With the Los Angeles Dodgers trailing the San Francisco Giants by one game with just 15 contests left on the schedule, the outcome of every matchup could decide whether they win the National League West or settle for a spot in the Wild Card Game.
L.A. is coming off a homestand where they went 6-0 against the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, which helped them catch some ground in the division. It also demonstrated just how good the Dodgers can be when they play the type of baseball they are capable of.
“It’s definitely huge,” Kenley Jansen said about the successful homestand. “Knowing the Giants have been playing unbelievable baseball this whole season, we’ve just got to take care of us and keep playing good baseball. Whenever we worry about us, good things are going to happen. I think when we do that, nobody is better than us in this league.”
Although the Dodgers have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games, Wednesday was the first time they were able to make up any ground in the division since Sept. 4, because of how well the Giants have played.
“We’ve just got to take care of us. Can’t worry about the Giants,” Jansen said. “They’ve been playing unbelievable baseball, and if we worry about us and take care of business, play Dodgers baseball, I don’t think there’s anybody better than us in this league.
“We’ve just got to take care of our own business, stay healthy, continue to grind and take one game at a time. Of course we want to catch them, of course we want to win the division. At the end of the day, no matter how we get in, we’ve just got to take care of business. I think special things are going to happen.”
The Dodgers’ talent is backed by their +244 run differential, which is 54 runs better than the next closest team, the Houston Astros, and 63 better than the Giants.
It shows they are the most well-rounded team that can beat you in a different way each night. However, their run differential does not account for how inconsistent the team has been.
Stop talking about the Giants
Trea Turner echoed a similar sentiment to Jansen, saying the Dodgers need to focus on what is right in front of them and not spend any time thinking about what the Giants are doing.
“Stop talking about them. I’ve heard so much about the Giants in the last month and a half,” Turner recently said.
“You focus on what’s in front of you. Unless you’re playing them, they’re not in front of you. Take care of business on our end and like I always say, if you focus on each and every day, focus on what’s in front of you, then at the end of the year we’ll be in a good spot.
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