Mookie Betts Downplays Importance Of NL Playoff Seeding

The Los Angeles Dodgers began an important three-game series with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday that could determine one of the top two seeds in the National League playoff picture.

The Dodgers entered play with the second-best record, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by only one game for the best record in baseball, and ahead of the Braves by three games. The Braves still own the third-best record in the NL, but have made up ground by defeating the Dodgers in the first two games of the series.

Finishing with a top-two seed is a priority for teams as it guarantees a first-round bye to the Division Series. However, Mookie Betts isn’t convinced that securing one makes much of a difference.

“I don’t know. We’ve won two Wild Card Series, we’ve won with the bye. So I don’t think it really matters,” Betts said on SportsNet LA. “I mean, if you want to make it matter, sure. But it doesn’t matter when you play. You’re going to have to get timely hits and pitch. There’s no secret or magic formula to it. It’s just about playing good ball.”

As Betts pointed out, the Dodgers have found success with both routes in recent years. They won the 2024 World Series while earning a first-round bye and repeated as champions last year after beginning their journey in the Wild Card Round.

While they have proven they can win under any situation, one could argue that the Dodgers would be better off clinching a first-round bye, given the number of injuries they have endured this season. The extra time off would give some of L.A.’s key players a chance to recover and return, particularly Andy Pages, who will miss the next four to five weeks due to a fractured left hand.

Dodgers drop series to Braves

The Braves took the series opener from the Dodgers to inch closer to one of the top two seeds in the NL. They followed the next day by clinching the season series over the Dodgers, which gives them the tiebreaker in the event that they finish with the same record. They previously took two of three from L.A. at Dodger Stadium in May.

“Sure. Maybe. We’ll see how it shakes out,” Betts said on SportsNet LA when asked if the Dodgers’ series with the Braves feels like a potential postseason preview.

The Dodgers will try to avoid being swept in the series finale on Thursday.