For the third consecutive year, the Dodgers will have five days off before starting their postseason run. The layoff has been followed by quick exits each of the past two years.
“From the start of spring training … you spend every day performing. You might have an off day. For us, those off days are usually travel days. Now you’re talking about having five days off after doing that for eight months,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said ahead of their five-day layoff before the NLDS opener. “You have to find a way to be able to flip that competitive switch back on. It’s not as easy as people think it is.
“You have to find a way to be able to flip that competitive switch back on. It’s not as easy as people think it is. And you also have to find a way to flip it and match a team that’s already had to grind through a Wild Card series. You’re talking about postseason atmosphere, already having been in that for a week.”
“We’re trying to figure out, hey, how do we cram some intensity into the back end without it dragging and feeling like that five-day layoff?” Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said. The five-day layoff is more of a hurdle for hitters than pitchers. The Dodgers will try to address that with more work against specialized batting machines – “velo” machines that match major-league pitch velocity and the high-tech Trajekt Arc, which can replicate any major league pitcher’s arsenal including velocity and pitch characteristics.
“There has to be the ultimate sense of urgency, and I just don’t think that that has much correlation to the work prior,” Roberts said. “It’s an overall team mindset that I just want to make sure we have going into this postseason.” The five-day layoff breaks the daily nature of life for baseball teams in many ways. At the suggestion of a few players , the Dodgers will have team “watch parties” on Tuesday and Wednesday to follow the Wild Card Series and keep the team bond tight.
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