Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. The way I see it, the Dodgers needed to go 21-10 in their final 31 games to guarantee that they win the NL West (remember, they only have to tie the Padres), which means the Padres would have to go 22-9. Right now the Dodgers are 4-2, the Padres are 2-5.

Random thoughts

—The most frustrating thing about this year’s team is they seem to defeat themselves much more frequently than last year’s team. Baserunning mistakes. Fielding problems, with balls that seem to be catchable dropping. Going two or three games seemingly forgetting what makes them a great offense: working the count and tiring the pitcher. So, while I do believe in the importance of not taking any one loss too hard, the frustration can be understandable.

—Case in point, the Dodgers sweep Cincinnati, which is battling for a postseason spot, then almost get swept by Arizona, which is on the fringe of battling for a spot at best.

—The other thing to keep in mind: The Dodgers are defending World Series champions. For some teams, playing the Dodgers is their postseason. If they can play spoiler, they can hold their heads up just a little bit higher. Should the Dodgers respond? Sure. But the narrative that this is an underachieving franchise went away after last season’s title.

—Those of you hoping that the Dodgers would move Mookie Betts back to right field can stop rubbing your lucky rabbit’s foot. It didn’t work. “Mookie,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters, “will not go to right field…. When you’re talking about shortstop play, you’re looking for consistency, and I’ve just loved the consistency. He’s made every play he’s supposed to make, and then the last couple weeks, he’s made spectacular plays. He’s been a big part of preventing runs.“

—By the way, since Aug. 8, when a certain newsletter writer said Betts should move down in the order, he has hit .321/.398/.444.

—The Dodgers play Pittsburgh next. The Pirates have the third-worst record in the NL, so another trap series for the Dodgers.

—I still miss the Cool-a-Coo.

—The Dodgers were cruising along Sunday behind one of Yoshinobu Yamamoto‘s best starts in the majors (seven innings, one run, four hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts) when Tanner Scott came in and lost the entire three-run lead in the eighth inning.

Scott was signed to a four-year, $72-million deal during the offseason after he went 9-6 with a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves for the Marlins and Padres last season. It was his second strong season in a row and the signing was heralded as another example of the Dodgers outspending their opponents and ruining the game of baseball. Andrew Friedman had rarely shown a willingness to give a long, large deal to a reliever (and he probably will think twice before doing it again). Scott signed two days after the Dodgers landed Roki Sasaki and before they signed reliever Kirby Yates, sort of a triumvirate of sadness for the team this season.

“He’s someone that we have watched and admired from afar over the years and have tried to acquire multiple times,” general manager Brandon Gomes said at Scott’s introductory news conference. “Tanner possesses all of the qualities we value as an organization when looking to bring on a free agent.”

Roberts told Jack Harris just before the season began: “The fear in the batter’s box against him is certainly real,” he said of Scott, who pitched three scoreless innings in the NLDS and struck out Shohei Ohtani all four times he faced him. “I’m happy he’s on our side 1756824254,” Roberts added, comparing the quiet, bearded pitcher to an “assassin” on the mound.

So far, less like an “assassin” and more like Maxwell Smart.

This season, Scott is 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA. Last season, Scott blew only two saves. This season? Eight, which is second in the majors. Last season, he came in with 19 runners on base…. and none of them scored. That’s amazing! This season, two of nine runners he inherited have scored. Last season, he allowed 5.6 hits per nine innings. This season, 8.5.

So, what’s going to happen? Based on Dodgers history, nothing. The Dodgers don’t give up on players. They keep trotting them out there, hoping it will turn around. Sometimes it doesn’t work: Chris Taylor. Sometimes it works: Max Muncy.

So don’t be surprised if nothing happens. If they keep sending him out there, hoping he turns things around. This is how the Dodgers operate. Let’s not be surprised about it.

However, Roberts did say recently, “I just think that we’ve got to play the best players and that’s just the way it should be, right?… “Obviously Shohei is going to be playing. Mookie is going to be playing. But the point being is, we’ve got to ramp it up and we’ve got to be better. If some other guys deserve more opportunities, then they’re going to get them. That’s just the way it should be.”

By the way, Scott is one of the rare left-handed closers in history. There have been many great right-handed closers, but comparatively few left-handed. The best left-handed closers of all time were Billy Wagner, John Franco, Sparky Lyle and Randy Myers. Only seven of the top 50 all-time in saves were left-handed. That’s 14%. Historically, around 25% of pitchers in MLB history each year are left-handed.

