The Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night clinched the season series between the two teams for the D-Backs for the first time since 2013, and that has given Arizona players plenty of confidence.
Diamondbacks closer Fernando Rodney said he wants to face the Dodgers in the playoffs so they can be viewed as "the best" team since Los Angeles is going to win the NL West. That has irritated some with the Dodgers, but not catcher Yasmani Grandal.
“This is just another stepping stone,” Grandal said. “I’m glad somebody is trying to challenge us, especially from our own division. We obviously become a different team in the playoffs.
“Go ahead, keep playing your baseball, keep doing everything you can to make it to the playoffs. The more you do, the more information we get. If we get ’em, we’ll go ahead and do it (in the NLDS). We know we’re the better team, we know we’ve got the better plan. There’s no doubt that they play hard, but so do we.”
The Dodgers have really struggled of late, losing 10 of their last 11 games, while Arizona has won 12 games in a row - including five over Los Angeles.
Arizona currently holds the top wild card spot in the National League with a 6.5 game lead over the Colorado Rockies, who hold the second wild card spot. Should they win the one-game wild card playoff, the Diamondbacks would be slated to face the top-seeded Dodgers.
Grandal is batting .257 with 19 home runs and 51 RBIs in 109 games this season.
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