LOS ANGELES ― With two games left in the 2018 season, the Dodgers still occupied second place in the National League West. The Colorado Rockies began the final weekend with a one-game lead atop the division standings. By Monday, the teams were tied.
The rest is recent history. A special one-game playoff determined which team won the division and which team advanced to the National League wild card game. That the Dodgers ultimately triumphed is still relevant three years later, Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.
“If we get to (another Game 163) it’s good to know we’ve been in situations like this and gotten to the other side,” Roberts said. “Having successes in pressure, stressful situations, having the experience is important.”
The Dodgers entered their final homestand of the season trailing the San Francisco Giants by two games for the division lead. It’s an uncomfortable position for a team that’s won the National League West eight years in a row. No other challenger has won the division title since 2012, when the Giants claimed first place en route to a World Series victory.
Ever since, it’s tempting to conclude the Dodgers haven’t faced a similar challenge to the one before them this week. But seven players who participated in the Dodgers’ last Game 163 are still on their active roster.
That includes pitcher Walker Buehler, who threw 6⅔ shutout innings against the Rockies on Oct. 1, 2018. Buehler started Tuesday night’s series opener against the San Diego Padres. Max Scherzer is lined up to pitch a potential Game 163 if needed, with Buehler following in the postseason opener.
Then as now, scoreboard-watching is a daily ritual for the players. It wasn’t a distraction then, and Roberts doesn’t believe it will sidetrack them now.
“I think it’s continue to take it day to day,” he said. “That mindset, that process, has proved to be beneficial.”
PUJOLS TO IL, BELLINGER RETURNS
The Dodgers activated outfielder Cody Bellinger from the injured list and placed first baseman Albert Pujols on the injured list.
Roberts said Pujols recently received his second COVID-19 vaccination “and just didn’t feel good after getting it, as far as playing in a major league game.”
Since there is no minimum required stay on the COVID-19-related IL, Pujols is eligible to be activated as early as Wednesday. He is batting .255 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs in 82 games since joining the Dodgers in May.
Bellinger missed eight games after being placed on IL with a left rib fracture on Sept. 18. Roberts said the 26-year-old is “not 100 percent but he’s dang near close to it.”
Gavin Lux got the start in center field over Bellinger, who is hitting .159 in an injury-plagued season.
ALSO
Chris Taylor, who missed time earlier this month with a neck injury then made a pair of diving catches Friday in Phoenix, is fully recovered from the injury, Roberts said. “I think we’re out of the woods,” he said. … The Dodgers will likely not face Padres reliever Craig Stammen this week. The right-hander was placed on the injured list prior to the game for unspecified reasons. Stammen has allowed only two hits in 30 at-bats against the Dodgers this season, but both resulted in home runs. One, a three-run homer by Mookie Betts, led the Dodgers to a 5-4 win on Sept. 11 at Dodger Stadium. … The Dodgers wore their all-blue “City Connect” uniforms for the final time this season Monday.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Max Scherzer, 15-4, 2.28 ERA) vs. San Diego (TBA), Wednesday, 7 p.m., SportsNet LA, ESPN, 570 AM