For the third straight year—a feat only accomplished six times in MLB history—the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated from the postseason by a team that finished the regular season with at least 15 fewer victories than them.

The 88-win Atlanta Braves defeated the 107-win Dodgers in the National League Championship Series in 2021. The 89-win San Diego Padres defeated the 111-win Dodgers in 2022, while the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks swept the 100-win Dodgers this season.

The Diamondbacks and Padres won the NL Division Series, and the Dodgers lost.

Because of this, the Dodgers are still looking for solutions to their October problems. Chris Taylor has stated that there is “no magic answer,” and manager Dave Roberts has acknowledged that he needs to do a better job of getting the team ready.

Max Muncy believes that their inability to advance to the postseason is due to their inability to strike out at the appropriate time and play better baseball when facing teams that ultimately have superior execution.

During the NLDS, Muncy stated, “I don’t like using ‘underdog’ or ‘favorite’ or any of that when you get to the postseason.” Only a small number of the 30 teams in the league get to the postseason. Every team is, in my opinion, on par with every other club once they reach the postseason.

That is irrelevant in terms of paper. You witness it annually. The best squad doesn’t always come out on top. The squad that performs the best on the field is the one that gets the most heat. That is all that really matters.

It makes no difference if you’re the favorite or the underdog. It is up to you to go out there and play the game, making sure that you make the plays, pitches, and huge hits when you need them. That’s the only thing that matters.

For the Dodgers and the majority of teams that received a bye through the Wild Card round, the problem might be partially attributed to the altered postseason format. In the Division Series, every team that finished the regular season with 100 or more wins was eliminated. The only team to advance to the League Championship Series after receiving a bye is the Houston Astros.

Baseball has a rhythm, as Roberts has noted, so hitters find it difficult to halt for almost a week and then have to start things back up with full vigor. Additionally, this structure made it possible for two teams with 100 wins to be swept in a single postseason for the first time in MLB history.

Maxim Muncy Uncertain if the postseason format is the cause.Muncy stated he couldn’t respond to the question of whether participating in the Wild Card Series would be more advantageous “without having done the other one.”

This is our second year using this format, so to speak. Both times, we’ve been offline. I can’t really respond to that issue fairly because I don’t know what it’s like on the other side,” Muncy continued. “Yeah, we would prefer to play right away or not,” I may say.

In actuality, though, you’re one of the top seeds and have home-field advantage if you have the days off. And when you really get down to it, that’s the most crucial factor. But since we haven’t completed the other side, I am unable to respond to you fairly.