Dodgers minor league playoffs lie ahead for 2, maybe 3 affiliates

Minor league seasons are coming to a gradual close, including just one more week for both Class-A levels. Double-A schedules run for two more weeks, through September 18, while Triple-A plays through September 28. Two Dodgers affiliates have already qualified for the playoffs, with another one currently in first place.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Unlike the other full-season levels, Triple-A isn’t split into halves. It’s a year-long battle. Oklahoma City lost four straight to Round Rock (a Rangers affiliate) last week, but Sunday’s win kept OKC two games up on Round Rock in the East Division of the Pacific Coast League.

OKC still has 3½ weeks and 21 games left on the schedule, including nine games at home, with a regular season schedule that ends on Wednesday, September 28. Oklahoma City won the season series over Round Rock, 16-14.

The two PCL division winners — Reno, a D-backs affiliate, is nine games up in the West — will play a one-game playoff on Friday, September 30 to determine the PCL champ. The winners of the PCL and International League will play for one game on Sunday, October 2 to decide the overall Triple-A champ.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers have struggled in the second half and still have two series remaining, but they already clinched a playoff berth thanks to a 40-27 first half to win the Texas North Division.

Double-A and both Class-A levels have the same postseason format. The division winners play a best-of-3 series to determine the division champions from September 20-23, followed by a best-of-3 championship round.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons won the Midwest League East Division in the first half, and are already playoff bound. They will face the second-half winner — either Lake County (Guardians) or West Michigan (Tigers) — in the opening round of the playoffs.

Just like in Double-A, there will be a best-of-3 series for the division — for the Loons, that’s September 13-16 — followed by a best-of-3 series for the league championship.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

Lake Elsinore (Padres) won the South Division in the first half, earning them a berth into the California League playoffs. In the second half, the Quakes trail the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) by five games with just six to play, for the right to play Lake Elsinore. Those long-shot odds were exacerbated when Rancho Cucamonga just lost four of six to Inland Empire in San Bernardino, though they staved off elimination with a one-run win on Sunday night.

The Quakes play at home against Lake Elsinore this week, while the 66ers are at Visalia. Rancho Cucamonga’s elimination number is two.