The Los Angeles Dodgers win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday evening has brought their records even. The Dodgers and Giants both own records of 28-18, which creates a tie for second in the NL West. Furthermore, this Dodgers win puts them in a position to sweep their arch-rivals. That is always a good thing. The Dodgers have been on fire since the start of the homestand that was completed just before heading to San Francisco. First, they swept the Seattle Mariners in two, then they took three of four from the Miami Marlins. After that, they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in four, and they have now taken the first two from the Giants.
The Dodgers are only going to get tougher as their players come off of the IL. Zach McKinstry and Cody Bellinger should be back next week, while Tony Gonsolin might take an extra week. AJ Pollock might be coming back as well, since he is expected back as early as May 25. However, hamstring injuries are fickle, so it may take a bit more time to be ready for game action. Scott Alexander is also expected back as early as May 28. These are five key players for the Dodgers–regular players. It is hard to imagine a team winning a lot of games with so many injuries. Furthermore, those are just the players who are close to returning. There are still several players out–some for the season. The Dodgers depth has certainly been tested so far this season.
Dodgers Win With Their Depth
With the absences of Corey Seager, Zach McKinstry, and AJ Pollock, the Dodgers have had to rely on their young players to step up and produce. They have given the playing time to guys like Matt Beaty, Sheldon Neuse, Luke Raley, and DJ Peters–who had his first multi-hit game in the show Saturday. This group of rookies has really answered the call, along with newly acquired and future Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols. They have helped the Dodgers win 10 of their last 11 games. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the Giants and San Diego Padres also got hot in the same stretch. With their win against the Mariners on Saturday night, the Padres have the best record in MLB at 29-17. The Dodgers and Giants are only a game back, so things are getting very exciting in the NL West.
The Dodgers will look to win Sunday’s game with the Giants to complete the sweep. After that, they will head to Texas to play two with the Houston Astros before coming back home to host the Giants for four more. Then the St. Louis Cardinals will come to town for three. This is an opportunity to really hurt their rivals, and bury them deep into third place. Regardless of how this next week or so turns out, the NL West is shaping up to be the most exciting division in baseball–at least the most dominant.
“Main Photo”
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Players Mentioned:
Matt Beaty, Sheldon Neuse, Luke Raley, DJ Peters, Corey Seager, Zach McKinstry, AJ Pollock, Cody Bellinger, Tony Gonsolin, Scott Alexander, Albert Pujols
