Riding a five-game win streak, the Los Angeles Dodgers aim to secure a postseason bye with Shohei Ohtani back in the lineup.
The Los Angeles Dodgers just put together a brilliant shutout over the San Diego Padres on a night when their magic number fell to one.
Thanks to an Atlanta Braves loss, the Dodgers now have a chance to clinch the first-round bye as soon as Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Once that is secured, another goal within reach is earning not only the National League's top seed, but also finishing with the best record in all of baseball.
For now, this team just needs to take it one step at a time, but they're riding a five-game winning streak, and manager Dave Roberts confirmed that superstar Shohei Ohtani will be back in the lineup for game two against San Diego.
Ohtani can guide Dodgers to a bye
It'll be interesting to see if Roberts and Co. change up their strategy should they clinch a bye on Sept. 23.
There are a ton of veterans, both on the pitching staff and position players, who could use a bit of extra rest at this point in the season.
Skipping the Wild Card round will certainly help, but should the bye be clinched in Ohtani's return, that leaves four regular season games remaining.
It's not like they don't have anything to play for, far from it, but this team will have to take a step back and ask themselves just how much home-field advantage is worth it in terms of a few extra days of rest.
Robbie Ray vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Dodgers are in great shape with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, but this is a game that features a pair of pitchers with a combined 27-16 record.
Robbie Ray comes into the contest hungry for a rebound win as his Padres are just four games up in the final Wild Card spot. There's a world where San Diego loses out and misses the playoffs entirely, and that's something Ray is going to do his best to not let happen.
What role Ohtani will have in his return remains to be seen. Obviously he'll be the designated hitter, but will he only be in for an at-bat or two is the real question.
Yamamoto is on a quest to net the Dodgers their 12th straight win at home. After this Padres series comes to an end, LA will make one final trip north to take on a San Francisco Giants team that is currently 65-93.
