Why betting on Dodgers completing historic World Series 3-peat is a fools errand
SAN FRANCISCO – This time, the odds are against them.The Dodgers will enter the playoffs as the World Series favorites again this year in the sense that there isn’t another team in the field that is more likely to win the World Series.But if the choice is between the Dodgers and the other teams in the 12-team field, the smart money has to be the field.Never mind what could go wrong for the Dodgers.Think about what has to go right for the 100-win team, and consider the likelihood of that happening – not just in the National League Division Series but also in the two more rounds after that.Something is bound to go wrong.Something is bound to stop them from becoming the fifth team in history to win three consecutive World Series championships.This is less about the opposition and more about who the Dodgers are at this stage – health-wise, age-wise, personnel-wise.In each of the last two years, the Dodgers carried major handicaps into the postseason.
Last season, they didn’t have a reliable bullpen.The season before that, they didn’t have much of a starting rotation.
In those instances, they were able to overcome their problems.This time around, the Dodgers are dealing with an issue of an entire different magnitude. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are hurting.Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Freeman is “compromised” by his aching right knee.Roberts said he hasn’t heard about anything being physically wrong with Ohtani, but the eye test indicates otherwise. Ohtani was 2 for 12 with five strikeouts in the season-ending three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
In the last two games, he didn’t take any dry swings when he was on deck.Ohtani was on the 15-day injured list earlier this month because of discomfort in his right arm.The four-time Most Valuable Player was at least able to get his bat on the ball in a 5-1 victory over the Giants on Sunday.
His three at-bats produced three-grounders, one of which reached the out...