Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Whether they like it or not, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball. I only say that half kiddingly, as there was much speculation that the team might prefer to be in the two-seed the way the brackets are lining up this year. However, with the Phillies’ 6-3 loss to the Nats this afternoon, the Number One seed is secure. As of right now then, the brackets look something like this:
So, if this seeding holds through the weekend (a big “if”), the Dodgers would get the first round bye and await the winner of a matchup between the Braves and Padres, which would be played at Petco Park starting Tuesday. This is complicated by the fact that the Diamondbacks are still in the picture, and have a shot at unseating either Atlanta or New York. There was a lot of chatter about how it might in fact be better to get the Two Seed, as the thought of facing the Mets or Brewers in a five-game set wouldn’t be nearly as daunting as the pitching-rich Braves or the red-hot Padres.
But that is no way to think. Starting a postseason series in your own ballpark–where you went 52-29–is infinitely preferable to starting the NLCS on the road, which would have happened if the Dodgers had been relegated to the the second position and the Phils had taken care of business in the first round. There are just so many more ways to win. Win two and home and split on the road. Split and home and win two road games. Split and home, split on the road and win a Game 5 at Dodger Stadium. Or in a longer series, win three at home and steal a win on the road.
If you’re going to live your life afraid of the Padres, I don’t know what to tell you. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, simple as that. And now the path to doing that is a little clearer.
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