Dodgers manager Dave Roberts already was in “playoff mode” Wednesday, as his club continued to jockey for position in the crowded National League standings.
Once October actually arrives, however, he can only hope their potential postseason foes will make life as easy on them as the Seattle Mariners did Wednesday night.
In an 8-4, sweep-clinching defeat of the Mariners at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers got almost as much help from their opponents as they did from their own players.
At the plate, the Mariners’ listless offense, which entered the night last in the majors in both batting average and strikeouts, continued to pose little discernible threat, allowing Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty to cruise through 5⅔ innings, giving up two runs (one earned).
In the field, the Mariners’ sloppy defense turned star pitcher Logan Gilbert into something of a piñata, giving the Dodgers extra chance after extra chance to take a whack at the All-Star right-hander.
The result: a stress-free victory that marked the Dodgers’ fourth straight win and 10th in their last 13 games.
“You look at the length of our lineup, and what we did with those [Seattle] starters this series, it was a clinic,” Roberts said. “That was one of our more impressive three-game series, as far as beating the starter.”
Tougher tests certainly await. But this week the Dodgers did exactly what they were supposed to against a reeling Mariners team that fired manager Scott Servais on Thursday, reaffirming their place atop the majors.
At 76-52, the Dodgers entered Thursday with a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in baseball. Even more important: They’ve regained a pocket of breathing room in the NL West standings and entered Thursday four games clear of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in a tight division race. It was their largest NL West lead in more than two weeks.
The tight state of the standings is partly why Roberts declared himself to be in playoff mode prior to first pitch, even with more than a month remaining in the regular season. Given his club’s struggles earlier this summer, and the questions that continue to surround its short-handed pitching staff, the manager was careful not to take anything for granted.
“The most important thing,” he said, “is trying to win baseball games.”
On Wednesday, the Mariners — who have squandered a 10-game lead in the American League West by going 20-33 since June 19 — helped make that…