Can the Los Angeles Dodgers go the distance?
The red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers are surging after the All-Star Break while the rest of the National League West falls apart. But can it last?
At 64-29, the Los Angeles Dodgers own the best record in Major League Baseball and they’re making up for a slow start to the season by leaving everyone in the dust. Yes, the Dodgers are surging, but can it last?
The NL West has been fun to watch in 2017. The season began with a match race between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Both teams enjoyed their share of first place in the division under the leadership of their new managers, Bud Black and Torey Lovullo, respectively. Despite their early success, the Dodgers have jumped out in front, leaving the Diamondbacks 10.5 games out of first place, with the Rockies 11 games behind them.
Los Angeles has spent the past few years battling the Giants for NL West supremacy, but 2017 has seen San Francisco in the basement almost from the outset, so now that the Dodgers have powered past Arizona and Colorado, they appear to be in cruise control.
The Dodgers have won 9 of the last 10 games. They’re 39-11 at home and 25-18 on the road. Clayton Kershaw has been healthy, unlike many of his esteemed starting pitcher colleagues. The team has been pretty healthy.
Not only have the Dodgers been racking up the wins, but LA baseball has been fun to watch. Rookie Cody Bellinger has been blowing everything up, hitting for the cycle on July 15. He’s the first rookie to hit for the cycle and he’s one of nine Dodgers players in team history to pull it off. He also has 26 home runs.
With all of this success, can the Dodgers make it to the postseason? Sure, they’ll be in the postseason. No question.
Can the Dodgers last through the postseason and make it to the World Series? It’s no coincidence that Los Angeles, which have the biggest payroll, is enjoying this kind of success.
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While it’s true that the NL West isn’t offering much resistance, the Dodgers are playing good baseball. Los Angeles has a newfound focus this season and there is every possibility that they can go deep into the postseason if they can keep up this level of play. Despite the slow start, it’s very likely that they will stay hot now that they’ve figured out their groove.