Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — This team is locked in. Like, seriously. The number one team in the NL Central came into town on Tuesday, and the Dodgers have proceeded to steal their lunch money. They beat the Brewers 6-2 on Tuesday, and in this one, they did it one better and topped the Crew 7-1. Basically everything is working for this team right now, and it showed all night.
“Just great baseball,” said Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw “Defensively, guys are making plays all over the field. Offensively, a lot of hits with runners in scoring position. And then pitching-wise, I think everybody has stepped up in the rotation. … And you can’t discredit what the bullpen is doing. They’ve been unbelievable. It’s been awesome.”
It was indeed a Kershaw night at the Ravine on Wednesday, and Clayton was very Clayton-esque. He gave up a solo shot to new Brewer Mark Canha in the second inning, but that was it for the entire outing. There was some hard contact, and a couple of walks, but other than that, it was a clean outing. He came out of the game with a lead, perhaps a little earlier than expected, but his return to the lineup remains on track. His final line for Wednesday: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.
On offense, ho hum. Mookie and Freddie went 6-for-9 and Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor provided a couple of long flies. In total, it was an eleven-hit attack. Probably the big hit of the game was the Rojas homer in the second inning, which broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Dodgers a lead that they would never relinquish. This was the third homer in the last fifteen games for Rojas, whose unexpected power surge is just one of the delights of this winning streak.
Oddly enough, this was the exact time of year that the Dodgers put together their longest winning streak of last season. For the 2022 Dodgers, it was a twelve-game streak that the team put together from July 31st to August 13th. Now, the team has a ten-game lead over the second place Giants.
With the division essentially over, the only regular season challenge that remains is keeping guys healthy and fresh, and maybe, catching the Braves for the #1 Seed in the playoff bracket. That’s going to be a tall order, but the Dodgers are within striking distance, a place where they never could even dream of being in mid-season.
The team goes for a sweep of the Crew on Thursday. Lance Lynn takes the mound against perennial ace Corbin Burnes, who’s actually having a bit of a down year with an ERA in the mid-threes. It’s going to be a 7:10 first pitch. Get out those brooms, and let’s go!!
