The Los Angeles Dodgers destroyed the Cincinnati Reds, 14-1, in what became a true offensive explosion for the team, and the magic number goes down for both the division race and the Wild Card bye.
The Dodgers, with their win on Wednesday, September 9th, extended their win streak to seven games, building momentum as they look to close out the season strong.
For the National League West, since the San Diego Padres won, the magic number only goes down by one, down to six.
Additionally, for the No. 2 spot in the National League, the number goes down to 13. The Atlanta Braves lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, which, on top of the Dodgers’ win, brought the number down by two games.
Where are the Dodgers in the standings?
The Padres got up on the D-Backs by 0.5 games, but San Diego still trails the Dodgers by 10.5 games in total.
At this point, the division is only a matter of time, but the important race remains at the top. With players like Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman battling injuries, a bye in the first series would be immensely helpful.
Gladly, the Dodgers are on track to secure one of the top two spots. They are 3.5 games up on the Atlanta Braves, and only two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
Over the last 10 games, the Dodgers are 7-3, with the Brewers only 6-4, while the Braves are 4-6 and riding a three-game losing streak.
With Shohei Ohtani still limited and the offense not fully back on track, it will be a tight fight until the end, but the Dodgers look like they’re finally playing like the league’s most talented team.
