The Los Angeles Dodgers have been unstoppable. They have run away with the lead in the NL West a while ago. Their closest rival are the Arizona Diamondbacks, 17 games behind. Despite losing 5 straight ballgames as of late and a few injuries, the Dodgers still looks as sharp as ever, looking forward to 100+ wins this season. Lately, the Dodgers have been led at the plate by rookie first baseman Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, and Chris Taylor. Pitching does not fall behind either. With Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood on the DL, Japanese imports like Kenta Maeda and their newest acquisition, Yu Darvish, have come up strong for the Dodgers. Nevertheless, when it comes to the postseason, the Dodgers become as predictable as the Texas Lottery.
Past Memories
As many will recall, the Dodgers seem to lose all kind of momentum as soon as October comes around. In 2014, they were no rival for the St. Louis Cardinals and lost the NL Divisional Series 3-1. To make matters worse, their bitter rivals, the San Francisco Giants, were crowned World Series Champions that year. During the 2015 playoffs, Los Angeles traded blows with the New York Mets in the Divisional Series. They fell short and got knocked out in the last games of the series. Then last year they went a bit further than expected. The Dodgers reached the NL Championship Series against the eventual champs, the Chicago Cubs. They took an early lead of 2-1 only to allow Chicago three straight wins. Los Angeles’ favorite team seems to be stuck in a loop of field trips to the playoffs. They all end without a trip to the World Series.
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Assuming that the unpredictable blue and white clear their divisional series game against the wild card team, they will have a bigger challenge up ahead. Either the Chicago Cubs or the Washington Nationals will be waiting for the Californian ballclub in the championship series. Either of those teams can turn the Dodger quest for a ring back. This can turn into a “pick your poison” kind of situation. However, let’s not forget that the Dodgers can still be a highly competitive team if they desire to be so. Regardless of their opponent, if they do make it into the NL Championship series, a long and entertaining playoff series can be expected
A Strong Contender
It all comes down to that. The most expensive franchise coming out of California is by all means one of the strongest title contenders this year. Despite not quite achieving their ultimate goal recently, their collection of talent makes them impossible to ignore. Before entering what seems like a brief losing streak, the Dodgers have made all the other records look silly in comparison to theirs. Such performances, from early June until today, make for an imposing registry: 91 wins and just 41 defeats. Thus, putting them 50 games above the .500 mark. The Dodgers, despite momentary weaknesses are a force to be reckoned with. They can very well take the baseball world by storm this upcoming October.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.