The Dodgers came out of the All Star break and nearly swept the Mets in New York over the weekend, taking two of three games and losing Sunday’s game in extra innings.
The Dodgers won the first two games of the series and extended their winning streak to six games. They are 6-1 in their past seven games and 14-6 in their past 20 games.
At the All Star break, the Dodgers were tied with those annoying Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West standings.
After Sunday’s games, the Dodgers have a 1.5 game lead over the Diamondbacks and the second best record in the National League. Only the Atlanta Braves have a better record.
One of the reasons for the Dodgers recent surge is Mookie Betts. He has been the hottest hitter in the league for about a month. He’s been hotter than the San Fernando Valley. He’s been hotter than a climate change denier. He’s been the equivalent of a solar flare on the baseball field in July.
Betts almost outhit the whole Mets team in the first two games of the series. He had six hits in the first two games. The Mets had seven, and only scored one run.
Betts went 4-for-4 with a walk against the Mets on Saturday, a game the Dodgers won 5-1. It was a tie game until the eighth inning when Dave Peralta drove in the go-ahead run for the Dodgers. The Dodgers scored three more runs in the ninth inning. Betts hit a home run in the third inning, his eighth home run in his past 13 games.
He has hit 10 home runs since June 23. After Saturday’s game, he was hitting .410 with 21 RBIs in his previous 17 games.
He added an RBI single in Sunday’s game, driving in the only run of the game for the Dodgers, and has at least one RBI in five straight games.
The Dodgers lost to the Mets, 2-1, on Sunday, wasting a strong start by rookie Bobby Miller. But Betts didn’t cool off.
“I think this lineup top to bottom, they all swing it really well. And I think it was just a matter of time before we started clicking and started rolling,” Los Angeles pitcher Tony Gonsolin told the Associated Press after Saturday’s game.
No hitter has been better than Betts. He raised his batting average to .286 and has 27 home runs and 65 RBIs after Sunday’s game. Not bad for a leadoff hitter.
Dodger starting pitcher power rankings:
- Julio Urias
- Tony Gonsolin
- Bobby Miller
- Michael Grove
- Emmet Sheehan
The Dodgers (53-39) head to Baltimore to start a three-game series against the Orioles on Monday. The Dodgers end the week with a three-game series in Texas against the Rangers starting on Friday. Sheehan is scheduled to start Monday’s game against the Orioles.
No comments:
Post a Comment