Dodgers: 2020 schedule considered 4th easiest in baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers schedule should pave the way for them to reach the postseason.

While the official 2020 MLB schedule with specific dates and times will be released later this week, we already know how the composition of the schedule will look based on MLB’s announcement on Tuesday of baseball returning. And the Los Angeles Dodgers will have one of the easiest schedules according to FanGraphs projections.

The Dodgers will remain in the National League West, despite rumors of a radical realignment for the coronavirus-shortened season. However, they will only play games against their divisional opponents and geographical counterparts in the American League West.

The Dodgers schedule will pit them against teams geographical counterparts.

The Dodgers will play each NL West opponent – the Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Rockies – ten times each to make up 40 of the 60 games on their schedule. They will play their remaining twenty games against AL West opponents, which means, yes, the Houston Astros will make a trip to Dodger Stadium. Too bad there won’t be fans in attendance!

Besides the Astros, the Dodgers will play the Athletics, Rangers, and Mariners, along with the Angels, who they will play the most times of any AL opponent. According to multiple reports, teams will play 2-4 games against inter-league clubs, except intra-city rivalries, such as the Dodgers vs Angels, who will play each other six times.

Based on ZiPS projections at FanGraphs, the Dodgers strength of schedule ranks fourth easiest in baseball with an expected opponent winning percentage of .484. The Twins, Indians, and Yankees have the easiest path to the postseason, respectively, based on the same projections.

Fans worried how a 60-game schedule could impact the Dodgers’ playoff odds should refer to ZiPS, who has them at a 73% chance of reaching the postseason with a projected 38-22 record, six games better than the San Diego Padres.

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