The NL West is becoming uncertain about who’s going to win the division. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who’ve won the division 10 out of the last 11 seasons, could actually surrender the division to another team. Read on to find out the three reasons the Dodgers could find themselves in third place.
3 Reasons Why the Dodgers Could Find Themselves in Third Place
Injuries
Starting with position players, Mookie Betts is set to return to the lineup soon, but even with the impact he may give, the Dodgers still don’t have Max Muncy or Tommy Edman. With them back, the offense can start producing big-time which is something the Dodgers need with this rotation.
Now to… pitching. We don’t know when Yoshinobu Yamamoto will return. We also don’t know if he’ll do any good. Walker Buehler has lost his mind and so has Bobby Miller. Now to the bullpen. They’re losing players every game. No Blake Treinen. No Ryan Brasier. No Brusdar Graterol and many more. It’s crazy, sad, and depressing. In fact, even during the game versus the Phillies on Wednesday, the bullpen gave up 4 earned runs. On Tuesday, they gave up five.
Even if the Dodgers don’t get some starting pitching back, if this bullpen doesn’t improve, the Dodgers can definitely go down to third place.
Dodgers IL/Other Updates:
- Max Muncy is beginning his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City
- Tommy Edman is beginning his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto is traveling with the team again. It is unknown when he will pitch for the Dodgers again.
- Walker Buehler is starting on Wednesday
- Mookie Betts will be in the starting lineup on Monday hitting 2nd in the lineup.
The Padres and Diamondbacks Can’t Lose
(These records/stats are based upon August 9th, 2024)
The San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks just cannot lose. Ever since sweeping the Dodgers, this team has a record of 6-1. In their last 10 games, they have a record of 8-2. The worst part of it all for the Dodgers? The Padres are playing the Miami Marlins right now and will play the Colorado Rockies after a series against the Pittsburgh. These are teams that the Padres can easily win against. The Dodgers are currently in a series against the Pittsburgh, and their next two series are the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals which are two teams that are vying for a playoff spot. What makes things even worse is that the Padres are only 2.5 back, meaning if the Dodgers lose three of their next eight games, and the Padres win them all (highly possible), goodbye first place, welcome to second/third.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks, who started off the season incredibly bad, have silently made their way up to the NL West division title race. The team is 5-4 against the Dodgers and with their recent acquisitions, can definitely make a run. Currently, they’re 3.5 games back from the Dodgers to take the NL West. They’re in the middle of a series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but will then play the Colorado and Tampa Bay, two teams that are in the midst of a rebuild right now. The Diamondbacks have won eight of their last ten, and have won 15 of their last 20. Not against bad teams, but against teams like the Pirates, Cubs, Royals, and Phillies.
Like I said, both of these teams can’t lose. The Dodgers are. If these two teams don’t go cold anytime soon, I’m afraid bad things are going to happen. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants are also a team that should be watched, only seven games back from first place.
Bad Play
These Dodgers are surviving only because of the acquisition of Jack Flaherty and Michael Kopech. Or else, this whole rotation would be behaving like Gavin Stone who’s given up 17 runs in his last 5 starts. In his last 10 games, Shohei Ohtani has been batting .146. Andy Pages hasn’t been doing very well either the last few months. While he has improved bit by bit the last few days, Evan Phillips, who was the Dodgers closer at the start of the year and through the all-star break, was removed from his role.
Errors have been coming around every day for this Dodgers team. If the Dodgers don’t fix this issue, even with the offense coming around, the fall is certain.
In Other News:
- Speaking about the Padres, our amazing Kevin Rakas here at LWOS wrote about the top 5 Catchers and Managers for the San Diego Padres. Check it out here.
- The A’s sold out the final game at the Coliseum, but still are not opening up those top top seats.
- Camilo Doval was optioned to Triple-A by the San Francisco Giants.
- The Bristol Motor Speedway will be hosting an MLB game between the Braves and the Reds.
Main Image: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
