close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

2024 MLB Playoff Photo: Dodgers Clinch NL West; Updated bracket, rankings | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors
news

2024 MLB Playoff Photo: Dodgers Clinch NL West; Updated bracket, rankings | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Source: B/R

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL West for the eleventh time in twelve years after Thursday’s 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

The job is still not done for the Dodgers in the regular season. They have a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for home field advantage in the NL postseason.

Philadelphia won five of the six meetings between the two clubs this season, so if they finished with identical records, the Phillies would get the tiebreaker.

The Dodgers play three games against the Colorado Rockies in Denver this weekend, while the Phillies travel to Washington DC for a series with the Nationals.

LA won the West from 2013-2020. A 107-win season for the San Francisco Giants prevented the Dodgers from clinching the division in 2021 with 106 wins.

Now the Dodgers will look for their 25th NL pennant, eighth World Series title and first of each since 2020.

Here’s a look at the current playoff games and bracket if the season ended today, as well as the current standings.

Projected MLB Playoff Bracket

  • AL Wild Card Series: No. 3 Houston Astros vs. No. 6 Kansas City Royals; No. No. 4 Baltimore Orioles vs. No. 5 Detroit Tigers
  • NL Wild Card Series: No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks; No. No. 4 San Diego Padres vs. No. 5 New York Mets
  • First-round byes: No. 1 New York Yankees and No. 2 Cleveland Guardians (American League); No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers and No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies (National League)
  1. New York Yankees (93-66); riveted division
  2. Baltimore Orioles (88-71, 5GB); clinched a playoff berth
  3. Boston Red Sox (80-79, 13GB)
  4. Tampa Bay Rays (78-81, 15 GB)
  5. Toronto Blue Jays (74-85, 19GB)
  1. Cleveland Guardians (92-67); riveted division
  2. Kansas City Royals (85-74, 7GB)
  3. Detroit Tigers (85-74, 7 GB)
  4. Minnesota twins (82-77, 10 GB)
  5. Chicago White Sox (39-120, 53 GB)
  1. Houston Astros (86-73); riveted division
  2. Seattle Mariners (82-77, 4GB)
  3. Texas Rangers (75-84, 11GB)
  4. Oakland Athletics (69-90, 17 GB)
  5. Los Angeles Angels (63-96, 23 GB)
  1. Philadelphia Phillies (94-65); riveted division
  2. New York Mets (87-70, 6GB)
  3. Atlanta Braves (86-71, 7GB)
  4. Washington Nationals (69-90, 25 GB)
  5. Miami marlins (59-100, 35 GB)
  1. Milwaukee Brewers (91-68); riveted division
  2. St. Louis Cardinals (81-78, 10 GB)
  3. Chicago Cubs (81-78, 10GB)
  4. Cincinnati Reds (76-83, 15GB)
  5. Pittsburgh Pirates (74-85, 17GB)
  1. Los Angeles Dodgers (95-64); riveted division
  2. San Diego Padres (91-68, 4GB); clinched a playoff berth
  3. Arizona Diamondbacks (88-71, 4GB)
  4. San Francisco Giants (79-80, 16GB)
  5. Colorado Rockies (61-98, 34 GB)

The Dodgers entered the regular season as the clear World Series favorite after acquiring generational talent Shohei Ohtani via free agency. But LA also loaded up its pitching staff, trading for Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow and adding Japanese pro baseball star Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Ohtani has been everything as advertised and some on his way to a certain third MVP award. He became the first player in MLB history to amass 50 or more home runs and 50 or more stolen bases in the same season.

He has been the catalyst for the Dodgers’ success in a season that has seen a host of players hit the injured list. Mookie Betts missed two months with a broken left hand, and Max Muncy sat three months with a strained oblique.

Gavin Stone is likely out for the year due to shoulder soreness, and Walker Buehler has missed time due to Tommy John surgery and then a right hip injury.

The biggest pitching constants this season have been out of the bullpen. In fact, Alex Vesia, Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen have done a pretty good job helping LA build one of the best relief staffs in the majors.

Despite the changing pitching team, the batting lineup is still excellent. Ohtani is having another great year, but Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts all made it to the All-Star Game. They were all the catalyst for a high-powered offense that ranked second in the National League in OPS and No. 1 in home runs.

Ultimately, the Dodgers look like powerhouses despite pitching concerns. They could very well play their way to another World Series, led by playoff newcomer Ohtani. LA has struggled in the past despite coming into the playoffs as favorites, but this year could be very different with a generational talent on board.