down, that pitch could’ve had some impact in his injury.
How much will Yamamoto throw the slider when he returns? That remains to be seen. He also needs to work his way back to form. Yamamoto was unimpressive in his two rehab starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City, but being back in a Major League game should help him. Yamamoto will have three or four starts to figure things out, and the Dodgers will desperately need him.
As for Glasnow, injuries just continue to be part of his career. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has made it clear that Glasnow will need at least one rehab start before he’s able to return. Glasnow will throw a bullpen session over the weekend, which will determine just how ready he is to take that step. When, or if, he returns to the mound this season, Los Angeles is going to need him to pitch like an ace to anchor its postseason rotation. Will Glasnow be able to do that if he’s not 100 percent? That’s going to be the big question.
In your mind, is there an NL playoff team that the Dodgers would prefer to match up with in a short series? — @GpajerryMdm
I’ll preface this by saying there are no easy series in the postseason. The Dodgers have seen that in each of the past two postseasons, getting bounced in the National League Division Series by teams with an inferior regular-season record.
But for the Dodgers, getting a break from playing a division opponent could benefit them this time around. As things stand, the Padres and the D-backs are the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively. If the Dodgers wrestle the No. 1 seed from the Phillies, they will likely play a division opponent in the NLDS for the fifth consecutive postseason.
