Alexander: For Dodgers, wild card game might not be that scary

It has been the communicative each play astir the Dodgers, and peculiarly successful September: Catching the San Francisco Giants and winning a ninth consecutive part rubric was paramount, supra each to debar the one-and-done, roll-the-dice, edge-of-the-cliff chaotic paper game.

But what if it isn’t that risky?

It’s worthy noting that erstwhile the Giants became the archetypal squad to clinch a postseason berth Monday night, their solemnisation was astir what you would expect from a squad that hadn’t been determination since 2016. As for the Dodgers, erstwhile they punched their summons on  Tuesday nighttime determination were reports of “a champagne toast” successful the clubhouse but otherwise, thing wild, which befits a radical that’s been determination before.

The champion scenes from the Giants’ clubhouse solemnisation aft clinching 2021 playoff berthhttps://t.co/SAsQABiDsS pic.twitter.com/WJuu009kKV

— KNBR (@KNBR) September 14, 2021

Final: 8-4 Dodgers. They're going to the playoffs.

Postgame celebration? High fives, handshakes and fist-bumps. The usual.

— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) September 15, 2021

Maybe they would person preferred to hold a day. San Diego’s nonaccomplishment to the Giants secured the Dodgers’ ninth consecutive postseason berth but besides kept them 2-1/2 games backmost successful 2nd place. I fishy Dodger fans would person preferred to hold arsenic well.

But perceive maine out: Navigating the chaotic paper crippled mightiness not beryllium the preferred commencement for a title run, but it is possible.

The Giants did it successful 2014, with Madison Bumgarner (yeah, him) pitching a implicit crippled shutout successful the win-or-go-home crippled successful Pittsburgh en way to the team’s 3rd rubric successful 5 years. And the Washington Nationals did it successful 2019, beating Milwaukee successful the chaotic paper game, beating the Dodgers successful the adjacent circular and going connected to triumph it each successful a Game 7 successful Houston.

If the Dodgers request immoderate tips, by the way, Max Scherzer tin capable them in. He started that 2019 crippled for the Nats against the Brewers, near aft 5 innings with a 3-1 deficit, and watched his squad people 3 runs successful the eighth to flip the script.

But capable astir history. This time, the Dodgers’ pitching seems perfectly situated for the postseason. (The hitting, and the thought that you ne'er cognize what you’ll get connected a fixed nighttime from this bunch? That’s inactive perchance worrisome.)

We second-guessed Manager Dave Roberts a mates of weeks agone astir not mounting up his rotation to marque definite Scherzer pitched against the Giants successful San Francisco. I basal by that 2nd guess, but Roberts mightiness person been playing the agelong game.

Now helium has a afloat five-man rotation again, with nary request for the foolishness of bullpen games arsenic agelong arsenic that fivesome stays intact. Plot that rotation done the last 2-1/2 weeks of the regular season, and you’d get Walker Buehler – proven big-game pitcher – starting either the chaotic card, oregon Game 1 of the Division Series, oregon adjacent a one-game playoff with the Giants if it comes to that.

And aft that you’ve got Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw, and past Julio Urías and backmost to Buehler again, a four-man playoff rotation again feasible present that we’re backmost to a postseason with disconnected days built in. When a rested and steadfast Kershaw is your No. 4 starter, who other successful the postseason tin lucifer that? (And with 2 disconnected days successful the last 15 of the regular season, Roberts could manipulate the rotation to enactment up Urías, Buehler, Scherzer and Kershaw successful bid to commencement the postseason.)

“I’ve said it from time one: You triumph with starting pitching,” Roberts said aft Tuesday night’s 8-4 win. “And I judge we person the champion starting pitching successful baseball. And truthful to get Clayton backmost connected line, Tony (Gonsolin) backmost connected line, and get those different 3 guys having the years that they’re having, I emotion wherever we’re at.”

That’s 1 factor. Another is simply a bullpen that has softly go lights-out dependable arsenic the play has progressed. We each cognize what tin hap successful the postseason, but who anticipated the dependability of guys similar Phil Bickford and Alex Vesia 5 months ago?

The different factor? L.A. entered Wednesday night’s crippled with a 17-game cushion implicit the St. Louis Cardinals, who began the time arsenic the 2nd chaotic paper team. The Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets besides stay successful contention for that 2nd spot, and nary of those teams are striking fearfulness successful anybody’s hearts close now.

As for that offense? The Dodgers bushed up connected Arizona pitching connected Monday and Tuesday nights and had averaged 6.5 runs per crippled successful their past 4 against the D-Backs and Padres. Justin Turner noted aft Tuesday night’s crippled that “the at-bat quality, 1 done 9 each inning, conscionable keeps getting amended and better.” But it remains to beryllium seen if they tin support it up consistently – the cardinal connection – against postseason-quality pitching.

Maybe the Dodgers drawback the Giants, possibly they don’t. But consider: One ace gets them done the chaotic paper game, and past they’d get the Giants head-to-head (starting successful San Francisco, but it doesn’t truly marque a difference) with 3 much ace-quality pitchers acceptable to go. Going into Wednesday, Urías, Buehler, Scherzer and Kershaw person a corporate 2.60 ERA and 49-14 grounds – and, much significantly, the squad is 60-22 successful games they’ve started. (Plus a combined 401 innings of postseason experience, and the rings that travel with it.)

So, Dodger fans, you’re invited to play scoreboard. You tin beryllium definite your squad volition beryllium trying hard to drawback the Giants and get not lone the other mates of days disconnected but the other location crippled successful the NLDS. But if they don’t, there’s nary request to panic.

Not close away, astatine least.

jalexander@scng.com

@Jim_Alexander connected Twitter