The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs by a 4-1 score on Saturday, but saw their historic streak come to an end.
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Dodgers scored at least five runs in each of them, joining seven other teams in MLB history to accomplish that.
The most recent team to reach a streak of 10 straight games with five or more runs to begin a season was the 2002 Cleveland Indians, and they also accomplished it in 1999. The 1936 Cincinnati Reds and 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates also reached that feat.
Only three teams have posted streaks past 10 games: the 1932 New York Yankees (13), 1887 Baltimore Orioles (14) and 1884 St. Louis Maroons (17).
Despite the Dodgers’ streak coming to an end, they are still one of five teams since 1900 to score four or more runs in their first 11 games to open a season.
They joined the 2006 Atlanta Braves, 1978 Boston Red Sox (18), 1974 Montreal Expos, 1954 St. Louis Cardinals and 1932 New York Yankees (13).
The Dodgers have a chance to extend their streak against Shōta Imanaga, which presents them with a tough task.
So far in 2024, the Dodgers have scored an MLB-best 68 runs for an average of 6.2 per game. Most of their lineup has been contributing, albeit a few players, most notably with Mookie Betts getting off to an MVP-caliber start.
The Dodgers haven’t even seen Ohtani find his rhythm yet, which is a scary thought for the rest of the league. But along with Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández have been important contributors in the midst of strong starts to their season.
Teoscar Hernández providing value to Dodgers
Adding Hernández and James Paxton didn’t come with the same fanfare as the other moves the Dodgers made, but both have impressed thus far, which hasn’t come as a surprise to manager Dave Roberts or the organization.
“I think for me, it was two guys that really wanted to be here. I think Teoscar left money on the table to be a Dodger, and James did the same thing. So when you have players like that, that are accomplished, it shows they want to be here and they’ve already bought in,” Roberts said.
“I think for some people, they’re sneaky moves. But people in the baseball industry really understand the value of those two players. I just value those guys so much. You know what you’re going to get from both guys. Dependable players and very valuable.”
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