Dodgers look to keep division hopes alive for another day

Entering Friday, the Giants’ magic number to win the NL West is two. Though there is still hope alive for the Dodgers to tie and force a Game 163, there’s a chance the Giants could clinch the division tonight.

A Dodgers loss to the Brewers and a Giants win against the Padres would do just that.

How can the Dodgers stay alive? Well, all they got to focus on is winning every game to close out the season, hoping their friends from San Diego can provide some sort of assistance.

LA has a pretty daunting task, as Milwaukee comes to town for the first time this season. They have already clinched the NL Central and currently have the third best record in the National League. How competitive will they be this weekend? That remains to be seen.

Going tonight for Milwaukee will be Eric Lauer, a pitcher the Dodgers are unfortunately too familiar with. To put it kindly, Lauer has SHOVED against the Dodgers during his career. He’s made eight career starts against them and is 6-0 with a 1.89 ERA. It’s the best he’s done against any other team across baseball.

If the Dodgers want to avoid being eliminated from the division race, they’ll have to do something they’ve struggled to do against Lauer..... score runs.

Luckily for LA, their offense has been getting hot at just the right time. Over their last two games, the Dodgers have scored 19 runs off of 23 hits. Majority of those home runs have come off the long ball, as the Dodgers have hit 11 home runs since Wednesday. If the offense is able to continue their hot streak, it’s tough to see the Dodgers losing at any point this weekend.

Game info

First pitch: 7:10 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)

Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers

Venue: Dodger Stadium