Dodgers clinch playoff bye, but drop series to

The Dodgers didn’t win a sport Thursday. But they obtained one thing far more precious before even taking the sector for their 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres.

With the Atlanta Braves’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day, the Dodgers clinched the second seed in the National League playoffs and the first-round bye that goes with it. That means the Dodgers will get 5 days off next week to put together for their playoff opener, a godsend for a bruised and bloodied group that has stumbled to the end of the common season.

“I think we all know why it’s important,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said of the break. “There’s a lot of us kind of limping toward the end here, a lot of aches and pains this year.”

In addition to Freeman, who has been hobbled all month by a sore proper knee, the Dodgers are dashing to get designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, beginning pitcher Blake Snell and nearer Edwin Díaz healthy.

Center fielder Andy Pages, who missed a month with a damaged hand, returned to the lineup three days in the past, while Dalton Rushing, who is competing for a bench spot on the postseason roster, is predicted to be activated off the injured listing Friday.

All of them will benefit from some extra relaxation before their playoff opener, at Dodger Stadium, on Oct. 3.

And talking of Dodger Stadium, the No. 2 playoff seed carries another important perk: the home-field benefit for the Division Series — and presumably the World Series, if the Dodgers make it that far. Home has actually been an benefit for the Dodgers, who drew a sellout crowd of 53,027 Thursday, pushing the group’s complete home attendance over 4 million for the second straight yr.

“It’s more turning of the turnstiles than any venue in the world,” Dodger supervisor Dave Roberts said. “The amazing thing is that it’s not just localized. It’s international. Everyone looks different at Dodger Stadium.

“It’s spectacular and our players certainly feed off of it.”

The Dodgers are one of 5 franchises in big-league historical past to draw more than 4 million followers in a season but just two others — the Toronto Blue Jays, from 1991-93, and the New York Yankees, in the ultimate 4 years at previous Yankee Stadium — did it in consecutive seasons.

Plus the Dodgers are the only group to do it since 2008. They also lead the majors in highway attendance this season, having drawn 2.82 million, or 36,159 a sport. And for some followers, it’s laborious to separate their assist from the group’s success.

“A synergy exists between we the fans and the players,” said Charles Flores, an affiliate professor at Cal State L.A. and lifelong Dodgers fan who attended more than a dozen video games this season. “One inspires the other.”

Russ Hoffman of Santa Clarita, a season-ticket holder for 40 years, agrees.

“The atmosphere created by drawing so many fans definitely contributes to their success,” he said. “Winning continuously drives the attendance and the current ownership has committed the assets to do that.”

That edge will be even greater in the playoffs. The Dodgers misplaced just 5 of 16 postseason video games at home — a .688 successful share — en route to World Series titles the last two years.

“During the playoffs, Dodger Stadium is a tough place to play because it’s 56,000 crazed fans yelling on every play,” said Stan Brooks, an award-winning movie producer and longtime season-ticket holder. “The fans are so loud and the environment is so intense every night.”

The Dodgers (97-62) will end the common season with three video games this weekend in San Francisco, where they are going to continue their preparation for the postseason. Ohtani had a single and a run-scoring double Thursday. He also despatched Jackson Merrill to the center-field wall to run down two long outs Thursday.

Mookie Betts, dropped to second in the lineup with Ohtani’s return, went three for three with a stroll, raising his average for September to .347, while Freeman had two hits for the third time in 4 video games.

But the Dodgers stranded eight runners, going 0 for eight with males in scoring place through eight innings, avoiding their first shutout of the season at home on Adrian Morejon’s balk in the eighth.

On the mound, Tyler Glasnow, who would be the Dodgers’ fourth starter in the postseason, was excellent through three innings. He walked Fernando Tatis Jr. on 4 pitches to start the fourth, but didn’t permit another Padres batter to attain base until Ethan Salas singled with one out in the sixth.

That proved pricey when Tatis singled on the next pitch, sending Salas to third, from where he scored on Dustin Harris’ sacrifice fly, placing the Padres forward to keep.

Glasnow (5-2) obtained out of the inning by putting out Manny Machado, giving him a season-high 11 strikeouts on the evening and 21 in his last two begins, but San Diego then blew the sport open in the seventh, chasing Glasnow and scoring thrice off reliever Justin Wrobleski on run-scoring singles by Austin Hayes, Salas and Tatis.

Díaz pitched a excellent ninth, putting out two.

With the win, the Padres (89-70) clinched a postseason berth for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Staff author Maddie Lee contributed to this report.