The teams with the two best records in the majors begin a series Tuesday night. The Los Angeles Dodgers, with the best record in baseball at 89-38, face off against the Mets 82-47 at Citi Field.
There is a little over a month to go in the regular season, and the Dodgers continue to steamroll everyone, and it is starting to feel like a pretty historic season.
The record for wins is 116. It’s been achieved twice, once by the Cubs in 1906 and again in 2001 by the Mariners. Only six teams in MLB history have won more than 110 games in a season.
It seems like quite the feasible goal for the Dodgers, as there are 35 games left in the regular season. To tie that 116-win mark, the Dodgers would have to win 27 of those 35 remaining games. To eclipse the 116 mark, they’d need to go 28–7. It seems like quite a tough mark, but this team just went 41-9 over a 50-game stretch.
Barring any disaster, the Dodgers will be the first to win 90 games, and once they wrap up this series with the Mets, most of their remaining games are against division opponents. In September, only one series is against a non-divisional opponent, which is a three-game set against the Cardinals.
The Dodgers record against the division is 35-12, so they’ve dominated their division opponents. There are nine games still left against the Padres and eight games against the Diamondbacks before the Dodgers close out the season with the Rockies for six games.
The franchise record in wins for the Dodgers is 106, so it is pretty doable. However, eclipsing or tying the mark would be great, but the main goal remains the same to win the World Series. The famous 2001 Mariners, who won 116, failed to win in the World Series and now have the longest postseason drought in all sports.
This three-game series between the Dodgers and Mets could be a possible NL playoff preview. The two sides split a four-game series in L.A. back at the beginning of June.
The Dodgers also announced a couple of roster moves, sending pitchers Phil Bickford and Michael Grove to Triple-A, while calling up pitcher Jake Reed and also selecting the contract of Heath Hembree. They also designated Eddy Alvarez for assignment.
The first pitch Tuesday’s opener is set for 4:10 p.m Pacific.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
While setting records is nice, it means bupkis unless you win it all. Both teams with 116 wins, Seattle, and the 1906 Cubs, did not win the World Series. Cubs lost to the White Sox, Mariners were beaten in the ALCS.
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That’s why we need to win 117. 🙂
There will be at least of couple of roster moves with CK coming back tomorrow.
Supposedly Vargas will be added (he’s apparently already in NY), and for those who haven’t seen it yet, James Outman is acting other-worldly at OKC, having hit for the cycle twice in four games.
I’d love to see him get a call up as well. I think he could easily duplicate what Gallo has given us and it would give management an idea of what he can do at this level, so they can plan accordingly for next year.
I wonder if Doc has had a chance to sit down with last night’s heroes, Hembree and Reed, and broken the news to them that they won’t be on the team come this weekend. Speaking of going from the heights to the depths, it was really great to see Reed’s reaction last night after he saved the game, but there simply isn’t room for him on this roster and he definitely isn’t likely to pass through waivers.
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If Vargas is coming I doubt Outman is. We need pitchers.
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How do you know Outman can’t pitch?
We call him James Outman, but in some circles he’s referred to as Shohei Outman.
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Some circles you say?
Is there a pipe being passed around in those circles?
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Although we’ve never met in person, my friend, one thing I know is that wherever there’s a pipe being passed around, Scoop is likely to have an outstretched hand, lol.
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Sounds like Vargas is the 14th position player. That tells me who will be on next years roster. Rios and Outman to be dfa’d i guess. Who the heck is Hembree? That was a short career.
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Hembree has been around for almost 10 years. Had a few half decent seasons with the Red Sox way back when. His will be a very short Dodger career but his MLB career has actually lasted awhile.
Since I love to disagree with you, Gordon, I’m telling you that there is absolutely no way that Outman will be dfa’d. His hitting stats are through the roof at OKC and I’m sure he’ll be given a shot at one of the outfield positions (either starter, platoon or 4th outfielder) in 2023. That is unless some team out there so desperately wants him that they make AF an offer he can’t refuse. But he won’t just be dfa’d.
Rios won’t be dfa’d either because he has some trade value. He may not be a Dodger next spring but that would be because he had been traded for a return, rather than just being cast to the winds. Under normal circumstances a player can be traded once dfa’d but at this point in the season the only option is to release him and get nothing in return.
My guess as to those on the potential DFA list would be (in order):
Hembree
Reed
Bruihl
Gallo
Bickford
Kershaw will use up one spot.
Treinen will use up a second spot.
After that it’s anyone’s guess as to whether VGon, Kahnle or Duffy make it back this year, but each would require a player to be dfa’d if they do.
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Yes Jeff. Lol
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Yes? That’s all you have?
I pontificate here like the world’s greatest know-it-all because I expect feedback telling me I’m out of my mind.
I skipped two meals, cancelled a doctor’s appointment and turned away a good friend at my front door working on that gem and all I get is Yes Jeff. 🙂
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Vargas and Outman will be on the opening day roster in 23. I think they trade Busch. I would not sign Gallo but would sign Thompson. Do they trade Rios? Does Kershaw re-sign? He is very fragile and cannot be relied on. Bad backs are notoriously fickle and painful.
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Gallo. Let’s see how he finishes
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