Dodgers Need to Learn From Hated Astros If They Want a Deep Postseason Run

Will the Dodgers get past the first round of the postseason?

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

During each of the last two seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been shocked in the playoffs. In 2022, they were eliminated in the NLDS by the San Diego Padres. In the 2023 postseason, the Arizona Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have not been able to get past the NLDS since the MLB playoff format changed in 2022, giving teams like the Dodgers a longer bye. The Dodgers are not the only team to struggle with the extra time before their postseason begins. Both the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles have been knocked out during the NLDS despite coming into the series as the overall better team.

The lone team to have success with that format was the Houston Astros, who won the World Series in 2022. While the Astros and Dodgers are heated rivals, the Dodgers will need to emulate what the Astros have done to avoid another disappointing early playoff exit.

“I don’t know if anything makes sense for those five days. There’s really only been one team that’s figured out how to handle it and that was Houston,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said Sunday, via Bill Plunkett of the OC Register. “It’s tough. The toughest part of it is flipping the switch. You spend all year – with the exception of the All-Star break and the All-Star break isn’t as long as people think it is because you have to be traveling to get to places – you spend all year, every single day, performing. From the start of spring training until tomorrow really. You spend every day performing. You might have an off day. For us, those off days are usually travel days. Now you’re talking about having five days off after doing that for eight months."

The Dodgers are taking a different approach mentally to this layoff before their first postseason series.

“You have to find a way to be able to flip that competitive switch back on," Muncy said, via Plunkett. "It’s not as easy as people think it is. And you also have to find a way to flip it and match a team that’s already had to grind through a Wild Card series. You’re talking about postseason atmosphere, already having been in that for a week.”

As Muncy said, the Dodgers need to make sure they are competitive. Manager Dave Roberts added that the team needs a "sense of urgency" to avoid falling into the trap that hurt them each of the last two seasons.

The Dodgers' new approach will first get tested on Saturday when Los Angeles goes against the Padres for a shot at advancing to the NLCS.