Dodgers Continue to Thrive Despite Key Player Absences

MINNEAPOLIS – The Dodgers are short an All-Star closer, two All-Star starting pitchers, their All-Star catcher, and one of their All-Star outfielders.

Still, they boast the best record in baseball.

With Mookie Betts finding his groove and Kyle Tucker still looking for his, the Dodgers improved to 51-29 after a 12-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night at Target Field.

“We have some really talented players,” Freddie Freeman remarked. “Everyone cares.”

Despite their fluctuating offensive performance, the overall team consistency doesn’t quite match expectations.

Manager Dave Roberts noted, “What hasn’t changed is the pitching and defense.”

The Dodgers did have a strong stretch, notably 12-2 in the latter half of May, yet they still haven’t reached the dominating 120-win projection some anticipated. Nevertheless, they remain competitive in the major leagues.

In Los Angeles, there’s this notion that baseball season only really starts in October, but that’s more of a feeling than an actual truth. Winning games now, however, certainly puts the Dodgers in a stronger position for the postseason.

They’re aiming for home-field advantage.

“Home-field advantage is something we want,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said. “Traveling, especially across the country, can be really taxing.”

If the Dodgers wrap up the regular season with the best record in baseball, they will enjoy home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

“I think our goal right now is to win the division, secure the best record in the National League, and build from there,” Roberts said.

In recent seasons, the Dodgers have shown they won’t chase records at any cost. They tend to prioritize player health over striving for higher seeds, and this method has yielded positive results. For instance, in 2024, they held home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Last year, however, they found themselves as the third seed in the National League and had to compete in a wild-card series before facing lower-seeded opponents in the subsequent rounds, including the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

In both instances, the Dodgers claimed championships. Yet their preferences are clear—they’d rather enjoy home-field advantage.

Reflecting on their experience in 2024 sheds light on this. The decisive fifth game of the National League District Series took place at Dodger Stadium, allowing them to begin the following series without the need for travel. This convenience continued through the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets and into the World Series against the New York Yankees.

In stark contrast, last year was far less favorable.

The only postseason series that began at home was against the Reds in the Wild Card Series. Rojas shared that being a lower seed in the next rounds caused a good deal of stress.

The Dodgers ended the regular season with a 41-40 road record, while their postseason opponents, the Philadelphia Phillies, boasted a much stronger home record of 55 wins and 26 losses.

Rojas emphasized that Game 4 at Dodger Stadium became a pivotal moment. “Not having to go back to Philadelphia for a Game 5 was a huge motivator for us,” he mentioned. “I wanted to end it before it came to that.”

They succeeded, winning that series 3-1.

However, they faced a nightmare scenario in the World Series as well. Down 3-2, the Dodgers had to head back to Canada to play against the Toronto Blue Jays in Games 6 and 7.

Rojas recalled that Game 7 at Rogers Center was one of the most intense moments of his career. Had that game not happened, his ninth-inning home run wouldn’t have silenced the Toronto crowd.

While he treasures that memory, he’d prefer not to go through that kind of pressure again. “I’d rather play Game 7 at home,” he said.