Ranking NLDS opponents Dodgers should want to face

The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League West crown for the ninth time in the last 10 years on Tuesday night in what was essentially a formality but was still nice to celebrate. Because of MLB’s new playoff format, though, there’s still a lot to play for in the final three weeks.

The top two seeds in each league get a first-round bye and don’t have to play in a three-game Wild Card series. As it stands, the Dodgers are the top team in the NL with a nine-game lead over the No. 2 seed and a 15-game lead over the No. 3 seed.

It’s essentially a guarantee that the Dodgers will not only get the first-round bye but will also be the top seed in the NL. With that in mind, we can start previewing who the team could play in the NLDS. With so much still up in the air in the NL playoff picture, there are five potential opponents the Dodgers can see in the five-game series.

Ranking the 5 potential NLDS opponents the Dodgers could face

5. New York Mets

The New York Mets are the last team the Dodgers want to face in the NLDS. Despite having the second-best record in the NL (at the time of writing this), the Mets could still end up being the fourth seed as the first WC team.

Atlanta is only half-game behind the Mets in the NL East. With the Cardinals being six games behind the second seed, it’s safe to assume that whoever wins the NL East will get a first-round bye. Whoever loses has to play a three-game series and then potentially play the Dodgers in the NLDS.

There’s a good chance that the Dodgers have to get through the Mets anyway in the playoffs if they’re going reach the World Series. Playing New York in a seven-game series is far better for the Dodgers because of their depth advantage. However, in a five-game series, anything can happen, especially when Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are starting on the other side.

4. Atlanta Braves

Unfortunately, the Dodgers will likely see one of these two teams in the NLDS this season. Whichever team does not win the NL East is going to be heavily favored in the three-game playoff series.

That being said, anything can happen and either the Mets or Braves could head into that three-game series and drop two games at home to get a premature playoff exit. Dodgers fans shouldn’t be banking on that happening, but it’s possible.

Atlanta is more favorable of an opponent than New York as they do not have the same dominant 1-2 punch that New York does. Ironically, you could argue that the Braves would be a harder team to beat in a seven-game series because of their depth while the Mets present more of a problem in a five-game series.

Atlanta and Los Angeles have faced each other in each of the last two playoffs with the two teams splitting the NLCS and going on to win the World Series. This is a better Dodgers team than last year while Atlanta is missing a key member of its lineup … who’s now wearing Dodger blue.

This series would be full of drama with Freddie Freeman going up against his former team. Hopefully he could be the spark that would make the difference if this happens.

3. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres currently aren’t in a position to play the Dodgers in the playoffs. As it stands at the time of writing this, the Padres are the No. 6 seed in the National League and would play the St. Louis Cardinals in the three-game playoff series.

That being said, the Padres are only 1.5 games back of moving up to the No. 5 seed, which would give them a harder series against either the Braves or Mets. It would put the Padres on the Dodgers’ side of the bracket, though, which is something the team may want for revenge.

There is a big drop-off from the Mets and Braves. The Dodgers have dominated San Diego dating back to last season and it’s safe to say that LA would have enormous confidence heading into this matchup.

But the Padres are still talented and Dodgers fans can’t overlook that. All it takes is for the Dodger bats to get cold and Juan Soto to heat up, and suddenly the Padres would be a very hard team to beat.

The best team doesn’t always win in the playoffs — it’s often times the hottest team. The Padres are talented enough to get hot and make a run in the postseason. They should not be feared but they definitely should be respected.

1. Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers currently are not a playoff team in the National League, but that can quickly change. Milwaukee is two games behind the San Diego Padres for the final Wild Card spot and 3.5 games behind the Phillies for the next one.

Milwaukee would have to get hot and surpass both the Phillies and Padres to become the fifth seed in the National League. While it might be the most unrealistic of the bunch, it’s definitely still possible with how crazy these final weeks can be.

There are some things about the Brewers that do seem daunting. Corbin Burnes in a bonafide ace and Brandon Woodruff is one of the best No. 2 starters in the sport. That being said, the Dodgers have had success against both of those pitchers … and the Milwaukee offense is horrible.

The Brewers have just one hitter in their lineup that has over an .800 OPS this season: Hunter Renfroe. None of their hitters are outright bad (they all have an OPS+ over 100), but there isn’t that dynamic bat that changes things in a playoff series.

The Brewers and Dodgers just played seven games against each other in August and LA won four of the seven. Milwaukee won one of those games via a Craig Kimbrel blown save, and he’s going to have a much shorter leash in October.

Again, anything can happen in the playoffs and the Brewers could suddenly be that red-hot team that makes a World Series run. However, it’s going to be an absolute battle for them to potentially beat either the Mets or Braves in the first round. By the time they get to the Dodgers, their pitching staff will be spent and they’ll be heavily overmatched

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