Dodgers never would've imagined being this close to Brewers in August before 2024 began

The Dodgers blessedly got the day off on Thursday, but not before fans had to watch them drop two games to the Phillies in what felt like a bleak postseason preview. LA was definitely screwed by a bad call in Game 3 against Philadelphia, but it was pretty easy to see that the Phils were just playing better baseball; Kyle Schwarber did most of the heavy lifting for them, in fairness, but the Dodgers just don't have a comparable power hitter. Not even Shohei Ohtani.

Following their loss on Thursday, the Dodgers' division lead fell to 2.5 games over the Padres, who had won five of their last six games. More important than that, though, the Brewers also improved to a 65-49 record in the NL Central. They've had an easy hold on their division throughout the season, but after going 4-6 in August, they were trailing the Dodgers by only half a game for the No. 2 seed in the NL.

After three games this weekend against the Pirates at home (which, to be fair, started nicely with a bang), the Dodgers will head to Milwaukee for four games against the Brewers. At this point, those games look absolutely pivotal in coloring the Dodgers' postseason picture.

Dodgers lead Brewers narrowly for the No. 2 seed in the NL

If the Dodgers were to lose out on the No. 2 seed, they would fall back down into the Wild Card round, even if they can still win the NL West. As things stand now, the Dodgers would have to face off against the surging Mets as the No. 6 seed in a best of three series, adding another hoop to jump through. Considering LA hasn't been faring well in recent years in the early stages of the postseason, nobody wants an extra short round, even at home.

The only times the Dodgers have ended up in a Wild Card series since the term was introduced in 1995 were the 2020 postseason, when short series were mandated, and in 2021, when they won 106 games and were banished by an overperforming Giants team. Otherwise, they've either missed the playoffs entirely or ended up going straight to the DS. This Dodgers team was supposed to make a lot of different kinds of history, but being one of very few clubs in franchise history to get kicked to a Wild Card round in a full season was not one of them.

Before the Dodgers-Brewers series starts on Aug. 12, LA has their three games against the Pirates and the Milwaukee has three against the Reds, who have also had a decent start to the month. If the Dodgers can't really start winning now, they could have a real uphill battle on their hands come October.