WITH A THIRD CONSECUTIVE FIRST-ROUND BYE, THE DODGERS HAVE A NEW STRATEGY.

The Dodgers are the team with the most experience navigating through the “bye week” since the expanded postseason field was implemented prior to the 2022 season. Los Angeles will get to play in the Wild Card Series “bye” for the third straight season after winning the best record in the Majors. The club is still looking for the right recipe, given how things ended in the previous two attempts. Game 1 of the NLDS, sponsored by Booking.com: FS1, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET
Before the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and the Padres began in 2022, the teams played a few practice games. Los Angeles was rested and prepared for the San Diego series.
But it realized it needed to alter its preparation after losing in four games. The Dodgers did just that in October of last year. They made the decision to let a few thousand spectators watch the mock games. They asked the in-game presenters to attempt to mimic a regular-season game’s flow. They were even thinking about walking up songs prior to each at-bat.
They were hoping that everything would go more smoothly than it did the year before. However, despite having five days off between the regular season’s conclusion and the postseason’s commencement, the Dodgers lost to the D-backs in the National League Division Series.
Utilityman Chris Taylor recalled, “We discussed it beforehand last year and we said we need to be more competitive in those off-days.” When there is nothing at stake, it is challenging to recreate the game environment. You won’t experience in-game jitters even if you have as many live at-bats as you like. You simply cannot replicate that. The Dodgers will attempt something new this time around rather than attempting to recreate those emotions. Yes, on Wednesday and Thursday, they will participate in simulated games and live batting practice. They think that will be sufficient to prepare for the Padres or Braves.
Their greatest shift, though, will occur off the field. The Dodgers will remain a cohesive unit instead of traveling to Dodger Stadium for a practice game and then leaving. Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Miguel Rojas planned two team watch events. They’ll be keeping an eye on San Diego and Atlanta as well as conducting internal scouting. Los Angeles feels that it hasn’t had that team spirit over the past few seasons and wants to restore it during these lean times. Manager Dave Roberts stated, “I think the schedule itself lends itself to just some individuality, but you’ve got to be intentional to try to get dinners.” On Tuesday, the players are going to throw a watch party that they kind of organized.
We will do the same exercise on Wednesday following the workout. Thus, it’s just simple matters like ensuring that men maintain their friendship. As of right now, no team has been able to completely figure out how to prepare in the five days off, with the exception of the Astros, who won the World Series in 2022. Over the previous two years, eight teams have received first-round byes under MLB’s most recent postseason format. In the Division Series, those teams have a combined record of 3-5. It is 0-2 for the Dodgers. Teams that did not receive a first-round bye in 2022–2023 averaged four runs per game in the postseason, while teams that did received one scored an average of 3.63 runs per game.
Teoscar Hernández, an outfielder who will experience his first layoff, said, “I mean, for us, it’s just trying to do the same thing every day.” “Trying to maintain a positive attitude while performing our necessary tasks on the baseball field. Even though we’ve already won the postseason and everything, we’re still going to play hard, play the way we’ve played the entire season, and have fun with what we do, as I always say.”
But for the Dodgers, this bye week will be the most advantageous. It allows Freddie Freeman more time to heal after missing the last three regular-season games due to a sprained right ankle.
The team anticipates having him back in the starting lineup for Saturday’s first game.
Additionally, it allows Rojas to address a tear in his left adductor muscle. It provides the bullpen with an opportunity to recuperate after being heavily utilized for the past few months. Ultimately, the Dodgers and all other teams are still figuring things out. They’re hoping for luck on the third try. “Guys, you still have to get ready, and I think we’ll play with the same fervor we showed against the Padres in that previous series,” Roberts stated. “I think we have a great chance if we do that.”