The Dodgers are getting their bye week in spite of everything this October.
Although the membership didn’t safe a top-two seed within the Nationwide League playoff bracket — which means they didn’t have a bye by means of the primary spherical of the postseason as they’d the earlier three years — its sweep within the NL Championship Sequence meant that they’d loads of time to kill.
By the point Recreation 1 of the World Sequence begins Friday, the staff may have had six days off, much like the break they’d in the beginning of the playoffs every of the final three seasons.
And although the Dodgers didn’t deal with such prolonged layoffs nicely in 2022 and 2023, getting bounced of their first playoff spherical due to inconsistent offense, they’ve dusted off the playbook that labored so nicely for them in the beginning of final fall, after they modified their bye-week routine en path to a World Sequence title.
Now, as they did again then, the Dodgers are incorporating extra simulated recreation actions into their schedule. On Sunday, they performed a seven-inning sim recreation. On Monday, they took extra rounds of stay batting observe.
The staff can also be making a degree of spending time round each other on the ballpark. On Sunday and Monday, gamers stayed till the tip of every exercise, as Video games 6 and seven of the American League Championship Sequence performed on the stadium scoreboard.
Largely, although, the Dodgers are merely attempting to take care of the momentum of their 9-1 begin to the playoffs, and carry it right into a World Sequence wherein they’ll try and turn out to be MLB’s first repeat champion in a quarter-century.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts, heart, sits between Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto throughout a exercise at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Instances)
“All we’re trying to do right here is get four more wins to win a World Series,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas stated. “Last year, when we had the bye, and the year before, we were trying to get through one more month of baseball. You’re trying to prepare for that. You’re trying to get some guys healthy.
“I just feel like the difference with this one [versus] the one we had the last couple years is everybody is locked in on winning the World Series. We’re really close to doing that. And winning four more games is the most important thing.”
This week’s break, in fact, comes with some draw back.
This yr, the Dodgers didn’t appear to thoughts enjoying within the opening wild-card spherical instantly after the regular-season, partially as a result of it helped them — and their surging late-season offense, particularly — maintain the sting that fueled their 15-5 run on the finish of September.
“I think it’s nice to have rest and kind of let everybody take a deep breath and rest up or whatnot,” shortstop Mookie Betts stated. However, he added, there may be worth to “playing and staying in a rhythm.”
“We didn’t have that choice,” Betts added, “so we’ll just enjoy the break and be ready to go.”
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts speaks with reporters throughout a exercise at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Instances)
That’s the place the Dodgers are hoping the expertise of final October is available in.
Not solely did they navigate their bye week in the beginning of the playoffs, however additionally they efficiently dealt with 4 off days between the tip of the NLCS and final yr’s Fall Basic.
The lesson from that?
“Just rest up and keep sharpening your skills,” Betts stated. “Get ready for whoever on Friday.”
Scott doubtless accessible for World Sequence
Not solely do the Dodgers have few issues on the damage entrance, however they might have an alternative choice to select from when setting their World Sequence roster.
After being faraway from the NL Division Sequence roster with an abscess on his bottom that grew to become contaminated, former nearer Tanner Scott stated he feels wholesome sufficient to pitch within the World Sequence.
“It popped up probably, Game 1 [of the NLDS], I started feeling something,” Scott stated. “And then the off-day [between Games 2 and 3 of that series], I noticed something was really off. By the time we got back from Philly, it was just like, ‘Hey, we need to get this taken care of.’”
Now that he has, the query can be whether or not Scott can be added again to the Dodgers’ roster after he posted a 4.74 ERA within the common season.
“I feel a lot better now,” stated Scott, who hadn’t pitched within the playoffs earlier than having an abscess incision on Oct. 8. “I’m throwing, threw a couple bullpens, see where it takes me.”
“[The abscess was] bad timing, but healthy now, so just keep going. That’s about it.”
By the point the World Sequence begins, it is going to have been nearly a month since Scott final pitched. Nevertheless, he stated wasn’t involved about how such a protracted break would have an effect on his stuff, and joked he was wanting ahead to going through Freddie Freeman in a stay at-bat this week.
“He’s so good and it’s so hard to get him out,” Scott stated. “He lets me know the last time he faced me, he got a hit off me. But the time before, I struck him out. So I always bring up that one.”
