Winners of six consecutive National League West titles, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been considered a World Series favorite for multiple seasons. That particularly held true for 2017, 2018 and now this year.
The Dodgers rode a historic summer in 2017 to runaway with the best record in baseball. Though a juggernaut, they came up short against the Houston Astros in seven games of a thrilling World Series.
Facing expectations to make another run at the Fall Classic, a combination of fatigue and the proverbial ‘hangover,’ coupled with Justin Turner spending the first six weeks of the regular season on the injured list as he recovered from a left wrist fracture, led to an abysmal start.
The Dodgers ultimately returned to the World Series, where they were again defeated but in much easier fashion by the Boston Red Sox. As they look to end the franchise’s championship drought, this year’s Dodgers resembles the 2017 club.
For all their success thus far in the 2019 season, Turner fully believes the team can improve, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“We’re playing really good and I still think there’s room for us to continue to get better,” Turner said. “Besides Mr. Bellinger, I think guys are still trying to get it locked in. Some guys are feeling good, having success but not completely locked in the way we’ve seen them get locked in. I definitely feel we can still be better.”
Turner’s critique came after tallying a career-high five hits and reaching base six times (another first) in an 11-7 win to complete a season series sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers finished 6-2 on their road trip and started their homestand with a win.
Turner’s assessment is similar to comments made by manager Dave Roberts when the Dodgers reached the first quarter mark of the season. L.A. was the first team to reach 20 wins, then first to 30, besting the Astros by a couple hours.
The Minnesota Twins quietly have the best record in baseball at 37-17, followed by the Astros (37-19) and Dodgers (36-19) and New York Yankees (35-19). Minnesota additionally leads all teams in run differential (+112), with Houston (+93) and L.A. (+79) second and third, respectively.
Starting pitching has been key to the Dodgers’ success, as well as their situational hitting. Power remains a factor, though the Dodgers have cooled from their torrid pace and rank seventh overall with 85 home runs. If there’s been a glaring weakness, it once again lies in their bullpen.
