Why every game is feeling like a postseason game for the Dodgers

Mookie Betts played in three simulated games at Dodger Stadium last week, and that was it. That was the only game action he saw in the last seven weeks recovering from a broken hand.

Instead of sending Betts on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment, the Dodgers are scheduled to activate him from the injured list Monday for the start of a three-games series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The plans reflect the urgency of their situation as much as their belief in Betts.

Heading into the series opener at Miller Park, the Dodgers’ lead over the second-place San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West is at 3 ½ games.

“This,” manager Dave Roberts said, “is where we are.”

The last time they had a smaller lead at this point of the year was in 2020. In that particular instance, of course, they were only 21 games into a pandemic-delayed 60-game season.

These Dodgers have played 118 games.

At the same stage of the season last year, the Dodgers had a nine-game division lead. The year before that, they had an 18-game advantage.

They were behind by four games through 118 games in 2021 and ended up finishing second to the San Francisco Giants by one game in the NL West.

Could something like that happen again? It’s possible. The Padres have won 16 of their last 19 games and the Diamondbacks 15 of their last 18.

Could the Dodgers miss the postseason entirely? Probably not, but it can’t be ruled out either. They are 7 ½ games in front of the postseason cutline.

“Obviously, it’s up to us,” utilityman Kiké Hernández said. “The rest of the division is playing great baseball and if we keep losing games, they’re going to keep creeping up on us. At the same time, we can’t really worry about them. Just do what we do. If we win games, they can’t gain on us.”

Their lineup is closer to becoming whole again, as third baseman Max Muncy is expected to be activated when they return from their week-long trip. Their rotation, however, continues to be held together by Scotch tape.

Promising rookie right-hander River Ryan will miss the remainder of the season with an elbow injury he sustained Saturday night, a development that will force the Dodgers to count on Walker Buehler whether he is ready to pitch or not. Buehler’s initial comeback from reconstructive elbow surgery was halted after he went 1-4 with a 5.84 earned-run average in eight starts.

With Clayton Kershaw also working his way back from an injury, Gavin Stone posting a 6.91 ERA over his last six starts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto not expected back until next month, opening day starter Tyler Glasnow and newcomer Jack Flaherty are the only sources of stability in the rotation.

The starting pitching’s volatility has magnified the shortcomings of the relievers. No lead feels safe, including their lead in the division.

The upcoming series in Milwaukee will also be critical to another race.

Of the NL’s three division winners, only two will be granted first-round byes in the postseason and advance directly to the divisional round. The division winner with the third-best record will have to play a three-game wild-card series against the wild-card team with the worst record.

The Dodgers are tied with the East-leading Philadelphia Phillies for the NL’s best record but are only one game in front of the Central-leading Brewers.

“It speaks to the parity in baseball, especially the National League, which is a good thing for baseball fans,” Roberts said.

Roberts has a point: The proximity in the standings to other teams is less about the Dodgers and more about the competition. The Dodgers are on pace to win 95 games.

While the Dodgers have become used to playing the role of Secretariat in the NL West — they won their division by 16 games last year and 22 games in 2022 — they were involved in close races early in Roberts’ managerial tenure.

The Dodgers won the NL West by four games in Roberts’ debut season, in 2016. Two years later, they won their division by beating the Colorado Rockies in a tie-breaking 163rd game.

The Dodgers of today have something in common with those Dodgers of the past, Roberts said.

“I think the collective mindset to come together each day to win a baseball game remains the same, and that’s a superpower,” Roberts said. “Guys don’t get ahead of themselves. They play for each other. They’re tough.”

The weekend sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates was an example. In the series finale on Sunday, the Dodgers blew a four-run lead, only to claim a 6-5 victory in the 10th inning.

“Now, I just think that we have to mind the little things,” Roberts said. “There’s little things, even in this game today, that could have impacted the result. Ultimately we won, we won three, but … we’ve got to tighten some things up.”

For the remainder of this month, the Dodgers will only play teams with winning records, which could make for an unusually intense August and climactic September.

“It’s going to make us better,” Roberts said.

In most years, the season doesn’t start for the Dodgers until they play their first postseason game. This isn’t most years. Their season has already started.