Dodgers Magic Number: LA likely to check all postseason boxes by end of week

The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't officially punched their ticket to October yet, but that formality could disappear Monday night — and an NL West celebration might not be far behind it.

The Dodgers can automatically clinch a postseason berth with a win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. Even with a loss, Los Angeles would still get in if both the San Diego Padres lose to the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks lose to the Miami Marlins.

Considering where the Dodgers sit, the question isn't really whether they'll reach the postseason. It's how quickly they can start checking off the remaining boxes.

Los Angeles enters Monday at 90-59, nine games ahead of the 81-68 Padres in the NL West with 13 games remaining. The Dodgers' magic number to clinch the division is just four, and they already own the season-series tiebreaker against San Diego after winning seven of the first 10 meetings.

That means any combination of four Dodgers wins and Padres losses ends the division race. And the schedule creates a realistic possibility that it happens before the week is over.

Dodgers magic number puts postseason berth, NL West clinch within reach this week

Los Angeles begins a four-game series in Cincinnati on Monday, while San Diego plays four games at Coors Field against Colorado. If the Dodgers simply keep winning — or get a little assistance from the Rockies — their NL West magic number could evaporate quickly.

In fact, two Dodgers wins combined with two Padres losses would be enough to clinch the division by Tuesday. Even without that perfect combination, Los Angeles has plenty of runway to finish the job during the Cincinnati series, which concludes Thursday. The Dodgers then return home to begin a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants on Friday.

If Los Angeles does clinch the NL West crown this week, it would be the expected ending to a division race the Dodgers have controlled for most of the stretch run.

After the postseason berth and NL West title are secured, the focus shifts toward seeding. Los Angeles currently sits behind Milwaukee in the National League standings but ahead of Atlanta, putting the Dodgers in position to pursue one of the two first-round byes. MLB's top two division winners in each league advance directly to the Division Series.

But the first celebration could come Monday. And with a division magic number of four, another one may not be far behind.

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