Dodgers’ Magic Number for First-Round Bye Falls to Three
The Dodgers have already secured another National League West championship, but an important piece of postseason business remains unfinished.
Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of the Giants on Sunday, improving to 96-60 and reducing its magic number for a first-round bye to three.
The Dodgers lead the Atlanta Braves by four games with six remaining. Any combination of three Dodgers wins or Braves losses would guarantee Los Angeles the National League’s No. 2 seed and a direct trip to the National League Division Series.
Why the Magic Number Is Three
Atlanta enters the final week at 92-64 and owns the tiebreaker over Los Angeles.
That means the Dodgers cannot simply finish with the same record as the Braves. They must finish at least one game ahead.
Atlanta can finish with no more than 98 victories. The Dodgers currently have 96, so reaching 99 wins would remove the Braves from the equation regardless of what Atlanta does.
The Dodgers could therefore clinch the bye by winning three of their final six games.
They could also secure it through any combination of Dodgers wins and Atlanta losses totaling three:
Three Dodgers wins
Two Dodgers wins and one Braves loss
One Dodgers win and two Braves losses
Three Braves losses
Until that number reaches zero, the No. 2 seed has not officially been secured.
Dodgers Took Care of Business Against the Giants
The Dodgers entered their weekend series against San Francisco with a bye still very much in play and responded by sweeping all three games.
They won Friday’s opener 8-2 behind four eighth-inning home runs before pulling away for a 10-4 victory Saturday.
Sunday’s finale required a different formula.
Emmet Sheehan delivered 5⅓ scoreless innings in relief, Tommy Edman tied the game with a sixth-inning home run and Kiké Hernández put Los Angeles ahead with an RBI double in the seventh. The Dodgers completed the sweep with a 3-1 victory.
Los Angeles has now won four consecutive games entering the final week.
Atlanta has also remained hot, sweeping the Astros over the weekend to clinch the National League East. The Braves’ strong finish is why the Dodgers have not yet locked up the bye despite holding a four-game advantage.
Six Games Remain for Both Teams
The Dodgers and Braves are both off Monday before beginning their final six-game stretches Tuesday.
Los Angeles will host the Padres for three games before finishing the regular season with three more against the Giants in San Francisco.
Atlanta will host the Reds for three games and then travel to Miami for its final series against the Marlins.
The Dodgers control their position. If they win half of their remaining games, Atlanta cannot catch them.
Milwaukee Still Leads the Race for the No. 1 Seed
A first-round bye is close, but the Dodgers have not been mathematically eliminated from earning the National League’s top seed.
Milwaukee enters the final week at 98-58, two games ahead of Los Angeles. The Brewers also own the tiebreaker, meaning the Dodgers would have to finish with a better record to pass them.
The Dodgers’ magic number to overtake Milwaukee is nine, while the Brewers need only four favorable outcomes to secure the No. 1 seed.
That makes Milwaukee the clear favorite to finish first, but the possibility remains alive with six games left.
A Bye Would Give the Dodgers Valuable Recovery Time
Securing one of the National League’s top two seeds would allow the Dodgers to skip the best-of-three Wild Card Series and begin postseason play in the NLDS on Oct. 3.
That would carry additional value for a roster currently managing several injuries.
Shohei Ohtani is working toward his return from the injured list. Blake Snell is attempting to make another start after experiencing groin tightness. Andy Pages is also nearing a possible return.
Avoiding the Wild Card Series would eliminate an additional round and give the Dodgers several extra days to prepare their rotation, evaluate their bullpen and allow injured players more recovery time.
The Dodgers have done most of the work required to secure that advantage.
Now they need three more favorable results to make it official.