And so the final week of the 2018 season is upon us, with the Dodgers holding a slim 1.5 lead over the Colorado Rockies. There are no more games at home, just three on the road again Arizona and three against San Francisco.
Arizona refused to help Los Angeles out in any way this weekend against Colorado, losing all three games. That eliminated them from any postseason play. In fact, Arizona is 5-17 since the Dodgers took three-of-four from the to start the month and knock them out of first place.
Now, they’re looking to have a little retribution from the postseason last year. They also still have a bitter taste in their mouth from when the Dodgers clinched the division in 2013 and celebrated in the Diamondbacks’ pool.
“It’s hard to say you are going to pay people back in sports, because they are gifted athletes too” Diamondbacks manager Terry Lovullo said Sunday. “But we should make it as hard on them as possible to do what they are trying to do”. He went on to say, “That will be my message to the guys. I certainly don’t want to watch any team celebrate on our turf.”
There’s also Archie Bradley‘s famous comments last year that Chase Field is “Our House” and not the Dodgers’, even though there are routinely a good deal of Dodger fans there.
One wonders why they didn’t want ‘make it as hard’ on the Rockies, especially when they were fighting for a right to be in the playoffs. Seeing as they lost all three to Colorado, and the Dodgers’ magic number is six, it would be pretty hard for the Dodgers to be able to celebrate in Arizona. They would need to sweep the Diamondbacks, and Colorado would have to lose three to the Phillies at Coors Field, and the timing would have to be just so that the Dodgers would know by the end of Wednesday’s game.
Regardless , the Dodgers head into the series in Phoenix hot, winning 15 of their last 22, and nine of their last 11. As I’ve stated before, they have played to their competition, so if the Diamondbacks play hard, the Dodgers should be fine.
The Dodgers will send their best pitchers to the mound to try to keep their lead secure. Monday night will be Clayton Kershaw facing off against Robbie Ray. Tuesday will be Walker Buehler and Matt Koch, and Wednesday will be Ross Striping and Zach Greinke.
The Rockies play all seven days this week, while the Dodgers play six, with an off day on Thursday. If the Dodgers can take both series, the Rockies would have to sweep all seven games to win the division, and six to tie. Dodgers need to stay hot and not let the division get any closer than it is.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
Rockies at home playing two eliminated East teams that likely have vacation plans they are ready to engage. Dodgers on the road playing two eliminated West teams that would love to knock them out of the playoffs. That cannot matter. It just can’t. The Dodgers are the better team. They must prove it every night.
LikeLike
Based on the current Rockies-Phillies score, the Phils are already on vacation.
LikeLike
I read somewhere the schedule favored the Dodgers. I think it was based solely on record. I don’t know that I see it that way. For the Rockies to be at home against teams that have nothing to play for and travelled 2,000 to play for it while the team they are a game and half behind plays on the road against motivated Division rivals sounds distinctly advantage Colorado to me. But, we know how these things go – the Dodgers will be favored in every game left, so, they remain heavy favorites. 538 has them 82% to win the Division, and then favored to win the pennant over the Cubs. Yea us! If we end in a tie we get to play them in LA. If somehow we end up tied with the Cardinals we play in Missouri. If we tie with the Brewers they come to LA.
Sure hope we win out.
LikeLike