The Dodgers open up post-season play tonight in a best two-out-of-three set against the Milwaukee Brewers, the No. 8 seed in the National League who made the playoffs with a losing record at 29-31.
The Dodgers cruise into the Wild Card with the best record in baseball at 43-17, which over a 162-game schedule would equate to a 116 win pace.
Should the Dodgers avoid a stumble against the Brewers they would face the winner of the San Diego-St. Louis series. San Diego's two aces, Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet are dealing with injuries and are reportedly not available for the Wild Card series.
Prior to their pitching injuries, I saw the Padres as the biggest threat to the Dodgers in the National League but without their two best pitchers they suddenly seem beatable.
Los Angeles will go with Walker Buehler in Game One and Clayton Kershaw in Game Two. Should there be a Game Three, Dave Roberts could go with Tony Gonsolin, Julio Urias, or Dustin May. Gonsolin has proven to be the most stable of the three and I predict he would get the call.
Kershaw has been steady this year, posting a 6-2 record and a 2.16 ERA. He's not the power pitcher he was earlier in his career but he can still coax his fastball to 93-94 mph when he needs it. But this year Kershaw is throwing a lot of sliders, curves, and changeups, which makes his fastball seem a lot faster.
Buehler has the stuff to win a big game but he has a small sample size in 2020, spending time on the IL with blister problems. He last pitched on Sept. 24 against Oakland and struck out six and gave up only one hit through four innings.
Dave Roberts has a deep bullpen this year, unlike previous seasons, and is not afraid to use it. Don't be surprised to see Dylan Floro, Adam Kolarek, Jake McGee, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, and Victor Gonzalez pitching meaningful innings. Roberts has to be gun shy about staying with his starters too long. He will use his pen to try and win a Series.
On the offensive side of the house, the Dodgers are loaded. Mookie Betts and Cory Seager are having MVP-like seasons and Justin Turner, A.J. Pollock, Chris Taylor, and Cody Bellinger can rake. Bellinger finished a dismal season with a .239 batting average but did have 12 dingers and 30 RBI.
But a deeper look into the numbers reveals that Bellinger, last year's MVP, is warming up at just the right time. Bellinger hit a respectable .284 in the second half of the 60-game season, .333 in the last 15 games, and a sizzling .350 in the last seven games of the year. If he can stay that warm the Dodgers could roll.
Max Muncy finished below the Mendoza line at .192 but will probably get the chance to redeem himself in the playoffs.
Most baseball people are predicting the Dodgers will win it all. The X-factor is Betts, who brings his A-game to the park every night. Whether it's at the plate, patrolling right field, or on the basepaths, Betts can be a game-changer.
If St. Louis can take out a depleted San Diego team the Dodgers would likely face St. Louis, Chicago, or Atlanta to return to their third World Series in four years. Their opponent? Tampa Bay is the favorite but I wouldn't count out the Yankees, Astros, or White Sox.
The path is difficult but doable. What could possibly go wrong?
