Dodgers magic number to clinch playoff spot and NL West is all but a guarantee

The Los Angeles Dodgers have truly bounced back from their 13-14 record during the month of August and have a seven-game winning streak in September.

The offense broke out on Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds, teeing off of starter Rhett Lowder and the Cincy bullpen until they were forced to put catcher Jose Trevino on the mound for the eighth inning. The 14-1 win was LA's most commanding since their 15-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on May 16.

Entering play on Friday, they have 16 games left on the regular season and both a division and a first-round bye to lock up. We've officially entered the season of magic numbers, calculated as follows: 162 games + 1 - leader's wins - chaser's losses.

In terms of the NL West race, the Dodgers' magic number to clinch over the second-place San Diego Padres is six. To clinch the No. 2 seed in the National League over the Atlanta Braves, they have a bit more of a battle still to fight. The magic number there is 13.

The Dodgers' primary objective for what's left of the season is holding onto their bye, though the Milwaukee Brewers' top spot isn't totally out of the question. LA is trailing them by just 2½ games.

Dodgers are on the verge of clinching NL West and the No. 2 seed isn't far behind

Last year, the Dodgers missed out on a postseason bye for the first time since 2021. The extra two Wild Card games didn't affect them much, as they beat the Reds handily, but getting off their feet for a few more days after the regular season ends could be instrumental for how banged-up their offense has been as of late.

Dave Roberts has been emphasizing the importance of a first-round bye for weeks now, especially when the Dodgers were mired in their August slump and spent most of the month trailing the Braves in the NL standings. "That's not good enough," Roberts said mid-month.

The Braves have made a difficult turn into September; they've gone 4-5 so far and split a crucial series against their division rival Philadelphia Phillies, who are now just 4½ games behind them for the No. 3 seed.

The Dodgers' remaining schedule, with all due respect to the Miami Marlins, Reds, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres, looks like a cakewalk (though those inter-division matchups tend to keep us on our toes), and LA is on a roll right now. If they keep that up, they might even have a shot to rule the NL by the end of the year.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow