Dodgers still up to old tricks
Leading ballclub is running on all cylinders while it keeps eye on title
LOS ANGELES — Even amid the upheaval of a pandemic, one thing is predictable: the Los Angeles Dodgers are very good.
In fact, they’re the best team in baseball, boasting a 22-8 record at the halfway point of the shortened season.
They went 13-4 playing a stretch of 17 straight days that ended Sunday, capped by an 11-3 win over Colorado in which the Dodgers blasted seven home runs.
Instead of being on fumes, manager Dave Roberts said, “We all feel really good.”
It shows in their balanced offense and pitching. The Dodgers lead the majors in home runs (59) and runs scored (171). They also have the lowest team ERA (2.65), while their WHIP (1.04) is just behind Cleveland’s leading 1.03. The L.A. staff is doing it without David Price, who opted out of the season because of the coronavirus.
They’ve stayed healthy, too, avoiding the COVID-19 cases that have wreaked havoc with others teams’ schedules.
The Dodgers begin the second half Tuesday against the Giants in San Francisco.
“The last 30 games is more of trying to identify the roles, the roster, winning baseball games,” Roberts said, “but we have more off days coming up in September, so that’s a good thing as far as managing workload.”
The Dodgers’ depth has allowed Roberts to rest his players and pitchers, even with starter Alex Wood and reliever Joe Kelly on the injured list.
The NL has the designated hitter thanks to the pandemic, and the Dodgers have made the most of it. Nine different players have been used in the extra spot, whether to give someone rest or get those stuck on the bench into the game.
The Dodgers won a franchise-record 106 games last season to go with their seventh consecutive NL West title. They made a loaded roster even more so with the addition of Mookie Betts, who became the first Dodger to hit two homers and steal two bases in the same game Sunday. He blasted three homers in a game on Aug. 13.
The bottom of the lineup is producing, too. Three of the Dodgers’ seven homers on Sunday came from hitters sixth through ninth in the order. The team leads the majors in run production from those spots. Only one player in the lineup Sunday didn’t get a hit.
The Dodgers take a fourgame lead over San Diego in the NL West into the second half.
“We’re trying to run away with the division,” second baseman Kike Hernandez said. “That’s step No. 1 to the main goal.”
The ultimate goal, of course, is a World Series title, something the Dodgers haven’t won since 1988 despite back-to-back appearances in 2017 and 2018.
A shortened season wouldn’t make it any less sweet.
“Just an odd year,” Roberts said, “but still a lot of fun.”