The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the New York Mets in historic fashion, slugging their most home runs (15) in franchise history for a four-game series. Los Angeles enters play Friday with a 1.5-game lead in the National League West standings.
They open a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies, who were white hot but cooled at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The series is the first matchup between the Dodgers and Rockies since they split a four-game set at Coors Field that concluded Mother’s Day.
The Dodgers are 4-5 against the Rockies thus far. While the weekend series has received plenty of attention due to its implications within the NL West, Kenley Jansen is hardly taking notice, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
Kenley Jansen on the upcoming series with the Rocks: "It's a long season, man. I'm not getting caught up in all that excitement."
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) June 23, 2017
Jansen converted his 16th save of the season on Thursday night; six of his efforts have been four-out saves. What’s more, the right-hander has yet to issue a walk in 31 innings pitched. Jansen has 50 strikeouts, and continues to extend his MLB record for most strikeouts with a walk to start the season.
With the Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Rockies jockeying for position in the NL West, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said he viewed the tight race as a positive factor. He also expressed a belief that the Dodgers are the best team.
His club has done their part to validate Roberts’ claim, winning 13 of their past 14 games. In addition to sitting atop the NL West, the Dodgers also hold the best record in the NL and second-best overall.
