Although there weren’t any offensive fireworks like the previous two contests, the Los Angeles Dodgers still put an exclamation point on the 2024 season with a 2-1 win at Colorado on Sunday. Besides earning the sweep, the Dodgers closed out the regular season with the best record in baseball and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
After trailing most of the afternoon, the Dodgers tied the game at 1-1 in the eighth when Chris Taylor hit a solo shot to right-center field. Austin Barnes scored the go-ahead run several batters later after singling to center, advancing to second on a Shohei Ohtani single and eventually scoring on a balk.
Ohtani ended up going 1-for-4 on the day, coming up several percentage points short of winning a National League Triple Crown. The lefty slugger finished the season slashing .310/.390/.646 with 54 long balls, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases. It’s also worth mentioning that Ohtani closed out the regular season with a 12-game hitting streak, going a ridiculous 29-for-53 with seven home runs and 22 RBI during that span.
The Dodgers used six pitchers in a bullpen game that saw righty Landon Knack throw the bulk of the innings, going four full frames while surrendering one earned run on five hits and four punchouts. His performance on Sunday seemingly set the stage for his role as a potential long man in the NLDS.
After five full days off, the Dodgers will host the first round of the NLDS next Saturday at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles will face the winner of the series between the Padres and whichever team ultimately earns the fifth seed.
Monday’s doubleheader in Atlanta will determine the final two Wild Card teams. The Braves and Mets are tied for the second NL Wild Card spot, with the D-backs just a percentage point behind the two but currently on the outside looking in. If the clubs finish in a three-way tie for the two remaining Wild Card berths, Arizona is the odd team out because it has lost the tiebreakers to both Atlanta and New York.
The biggest story for the Dodgers heading into the postseason is starting pitching, a narrative we’ve heard all too often in recent years, especially after the club’s early exit last year against Arizona. At the beginning of the 2024 season, the team had a plethora of options, including the newly acquired Tyler Glasnow. The middle of the season saw Clayton Kershaw return, James Paxton designated for assignment and an impressive debut from young righty River Ryan.
Nevertheless, once the smoke cleared on the regular season, the team is left with Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler as the starters, Knack as the swing man, and not many options after that.
Aside from late-season injuries to Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas, the team is currently at full offensive firepower. Skipper Dave Roberts said he fully expects Freeman and Rojas to be in the starting lineup for NLDS Game 1 on Saturday. If somehow Freeman is not available for an extended period, he said he would consider flipping Enrique Hernandez to third base and moving Max Muncy to first.
“It’s certainly day to day,” Roberts said before Sunday’s finale in Colorado. “But I don’t see any reason both those guys don’t get in the lineup.”