The Los Angeles Dodgers took care of business quickly during the sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
By doing so, the team has a week off before Game 1 of the World Series kicks off Friday evening in Toronto versus the Blue Jays. There’s a delicate balance with teams who’ve had long periods off in-between games.
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In some cases during postseason play, the rest can be a good thing for a veteran ballclub. It gives the group time to set up their pitching rotation while also helping players recover from various bumps and bruises.
On the other hand, there have also been instances where the extended time off is a bad thing. There’s potential for a lack of rhythm at the plate, and if playing a team with less time off, that opponent may be better geared towards having an advantage despite having less rest.
The Dodgers have been on both sides of this premise. Fortunately for those who support the Boys in Blue, the team has come up with a familiar playbook they aim to utilize.
Manager Dave Roberts spoke to the media on Tuesday. The team traveled to Toronto on Wednesday to start the process of ramping up for the World Series. As Roberts mentioned, the team is operating very similarly to how they did during last year’s run.
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This included giving the team the day off (Saturday) after clinching the NL pennant on Friday evening. On Sunday, the team had a workout period which reportedly featured live patting practice. From there, the group participated in intrasquad games.
“I think (we’re) actually much more comfortable,” Roberts said Tuesday of handling the extended break. “We’re flying out tomorrow (to Toronto) which kind of breaks up the monotony of not playing. We took the one day off but the guys are active, the guys feel good. I do think there were some guys who were nursing some things so to get us back to full health.
“We’ve got another simulated game tonight so I feel good about the guys’ focus and playing. We’ll be ready to go on Friday.”
This has obviously been a trial and error situation for this group. A few years ago, the team had around a week off as the NL West champions with a bye. That group ended up being swept by Arizona Diamondbacks in rather embarrassing fashion.
Last year made the team approach a similar situation far differently. It reportedly involved being around one another more rather than away from ballpark with their families.
Being an older ballclub, the team likely welcomes the rest. There’s also the facet that the Dodgers have been in this situation before — and it’s not something that will catch them off guard.
By facing live pitching and working out throughout the week, one would expect them to be ready to go by the time Friday rolls around.
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Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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2 Responses
Every baseball team, including their management, players, coaches, and fans, would like to see the Dodgers go down. The Dodger team consists of mature, experienced, players and coaches. They are fully aware of what it takes to get to The World Series. To get there two years in a row, is an enormous accomplishment. They cannot afford to let it slip away to an inferior organization.
yep