Dodgers hope 'different level of intensity' fixes bye-week woes entering playoffs

Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times on Oct 2, 2024

Published in Baseball

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LOS ANGELES — Facing a third straight postseason that will begin with a five-day bye week — and still reeling from the early eliminations that followed the first two the last couple of years — the Dodgers changed up some things ahead of their Saturday opener in the best-of-five National League Division Series.

As opposed to the last two years, when they played full scrimmages on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the NLDS — having gotten a bye through MLB's wild-card round as a top-two seed in the NL bracket — the Dodgers opted for a more "gradual build-up," according to general manager Brandon Gomes, waiting to ramp up to game action until closer to Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.

The team also is incorporating "different technologies," Gomes said (like a Trajekt Arc pitching simulator that was installed at Dodger Stadium this year), as well as more batting practice sessions off high-velocity machines to prepare for the kind of pitching they expect to face.

But really, the biggest difference the club has seen so far is in its players' mindsets.

Unlike the last two years, they didn't coast into the postseason, instead playing meaningful games — including a division-clinching win against the San Diego Padres, a potential NLDS opponent — deep into September.

And when they reconvened at Chavez Ravine on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts quickly noticed a "different level of intensity."

"I see some more hunger, I see some more edge," Roberts said on a video call. "That kind of sour taste that you have when you make an early exit from the postseason, our guys are tired of it. So this is another opportunity. I do sense that edge."

Roberts said the best example came Tuesday night, when the team held a player-organized watch party of the Padres-Atlanta Braves wild-card game, an idea that originated with Will Smith, Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas, according to the manager.

Not only did it mean the roster was "sacrificing time with their family" during a rare break in their busy schedule, Roberts noted, but also, as the team began scouting its two potential opponents, Roberts was "hearing about guys not caring who we play, [that] they've got to beat us."

"We have a lot to prove," Roberts said, despite his team's 98 wins, most in the majors. "A lot of people have certainly doubted us, and so I think our guys have kind of embraced that. And I like the edge. I like that hunter mentality from us."

This week there's also been a greater focus on getting a couple of key players healthy.

First baseman Freddie Freeman (sprained ankle) and shortstop Rojas (adductor tear) have been going through baseball activities, Gomes and Roberts said, and remain on track to start in Game 1 — even if they might not be 100%.

Roberts noted that Rojas' injury has bothered him for much of the year, doing little to prevent a .283 batting average, his best since 2020.

Freeman's ankle, meanwhile, likely will be "limiting" on the bases and defensively at first base, Roberts acknowledged. However, the Dodgers' confidence in him is so high, they haven't yet had Muncy take grounders at first as a potential Plan B.

"There's not many guys that I would bet on more than Freddie, on posting and playing well," Gomes said. "So we'll take the next few days and continue to see how that goes."

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