With two weeks left, next challenge will be Phillies

This is the time to bring on the rivals. The Dodgers are used to taking on challengers down the pennant stretch: the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres — and, ina previous version of the National League West, the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.

- BILL SHAIKIN COLUMNIST

TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ and Freddie Freeman are driven in by Michael Conforto on Sunday.

The final two weeks of the regular season are upon us. The Dodgers have one remaining head-to-head matchup that really matters — and that series starts Monday at Dodger Stadium, against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies?

The Phillies have not been realigned into the NL West. However, although the three division champions automatically qualify for the playoffs, the two with the best records earna bye into the division series. The division champion with the third-best record — right now, that would be the Dodgers — must play inthe first round.

The Milwaukee Brewers, the presumed champions of the NL. Central, boast the best record in baseball. The Phillies, the presumed champions of the NL East, lead the Dodgers by 4 '/2 games. The Dodgers have 13 games to play.

The Dodgers got a bye and lost in the division series in 2022. They got a bye and lost in the division series in 2023. They got a bye and came within one game of elimination in the division series in 2024. Would they be better offnot gettinga bye and playingin the first round?