Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday during the regular season you’ll get a fresh, topical story to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
The Dodgers entered Monday with a .699 winning percentage and a 16-game lead in their division with 49 left to play. But despite their 4–0 win over the Brewers, to improve to 20–4 since the All-Star Break, they closed the day with more questions about their World Series prospects than should ever be expected for a team on pace to win 113 games.
The dampened mood came courtesy of the team’s announcement that two-time All-Star starting pitcher Walker Buehler would be undergoing season-ending elbow surgery later this month. Buehler hadn’t pitched since June 10 but was expected to return at some point before the end of the regular season and play a key role in the playoffs. Now, those plans are being scrapped, with the pitching-needy Dodgers forced to evaluate their backup options.
