Series Thread (Games 132-134): Aug 30 - Sep 1 vs. Braves

Mon Aug 30 7p: Urias vs. Smyly
Tue Aug 31 7p: Buehler vs. Morton
Wed Sep 1 7p: Scherzer vs. Fried

Talk about missed opportunities. We lose two of three to the worst road team in the league, forgoing an opportunity to make up ground on the Giants. And now we face the Braves (who beat the Giants two of three this weekend, as playoff-hungry teams tend to do). We sit 2.5 games back (still), with the Braves and Giants all week. This rock just went from a pushover to a Sisyphean task.

BTW don't look up "guy squished by rock" as the results aren't comforting.

Series Thread (Games 129-131): Aug 27-29 vs. Rockies

We need to push these Rox.

Fri 8.27 7p: TBD vs. Freeland
Sat 8.28 6p: Price vs. Jn Gray
Sun 8.29 1p: TBD vs. Senzatela

The good news: the Dodgers, who can only name one starting pitcher for this three-game series, are going up against three Rockies starters who each have losing records and ERAs over 4.00. The bad news: we tend to under-perform against losing teams (though against the Rockies this year, we are 10-3). Meanwhile we still sit 2.5 games behind of the Giants, who are in Atlanta (we went 1-2 when we traveled to the Braves). But if our sweep against the Padres couldn't make us up any ground in the race, do we expect this weekend to be any different?

Series Thread (Games 126-128): Aug 24-26 @ Padres

Tues Aug 24 7p: TBD vs TBD
Wed Aug 25 7p: Buehler vs. Snell
Thu Aug 26 6p: Scherzer vs. TBD

We're 2.5 games back now, having improved a half-game over the weekend (thanks to an extra win over the Mets). But with Joe Kelly, Julio Urias, and Mookie Betts all potentially set to return to the lineup this series, I have high hopes for another nine-game (or more) win streak. Let's get Mr. Mojo Risin' with this quick series in San Diego!

Series Thread (Games 122-125): Aug 19-22 vs. Mets

Thu Aug 19 7p: TBD Knebel vs. T Walker
Fri Aug 20 7p: Buehler vs. Carrasco
Sat Aug 21 1p: Scheerzer vs. R Hill
Sun Aug 22 1p: Price vs. Stroman

Now three games back of the Giants, having made up a game with the sweep over the Pirates. But the Giants get a rest and massage day Thursday, before skipping across the Bay to face the Athletics, who might be the first competitive opponent that the Giants have seen in eons. Can we make up some more ground?

Series Thread (Games 119-121): August 16-18 vs. Pirates

Mon Aug 16 7p: TBD vs. Brault
Tues Aug 17 7p: Price vs. Crowe
Wed Aug 18 7p: TBD vs. Brubaker

Oh man, this is indeed the PITs. About three weeks ago, we were two out. Now, even after a 5-1 road trip back east, we're even worse, at four games back. And with the Giants not looking like they're going to slow down (they get a wearied Mets team for three, starting today), our divisional chances look pretty horrid. Not to mention we've only got one real starter named across the three-game series. Yikes.

Series Thread (Games 116-118): Aug 13-15 @ Mets

And now, we are five games back. This isnt going to happen, is it?!

Series Thread (Games 113-115): Aug 10-12 @ Phillies

Still four games back. Now only 50 games to play. Nervous time!

Series Thread (Games 110-112): August 6-8 vs. Angels

Friday: Price vs. P Sandoval
Saturday: Urias vs. Barria
Sunday: Buehler vs. Detmers

Just over 50 games left in the season, and the Dodgers are four games back with only a 62% chance to win the division. Sure, new recruit Max Scherzer delivered in his debut; Corey Seager is finally back from his IL stint and went 2-for-4 on Wednesday (with Trea Turner, still out for COVID-19 reasons, waiting in the wings); and Mookie Betts is also back and looking spectacular both offensively and defensively. Will this be enough to get the Dodgers over that four-game hump? (And do we even care about winning the division?)

There's a school of thought that, if the Dodgers can stumble to the second-best record in baseball while suffering all of these injuries this year, that this stocked lineup will perform when it comes back. No worries.

And there's another, more realist perspective, that the Dodgers are who their record says we are: four games back of a divisional rival that shouldn't even be there. Case in point: Cody Bellinger, who in only 50 games this year is batting .168 and a 54 OPS+ (over 100 points worse than his MVP performance year in 2019).

Maybe we're just not that good. I still think we need to win the division, given the capriciousness of the wild-card play-in format. The Giants still have a slightly higher strength of schedule for here on out, contributing toward the Dodgers' projected wins of 97.7 (about a game and a half ahead of the Giants' projected finish).

We'll see.

Series Thread (Games 108-109): Aug 3-4 vs Cheaters

Oh, this series should be fun. Especially seeing the re-stocked Dodgers team take the field against the cheating Astros: Let's GO!