Dodgers Magic Number: LA fans down bad after rock bottom meltdown in Baltimore

There's no use in sugarcoating it: Saturday's ninth-inning collapse against the Baltimore Orioles was the Los Angeles Dodgers' worst loss of the season, and perhaps the worst of the last decade.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was just one out away from completing a no-hitter, but that final out never came. The Dodgers still had a two-run lead and nobody on base when Yamamoto walked off the mound, but an epic bullpen meltdown by Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott saw the Orioles walk it off (for the second night in a row) with a 4-3 win.

The loss felt like a gut punch for the defending World Series champions, whose fans have already begun to lose hope in their chance to repeat this year. But let's maintain some perspective here: Los Angeles still leads the National League West even after the devastating loss and their recent five-game losing streak, and the playoffs (and the opportunity to win back-to-back titles) are still within reach.

Dodgers Magic Number: LA fans down bad after rock bottom meltdown in Baltimore

The Dodgers currently have a 78-63 record, giving them a one-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West. This means their magic number to clinch the division – and, therefore, a spot in the postseason – is 20. In other words, any combination of 20 Dodgers wins and Padres losses will reduce the magic number.

Clinching the division is the fastest and most direct route to the postseason. As the NL West champions, the Dodgers avoid the uncertainty of the Wild Card race and are guaranteed better seeding. Of course, the Dodgers still have a chance to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team even if they don't win their division – but since they still have a realistic path to win the NL West, there's no "Wild Card magic number" at this time.

That said, if the Dodgers fall behind in the division race – a possibility that is looking more real by the day – a Wild Card magic number may be retroactively calculated. In the meantime, though, the goal is still to win the NL West crown.

If the Dodgers go .500 (3-3 or 4-3) while the Padres roughly split, the magic number will fall into the low teens within a week. If Los Angeles rips off a few wins and San Diego loses several, the number can drop into single digits quickly and allow the Dodgers to clinch within the next 10 days or so.

Conversely, if the Dodgers continue to struggle and San Diego plays well, the magic number will barely budge – and that keeps the division race very much alive.

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