4 reasons Dodgers are better equipped in 2018

LOS ANGELES -- It's a stretch to say these Dodgers are better than the 2017 edition. They won 12 fewer games during the regular season and needed to claw their way into the playoffs through a tiebreaker game against the Rockies on Monday.
Yet the 2018 club finds itself in precisely the same position it did a year ago. The Dodgers are one win from a National League Division Series sweep and a third straight trip to the NL Championship Series. Should they complete the sweep, as they did a year ago, they'll have the option of setting their rotation any way they choose for the NLCS.
:: NLDS schedule and results ::
There's an argument to be made that these Dodgers are actually in a better position than they were a season ago. Here are four reasons why they might be better equipped in their quest for a title this time.
1. A deeper rotation
Much has been made about the demise of Clayton Kershaw. Perhaps that talk was a bit premature. He's not throwing mid-90s heat anymore, but Kershaw pitched an eight-inning, two-hit masterpiece on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, arguably the best playoff start of his career.
But this isn't about Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers have always had Clayton Kershaw. (Or, more accurately, they've had him for their last eight trips to the postseason.) No, this is about the rest of the rotation, which is probably the best supporting cast of any in Kershaw's tenure. Heck, it might be better than Kershaw right now.
Dodgers starters second-half ERA:
Hyun Jin Ryu: 1.88
Walker Buehler: 2.03
Kershaw: 2.73
Rich Hill: 3.03
You could make a case that Kershaw's biggest issue in previous postseasons was his lack of support on staff. Even when the Dodgers had Zack Greinke, they rarely had a reliable third option. That forced Kershaw into frequent starts on three days' rest, jeopardizing future results. That's no longer necessary this year (as evidenced by the decision to pitch Ryu in Game 1), and the deep rotation is easily Los Angeles' biggest upgrade this October.

2. Manny Machado
Corey Seager was available for some of the postseason last year, but he missed the entire NLCS with a back injury and wasn't himself during the World Series. The Dodgers used Charlie Culberson as a fill-in option, and he did the job admirably. (He's doing the same this year for Atlanta, filling in for an injured Dansby Swanson.)
But -- meaning no disrespect -- Culberson is not Manny Machado. The Dodgers have a bona fide middle-of-the-order threat at shortstop this postseason. And it showed Friday night when Machado clobbered a 3-0 cutter from Aníbal Sánchez into the left-field pavilion in the first inning.
Machado might not be a Dodger for very long, but he is undoubtedly a game-changing presence against any pitcher an opponent might use. The Dodgers did not have that at shortstop last postseason.

3. An elite bench
Good luck matching up with this Dodgers lineup. Early in the season, it struggled against left-handers. Then the club added Machado, and Justin Turner returned from injury, and the offense became nearly as lethal against southpaws.
That's mostly because of the Dodgers' incredibly deep bench. Facing two right-handers in the first two games, Matt Kemp, David Freese, Brian Dozier, Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes didn't start. On Saturday, the Braves announced Sean Newcomb would get the ball for Game 3, believing the left-hander would be a better fit.
And yet, Newcomb could very well face nine Dodgers hitting from the right side, should they decide to start Freese, Kemp and Taylor.
Of course, this is nothing new. The Dodgers have spent the past couple years piling up enough offensive talent to mix and match in the postseason. But this season, the bench is deeper than it has ever been.

4. Battle tested
"Last year, towards the middle or late August, we were in the middle of like a 13- or 14-game losing streak, and we still won the division by 10 games," Kiké Hernández recalled prior to Game 2. "I'm not going to say we were getting bored, but at the same time, we were playing games that we wish would have had a little bit more meaning.
"This year nothing was handed to us. We had to turn in every single game, every single inning, every single out. You get to know who you are as a person, who you are as a team when you're going through hard times, and we went through hard times a lot this year."
In short: The 2017 Dodgers saw their season on the brink only once -- in the World Series. When the stakes were raised, they couldn't come through. This year, the stakes have been high since May. The Dodgers have endured the pressure of a Game 163 with the division on the line. They've had to battle back from a nine-game deficit in the NL West.
Not to mention: Most of these players have last year's World Series failure fresh in their minds. They've been there before. And they might be better off for it.