Dodgers let the good times roll

If the Dodgers had a theme song for July, it would be Let the Good Times Roll.

The Dodgers are coming off a four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants and are in the midst of a season-high eight-game winning streak.

These Dodgers haven’t had a losing streak since the end of June, when they lost two games in a row to the Colorado Rockies on June 27-28.

The Dodgers are 15-1 in their last 16 games. They are 19-2 in their last 21 and 24-5 in their last 29 games.

It all adds up to an 11.5-game lead over those pesky San Diego Padres in the National League West standings.

Oooh, let the good times roll. Let ‘em roll.

``Certainly we’re hot,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the Associated Press after Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

How hot you ask? 

The Dodgers had to rally to win Sunday’s game. They trailed 2-1 before taking a 4-2 lead in the third inning. The Giants scored two runs in the fifth inning to tie the score 4-4, and chased Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw. 

But it didn’t matter.

The Dodgers broke the tie scoring three runs in the seventh inning and went on to win 7-4.

Jake Lamb hit an RBI double that scored Freddie Freeman to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead. Trayce Thomspon, with brother and Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson in the stands cheering him on, added an RBI double to pad the lead to three runs.

The Dodger reserves are even producing.

But the stars are shining too.

If they got thunder appeal, let them be by your side.

Freeman went 2-for-5 and scored two runs in Sunday’s game. He has a 12-game hitting streak and raised his batting average to .325.

Trea Turner had a hit on Sunday and extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Not only did the Dodgers sweep the Giants in a four-game weekend series, it was the first time that has happened at Dodger Stadium since 1995 and only the third time it has ever happened at Dodger Stadium. 

Let the good times roll, let ‘em roll.

The lowly Washington Nationals visit Dodger Stadium for a three-game series starting Monday. Dodger fans showered Nationals outfielder Juan Soto with chants of ``future Dodger’’ during the All Star Game on Tuesday, and it definitely caught Soto’s attention.

Soto is rumored to be on the trade block and the Dodgers are a potential landing spot.

Not that they need Soto, one of the best power hitters in the National League, but the way things have been going for the Dodgers, they might end up winning this trade war too.

Dodger starter power rankings:

1. Julio Urias
2. Tyler Anderson
3. Mitch White
4. Clayton Kershaw
5. Tony Gonsolin

The Dodgers (64-30) send Gonsolin and his perfect 11-0 record to start against the Nationals tonight at Dodger Stadium. Andrew Heaney is expected to return to the rotation on Wednesday against the Nationals. The Dodgers finish the week with a four-game series in Colorado against the Rockies starting on Friday.

Hey now, Freeman and Anderson are All Stars

The Dodgers head into the All Star break with a four-game winning streak and an 11-1 record in their past 12 games.

The Dodgers are on a roll.

They swept the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend and Clayton Kershaw flirted with another perfect game on Friday night.

By the end of the weekend, the Dodgers had six players on the National League All Star team, with Tyler Anderson and Freddie Freeman added to join Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Tony Gonsolin and Kershaw.

Get your game on, go play.

Dodger fans have little to complain about at the midway point of the season.

How Freeman was not an All Star before Sunday remains a mystery. He leads the majors in hits with 114, is second in the National League with a .321 batting average and second in the NL with 31 doubles. He went 2-for-4, scored two runs and drove in a run in Saturday’s game against the Angels.

Anderson tossed six shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 4-0 win on Thursday. He improved to 10-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.96.

That gives the Dodgers six All Stars, matching the New York Yankees for the most of any team.

Kershaw made his case to start the All Star game with his performance against the Angels on Friday night.

He took a perfect game into the eighth inning. It was the second time this season he had a perfect game after seven innings. In his first start of the season, Kershaw was pulled after pitching seven perfect innings against the Minnesota Twins. The Dodgers won the game, 7-0, and Kershaw gave up only one hit, striking out 13.

On Friday against the Angels, Kershaw sent down 21 batters in a row before Luis Rengifo led off the eighth inning with a double.

Kershaw improved to 7-2 after giving up one hit and striking out six against the Angels.

It all leads to the Dodgers hitting their stride in July.

They are 15-2 in the past 17 games and 13-2 in July. 

The All Star Game at Dodger Stadium is Tuesday.

Dodger starter power rankings:

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Tyler Anderson
3. Julio Urias
4. Tony Gonsolin
5. Mitch White

The Dodgers (60-30) have a 10-game lead over those pesky San Diego Padres in the National League West standings. They start a weekend series against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday at Dodger Stadium. 

Dodgers looking for a little more All Star power

The Los Angeles Dodgers have four All Stars on the National League team. That is the third most of any team, with the Atlanta Braves with five and the New York Yankees with six, if you’re  keeping score at home.

It’s a little insulting.

The Dodgers can’t have all the All Stars, but some of the choices look a little vindictive, given Braves manager Brian Snitker made some of the choices.

First, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin are All Stars. Betts and Turner are starters. Kershaw and Gonsolin are in the conversation to be the starting pitcher for the National League team. Given the game is in Dodger Stadium, either Kershaw or Gonsolin would be the right choice to start the game.

Gonsolin is having a breakout season. He is 11-0 and leads the National League with a 1.64 ERA. His WHIP is 0.80 and he has emerged as a favorite to win the Cy Young Award.

Kershaw’s numbers are not as impressive, but All Star worthy. He is 6-2 with a respectable 2.40 ERA. But his selection to the team is more sentimental than meritorious. It is his ninth All Star selection, which is the second most in Dodgers history. Pee Wee Reese has the most All Star Game appearances with 10. Steve Garvey, Don Drysdale, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges each had eight appearances.

