Dodgers magic number: Los Angeles could clinch earliest NL West playoff spot if this happens

Superstar Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers have their sights set on defending their World Series championship.

The Dodgers currently are the No. 3 seed in the National League, in first place in the NL West.

Los Angeles has won 11 of the last 12 NL West titles, with the San Francisco Giants winning in 2021 before losing to the Dodgers in the National League Division Series that postseason.

With 16 games left on the schedule, the Dodgers remain in an ideal position to reach the postseason.

Here are the team’s magic numbers as we get closer to October baseball:

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What is the Dodgers’ magic number?

• Clinch postseason berth: 9

• Clinch NL West title: 13

Current NL Playoff standings

If the MLB playoffs were to start Thursday, Sept. 11, here would be the standings in the National League:

1. Milwaukee Brewers: 89-58 (first-round bye)

2. Philadelphia Phillies: 87-60 (first-round bye)

3. Los Angeles Dodgers: 82-64

4. Chicago Cubs: 83-63 (wild card)

5. San Diego Padres: 80-67 (wild card)

6. New York Mets: 76-71 (wild card)

In the Hunt:

• Cincinnati Reds: 74-72

• San Francisco Giants: 74-72

• Arizona Diamondbacks: 73-74

• St. Louis Cardinals: 72-75

Dodgers remaining schedule

• Sept. 12-14: at San Francisco Giants

• Sept. 15-17: vs. Philadelphia Phillies

• Sept. 18-21: vs. San Francisco Giants

• Sept. 23-25: at Arizona Diamondbacks

• Sept. 26-28: at Seattle Mariners