The NLDS is quickly approaching, and Dave Dombrowski knows what needs to be done to win.
It’s time to hit the reset button on the season. Most MLB clubs have wrapped things up and are spending time with friends and family. The Philadelphia Phillies instead find themselves as serious World Series threats and plan to get that last victory of 2024.
The 2024 regular season closed out with the Phillies finishing with their sixth consecutive increase in their win total and the beloved crown of the NL East, a title they had not won since 2011. Now comes another test as the uncharted waters of the first-round bye set in for the club that has made two deep playoff runs via the Wild Card in the MLB playoffs the last two years.
The first-round bye was a goal a long time ago for this club. Coupled with a division title, you have a true shot to win the whole thing. The time-off excuse has been exhaustingly regurgitated over the last few years, and the Phillies want to flip the script and put their stamp on what it means to be one of the best teams in all of baseball. The team just has to patiently await the winner of the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets series to begin the NLDS.
Dave Dombrowski lays out what the Phillies need to do to win the NLDS
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski knows what it means to get the bye but also understands that it comes with its own challenges. The break is the team’s longest since the All-Star break in July. How can the Phillies flip the switch and return to Red October mode with such a lull in between?
On Tuesday, Dombrowski spoke with the media and shared his approach in hopes that the Phillies’ can return to their third straight NLCS.
“We need to be good in every aspect of the game,” Dombrowski said. “I mean our starting pitching which is a plus, we need them to perform like they’re capable of doing so. Our bullpen which is deep, we need them to go ahead and perform like they are. And we need to score runs.
“I would also say that you have to be careful in a short series, that you fundamentally play well because if you make mistakes … in a short series, you have to be on top of everything. I know our guys are working through a lot of fundamentals during this time period.”
The layoff is the nature of the beast in securing the No. 2 seed, but the Phillies have kept the mindset of getting the rest they need and setting their starting rotation for one shortened series, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. They’re ready and know what a slip-up can cost them, like last year. The team is preparing with a simulated game and doing all the prep work they can, per Paul Hagen of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
We’ll see how their preparation pays off when Game 1 of the NLDS gets started on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
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