Throughout the course of a long 162-game season, we often hear the phrase “This is a must-win series.” And while it is the goal of every major league team to win every series during the season – and the good teams win most of them – there are definitely several must-win series, especially during the final two weeks of the season.

No one will argue that the Dodgers’ current 7.5-game lead over the hated Giants with only 17 games remaining is a very good thing. But where things begin to get a bit uncomfortable – even with such a commanding lead – is when your look at who the Dodgers must face in those remaining 17 games and, simply put, the three-game series against a very hungry Pittsburgh Pirates team beginning tonight at Dodger Stadium definitely falls into that ‘must-win’ category.

How so, you ask?

Because with an unthinkable (and to be honest, extremely unlikely) three-game sweep at the hands of the Pirates, coupled with a Giants sweep over the third-place Arizona Diamondbacks (a far more likely scenario), suddenly that comfortable 7.5-game lead becomes a 4.5-game lead – still somewhat comfortable but much less so – especially when you factor in the four remaining head-to-head games against the Giants on September 28 to October 1 at AT&T Park, where the Dodgers haven’t won even once this season.

What makes a sweep at the hands of the Pirates ‘extremely unlikely’ is the fact that the Dodgers send NL Cy Young award-favorite Zack Greinke to the mound tonight and (probable) NL Cy Young award-runner up Clayton Kershaw to the mound on Saturday against a Pirates team that just lost three of four to the Chicago Cubs, who they are desperately fighting against for a Wild Card berth – hence that ‘very hungry’ thing.

The one-two punch of Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw is the best in all of baseball – bar none.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The good news for the Dodgers – great, in fact – is that their offense seems to be heating up, and their timing couldn’t be better. Additionally, left-handers Brett Anderson and Alex Wood are both coming off great outings and they, too, appear to be peaking at exactly the right time, although Anderson has been pretty consistent (and healthy) for most of the season.

As it stands right now, Anderson gets the nod in Sunday’s series finale against the Pirates before the Dodgers host the Dbacks for a four-game set. The Dodgers then hit the road for their final road trip of the season with three against the last place Rockies and then the four against the Giants.

Although is may sound cliché to call this weekend’s series against the Pirates a ‘must-win’ series, the truth of the matter is that it is just that – as is the next one, and the next one, and so on.

…at least until the Dodgers’ magic number is zero.