Dodgers need to learn from the hated Astros if they want a strong postseason run

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been shocked in the playoffs each of the last two seasons. In 2022, they were eliminated in the NLDS by the San Diego Padres. In the 2023 postseason, the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers.

Since changing the MLB playoff format in 2022, the Dodgers have been unable to advance past the NLDS, giving teams like the Dodgers a longer bye. The Dodgers aren't the only team struggling with overtime before the start of the postseason. Both the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles were eliminated during the NLDS despite entering the series as the better team overall.

The only team to have success with this format was the Houston Astros, who won the World Series in 2022. While the Astros and Dodgers are heated rivals, the Dodgers must emulate what the Astros did to avoid another disappointing early exit from the playoffs.

“I don’t know if anything makes sense for these five days. There was really only one team that figured out how to deal with it, and that was Houston,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said Sunday, via Bill Plunkett of the OC Register. “It's difficult. The hardest part is flipping the switch. You spend the whole year – except the All-Star break and the All-Star break isn't as long as people think because you have to travel, to get to places – you spend the entire year, every single day, performing. Really from the start of spring training until tomorrow, you may have a day off. For us, those days off are usually travel days. Now you're talking about having five days off after doing this for eight months.

The Dodgers are mentally approaching this layoff differently ahead of their first postseason series.

“You have to find a way to turn the competitive switch back on,” Muncy said of Plunkett. “It's not as easy as people think.” And you also have to find a way to turn it around and take on a team that's already had to fight through a Wild Card series. You’re talking about the postseason atmosphere we’ve been in for a week now.”

As Muncy said, the Dodgers need to make sure they are competitive. Manager Dave Roberts added that the team needs a “sense of urgency” to avoid falling into the trap that has hurt them each of the last two seasons.

The Dodgers' new approach will be tested for the first time on Saturday when Los Angeles takes on the Padres in an attempt to advance to the NLCS.