After an underwhelming start to the 2018 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have since rebounded to put together their best stretch of baseball in recent weeks.
The Dodgers have won nine of their last 11 games dating back to May 17, allowing them to gain significant ground in the National League West as a result. They enter play on Tuesday just 3.5 games behind the first-place Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers’ hot streak commenced with a sweep of the Washington Nationals on the road, conquering the likes of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in a day-night doubleheader to accomplish the feat. Matt Kemp called the pair of wins “pretty big” for Los Angeles.
It also marked the start of three consecutive series victories, as Los Angeles followed up by taking care of business against a pair of divisional rivals in the Rockies and San Diego Padres.
On Memorial Day, the Dodgers’ roll continued with a comeback win over the up-and-coming Philadelphia Phillies. To do so, the club overcame a four-run deficit in the later innings despite not recording its first hit until the sixth.
Kemp, who delivered a clutch pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth inning to trim the Phillies’ lead to one, now believes the Dodgers are on the brink of reaching their potential, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“We’re playing good baseball right now. The first month and a half wasn’t the best baseball we played, we know we’re capable of more. This was a good team win. We capitalized on their mistakes and made them pay. Once we get firing on all cylinders, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”
Even when the Dodgers struggled in April, Kemp wasn’t concerned and always felt a turnaround was inevitable.
The 33-year-old has played a significant role in the club’s success as of late, sporting an .899 on-base plus slugging over 93 plate appearances this month with nine doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI.
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