Walker Buehler

Some fans were unhappy when the Dodgers didn’t make a real attempt to re-sign Walker Buehler after his postseason heroics. And while it’s true that Buehler does have that swagger that has been missing often this season with the team, it appears they made the right decision. The Boston Red Sox gave him a one-year, $21.05-million deal. Buehler went 7-7 with a 5.38 ERA and the Red Sox released him last week. After he cleared waivers, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and will join their rotation after making a start in the minors. Which leads me to my new nightmare: Game 7 of the NLCS, the Dodgers trail by one in the ninth inning. Bases loaded, one out. And who comes in to shut the Dodgers down and save the game?

By the way, if the Dodgers do tie the Padres for first in the NL West this season, you can thank Buehler for the Padres not getting that one extra win they needed. Buehler’s best start this season came on Aug. 8 at San Diego when he pitched six shutout innings against the Padres. It was Buehler’s last win this season.

It’s never fun to see a storied Dodger fail, no matter where he goes. Hopefully Buehler can recapture his old magic at some point and have a long, good career. Just not against the Dodgers.

Notes

—The Dodgers activated Hyeseong Kim and Michael Kopech from the IL on Monday, bringing their roster to the 28 allowed in September.

—The Dodgers signed pitcher Andrew Heaney, who had been released by Pittsburgh. Heaney, a left-hander, is 5-10 with a 5.39 ERA this season. He was signed in time to be postseason eligible if need be. He was sent to triple-A Oklahoma City. Heaney had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022 with the Dodgers, when he went 4-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 14 starts. It’s hard to see exactly where he fits in on this team, but if injuries crop up, he could contribute.

—Max Muncy’s return was delayed after he came down with some sort of cold or flu. He should be back during the next homestand.

—Since moving to the bullpen at Oklahoma City, Bobby Miller has given up eight hits in 12.2 innings, walking seven and striking out 14 with an ERA of 3.68.

—The Padres were dealt a tough injury Sunday when reliever Jason Adam suffered a ruptured tendon in his left quadriceps and will be out for the season. Adam was their primary setup man and was 8-3 with a 1.81 ERA this season.

A different race

The race for the NL batting title is going to be interesting to follow. Here are the top seven after Monday’s games:

Trea Turner, Philadelphia, .301 (.300 over last week)
Freddie Freeman, .300 (.235)
Sal Frelick, Milwaukee, .298 (.269)
Will Smith, .293 (.167)
Ketel Marte, Arizona, .290 (.316)
Brice Turang, Milwaukee, .2888 (.300)
Nico Hoerner, Chicago, .2886 (.263)

Dropping out of the top seven since we last checked: Geraldo Perdomo. Joining the list: Turang.

The postseason

Here’s how the postseason race pans out after Monday’s games:

NL
1. Milwaukee, 85-54
2. Philadelphia, 80-58
3. Dodgers, 78-59

Wild-cards
4. Chicago, 79-59
5. San Diego, 76-62
6. New York, 74-64

7. Cincinnati, 70-68
8. San Francisco, 69-69

AL
1. Detroit, 80-59
2. Toronto, 79-59
3. Houston, 76-62

Wild-cards
4. New York, 76-61
5. Boston, 77-62
6. Seattle, 73-65

7. Texas, 72-67
8. Kansas City, 70-67
9. Cleveland, 68-68

The Dodgers have three games remaining with Philadelphia, which could be crucial in determining the No. 2 seed. Right now, the Phillies lead the season series, 2-1. Whoever wins the season series has the tiebreaker advantage. If they tie, 3-3, in games, then the second tiebreaker is record within their own division. Right now, the Dodgers are 26-13 against the West and the Phillies are 23-19 against the East.

The top two teams in each league get a first-round bye. The other four teams in each league play in the best-of-three wild-card round, with No. 3 hosting all three games against No. 6, and No. 4 hosting all three against No. 5.

The division winners are guaranteed to get the top three seeds, even if a wild-card team has a better record.

In the best-of-five second round, No. 1 hosts the No. 4-5 winner and No. 2 hosts the No. 3-6 winner. That way the No. 1 seed is guaranteed not to play a divisional winner until the LCS.

Up next

Tuesday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 9-2, 3.06 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Carmen Mlodzinski, 3-2, 1.97 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 4.18 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Braxton Ashcroft, 3-7, 3.86 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Thursday: Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 3-3, 2.41 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Paul Skenes, 9-9, 2.05 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Hernández: Everyone can stop wondering. Mookie Betts isn’t moving back to right field

State legislators heed L.A. mayor and council, spurn McCourt on gondola legislation

Bookie linked to Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter sentenced to prison

And finally

Steve Yeager hits a three-run homer during the 1977 World Series. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

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