The Los Angeles Dodgers currently sit at a staggering 84-34 record. That puts them 11.5 games ahead on the next best team in all of baseball. They are now on pace to win 114 games when it is all said and done. Don’t expect them to slow down at all though, because they have the ninth easiest schedule remaining in the big leagues.
The Dodgers are currently looking at reaching the major league record of 116 wins in a single season, set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 2001 Seattle Mariners. The question is: Are they really chasing the record though?
Should Roberts rest his team?
In the end, the most you can ask for in a regular season is to get the best record in the National League. At this point, the Dodgers would have to try to lose the best record. This puts them at an interesting juncture in their season.
Yes, it would be quite the feat to tie or break the single season win record. However, the most important goal for the Dodgers is winning the World Series. This begs the question: Is it really worth it trying to reach 116 wins?
By no means does this imply the Dodgers should just give up on the regular season because it is in the bag. What this means is Dave Roberts might consider resting his players more regularly. The problem that this brings up is that there is such a thing as too much rest.
There are not many statistics on rest this far out of the postseason. However, for the Dodgers’ pitching core, it would be best to give them an extra day or two of rest in between starts. What this will do most importantly is reduce the risk of injury for any of their premier players.
Injuries
There have been some major injuries with contenders in the recent weeks. Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, and Wilson Contreras all have missed or will miss a significant chunk of time. All of these players are key members of these contending teams, and the last thing anyone wants to happen is for their star player to get hurt at the most important part of the season.
The most notable injury of the bunch was Harper slipping on first base and bruising a bone in his leg. It was a scary moment that could have been prevented. The Nationals are a lock to win the NL East and Dusty Baker had Bryce Harper playing after heavy rainfall.
Now, it is extremely difficult to pull players that want to play because you want to save them. It is still vital to be careful though because Baker would’ve hated to lose his best player in the postseason for something as silly as slipping on a base. They got lucky and he should return in September.
Dave Roberts should look at the Harper injury and realize that the worst things can happen at any given time. He must be careful if he wants the team to be in the best shape it can be in October.
How about those Mariners?
What happened to that Mariners team that won 116 games in 2001? Well, they got knocked out by a solid Yankees team in five games in the ALCS. That is not to say they made a mistake by not giving their players more rest at the end of the season, but it is a reminder that no matter how many games you win in the regular season, anybody can sneak up and knock you out. The Mariners actually finished with a postseason record of 4-6 that year, so the Dodgers should be weary of that.
Will they reach 116?
As I stated earlier, the goal is not to reach the coveted 116-win mark. The goal is to win a World Series title, an accomplishment that has eluded the Dodgers’ organization for 30 years.
Los Angeles is a city with many attractions that fans can go out and see. The Dodgers are one of the best ones out there. Fans are starting to get antsy though as this is the time for the Dodgers to go for it. They have showed they are serious with the acquisition of Yu Darvish, who they traded for specifically for the starts he would make in the playoffs.
One-hundred-sixteen wins is in the backseat to the World Series title. Because of this, Dave Roberts should be very cautious with his star players so they don’t run the risk of injury. Clayton Kershaw got hurt out of nowhere, and they are lucky that he is coming back soon.
Since the postseason is the most important thing on their mind right now and they don’t want a repeat occurrence of Kershaw, it is doubtful that the Dodgers will reach 116 wins. Especially considering that the Diamondbacks and Rockies are in a dead heat for the Wild Card with several NL Central teams.
It will be a race to the final day of the season and every team will be doing all they can to get a ticket to October.
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