But with Snitker making the call to who starts the All Star Game, there’s a chance it could be either Sandy Alcantara from the Florida Marlins or Braves ace Max Fried.

That would be a mistake.

While Kershaw would be the feel-good pick to start for the National League All Stars, Gonsolin is the one who deserves it.

But if Snitker chooses Fried, don’t be surprised.

It looks like Snitker is already holding grudges against Freddie Freeman. Snitker did not pick Freeman as one of the All Star reserves, opting for Pete Alonso from the New York Mets and CJ Cron from the Colorado Rockies instead.

Another obvious snub was Will Smith. He leads all National League catchers in home runs with 13 and RBIs with 42, but Snitker chose his own catcher, Travis d’Arnaud, to the All Star team. Not that d’Arnaud isn’t having an All Star season, second among National League catchers in home runs  with 11 and second in RBIs with 37. But it’s not hard to see Snitker is playing favorites.

For the record, the Dodgers lead the National League with a 151 run differential. The Braves are second in the NL with a 72 run differential.

Suck on that, Snitker.

Another glaring omission from the National League All Star team is Tyler Anderson. 

He is having the best season of his career, going 9-1 with a 3.15 ERA in the first half. He is also the surprising workhorse of the Dodgers rotation, leading the team with 91.1 innings pitched.

But probably the most impressive stat of Anderson’s season so far is that he has only walked 15 batters in 14 starts. Pair that with 77 strikeouts, and he is more than All Start worthy.

And finally, Gavin Lux deserved some All Star consideration. He is leading the Dodgers with a .304 batting average and is second on the team with a .370 on-base percentage. Mix that in with Lux still playing out of position in left field for most of the first half of the season, and his All Star credentials only grow.

There is still a chance the Dodger snubs will make the All Star team. Players always drop out because of injuries, or just to take extra time off at the All Star break. But the first All Star Game at Dodger Stadium since 1980 should have more Dodgers on the team.

Speaking of the 1980 All Star Game, Turner is the first Dodger shortstop to start for the NL All Stars since Bill Russell in 1980.

The Dodgers ended the week by sweeping the visiting Chicago Cubs in a four-game weekend series.

Dodger startiers power rankings:

1. Tony Gonsolin
2. Tyler Anderson
3. Clayton Kershaw
4. Julio Urias
5. Ryan Pepiot

The Dodgers have won seven games in a row and are 11-1 in their past 12 games. It has given the Dodgers an eight-game lead over those pesky San Diego Padres in the NL West standings.

The Dodgers (56-29) start a three-game series on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday and have a two-game weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim starting on Friday.

The All Star Game is July 19.

Dodgers put pesky Padres in their place, second place

The Dodgers are 14-2 against those pesky San Diego Padres in their last 16 games.

This is why the Padres will never be a legitimate rivalry to the Dodgers.

The Dodgers won three of four games against the Padres this weekend. They won the first three games of the series before losing the fourth game on Sunday, ruining seven innings of shutout baseball by Clayton Kershaw.

It might have been the curtain call performance of Craig Kimbrel as closer, too.

The Dodgers had a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning. They didn’t exactly give Kershaw a ton of run support.

But it’s nothing new to Kershaw. He just put together another scoreless gem and gave his team a chance to win, sweep the Padres and extend the Dodgers lead in the National League West standings.

Then Kimbrel happened. 

He not only gave up the lead, he gave up four runs in the ninth inning. The Dodgers were down, 4-1 and in position to disappoint Dodger Nation again.

The Dodgers managed to scratch across a run in the bottom of the ninth and had the tying run at the plate, but the game ended with the Padres winning, 4-2.

Still, it was a good week for the Dodgers, a winning week at any rate. They went 4-3, after losing two of three games to start the week against the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers won the first game of the series against the Padres, 3-1, on Thursday night in a total team effort. Mitch White started and left in the fifth inning. Justin Turner hit two home runs and looked like his old self for at least one game. Kimbrel came in and pitched an uneventful ninth inning for his 14th save. 

The Dodgers continued rolling against the Padres on Friday. Tony Gonsolin pitched into the eighth inning, became the first pitcher to win 10 games in the National League, and lowered his ERA to 1.54 in a 5-1 win over the Padres.

Gonsolin improved to 10-0 and looks like the leader in the clubhouse to start the All Star Game.

Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger showed signs of life and hit home runs. It looked like a series with the Padres is just what some of the Dodgers needed to get back on track.

Tyler Anderson started for the Dodgers in the third game of the series against the Padres.

He made his best pitch for the All Star team, improving to 9-1, pitching into the seventh inning of a 7-2 win over the Padres on Saturday.

The Dodgers hit three home runs in the first inning and doused any hopes of a Padres uprising early. 

After Saturday’s game, the Dodgers were 14-1 against the Padres in their past 15 games, had an eight-game winning streak against the Padres in Dodger Stadium, and sent a message to all of San Diego that they are the second best city in the National League West.

But after Kimbrel blew the save for the Dodgers on Sunday, manager Dave Roberts said he was going to give him some rest. Kimbrel said his back was tight and he might be injured. It looks like the Dodgers will give him some time to heal and think about what he did to the team on Sunday.

As for the Padres, they are still looking for a spot on the Dodgers rivalry list, and they can’t even crack the top 10.

Dodgers rival power rankings:

1. San Francisco Giants
2. New York Yankees
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. New York Mets
5. Atlanta Braves
6. Montreal Expos
7. Los Angeles Angels
8. Oakland A’s
9. Philadelphia Phillies
10. Houston Astros

The Dodgers (49-29) have a 3.5 game lead over the Padres in the National League West standings. They start a three-game series against the Rockie Monday at Dodger Stadium and finish the week with a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs.