Byes are not clinched in late August, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have an opportunity to separate themselves this week. Perhaps for good. The reigning back-to-back World Series champions have steadied themselves by toppling the Colorado Rockies and plundering the Pittsburgh Pirates for six straight victories. Their lead over the Atlanta Braves for a top-two seed in the National League and a postseason bye is up to four games.Three games against the Braves at Truist Park this week could build that cushion.“It matters,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday, hopeful to avoid a letdown after a week of taking care of business against lesser teams.How Dodgers' Max Muncy will earn $15,000 for every plate appearanceFabian Ardaya and Lauren Morales-JonesThere are bigger goals ahead, including the top seed and home-field advantage. They trail the Milwaukee Brewers by one game for the NL lead, but the deficit is effectively two games, after the Dodgers dropped the season series (losing three of four to Milwaukee at home this month looks even more painful now, after the Dodgers have improved their play).Securing a bye feels paramount for a club that employs the oldest group of position players in the sport, and which has played more games and for longer than any team in baseball over the last two seasons.A playoff bye would provide a few days of rest for the Dodgers to set up their star-studded pitching staff however they’d like. It would buy more healing time for Andy Pages’ fractured left, which required surgery this weekend to insert a compression screw into his fifth metacarpal. A bye would mean that the chance to become just the fifth MLB team in history to win three consecutive titles is only 11 wins away, instead of the 13 they needed to win in 2025.So, as Roberts said, it matters.Some more things I think:Edwin Díaz won’t be the closer when he comes back, but he could still close games in October.This might just be a lost season for Díaz, who said he felt something in his neck after getting knocked around in what had previously been a blowout and turned into a much tighter Dodgers win last Monday in Colorado. He has pitched 16 times in a Dodgers uniform and missed time with elbow surgery before this latest stint on the injured list. None of his outings before or in between the injuries have inspired much confidence.His stuff is not the same as it was during his dominant seasons with the New York Mets, or earlier in his career with the Seattle Mariners. Díaz’s fastball is flat. His slider isn’t moving as intended. Everything is moving in the wrong direction, something the Dodgers and Díaz have tied to an average arm angle that has dropped dramatically and concerningly since his heyday in New York.All of this paints the picture of a broken pitcher.“I haven’t done my job,” Díaz said. “If I’d done my job, I’d be pitching in the ninth inning.”Relief work is volatile, which is what made Díaz’s run of dominance all the more impressive. The nature of the position means success can flip quickly to failure and vice versa. The Dodgers have been hoping for a sudden return to success, but so far, it hasn’t come. Díaz has continued throwing, and even threw a bullpen session Saturday.After each period of throwing, he conferred with assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness, who showed him video of his mechanics. Díaz’s arm slot is the main focus right now.Díaz will not be the club’s closer immediately when he returns, Roberts said. Díaz accepted the decision, repeatedly saying that Tanner Scott had earned the opportunity after recording 19 saves, with a 2.24 ERA, through 56 appearances so far this season.The bridge to Scott is still a little wobbly, though that should get more secure once Roki Sasaki and Justin Wrobleski shift into relief roles.But Díaz’s upside should not be ruled out, just in case something clicks into place.Pages’ injury is a massive deal, even if he can return this season.Let’s start defensively, which was the Dodgers’ clear priority when they summoned Alek Thomas to serve as Pages’ primary replacement in center field. Thomas graded out as a quality defender during his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he said the Dodgers have worked with him to fine-tune his jumps since acquiring him in May.There will still be a drop-off in the short term, largely because of how good Pages has been in center field this season. His 18 defensive runs saved trail only the Boston Red Sox’s Ceddanne Rafaela, who has 19. Pages also still possesses one of the best arms in the sport. Defensive metrics can be faulty, but Pages’ range is of particular importance to the Dodgers, who have seen Kyle Tucker regress in right field and understand that Teoscar Hernández has limited range in left.It was notable that Saturday, in a one-run game, Roberts pulled Teoscar Hernández and inserted Kiké Hernández in left field to start the ninth inning and preserve the lead, with Thomas manning center. That was something he hadn’t done often with Pages in center field.The Dodgers have lacked right-handed production, even before Pages’ injury.The deficit stems mostly from their stars in Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández, who have combined to produce a .698 OPS this season (91 wRC+).“We got to get Teo going, and I like his work,” Roberts said. “It just certainly hasn’t translated to the field consistently. Mookie, I think that he’s in a much better spot. Certainly, when you take on some left-handers, some tough lefties, you’re going to need that production from those right-hand hitters, too.”Tommy Edman’s return has provided a boost. Getting Will Smith back in early September should also help (he starts a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City).But Smith’s return might only offset some of what Pages’ bat provided, as the center fielder had emerged as a middle-of-the-order producer for a lineup that lacked consistency.