The Los Angeles Dodgers capped off the unofficial first half of the season with a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday, clinching a victory over their crosstown rival in the Dodger Stadium portion of the Freeway Series.
The Dodgers improved to 53-43 with the win and now sit alone at the top of the National League West standings with a half-game advantage over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks.
It marks a dramatic turnaround for Los Angeles, who entered the beginning of May trailing Arizona by nine games in the division.
The early struggles stemmed from a variety of factors, including regression to key players and a plethora of injuries that sidelined the likes of Justin Turner, and later, Corey Seager, who wound up undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.
The Dodgers, however, didn’t let adversity overcome them and have since answered back with an NL-best 37-17 record since May 17. Clayton Kershaw credits manager Dave Roberts for keeping the club afloat with his positive demeanor during the difficult period, via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
“There is a calm because we’ve done it before,” said Kershaw, who had 13 baserunners reach during a 108-pitch effort. “We didn’t panic. We just knew we were playing really bad, and that wasn’t an indicator of how good our team can be. And Doc does a great job. He’s a calming presence throughout the season, and he’s super positive. We looked to him, and he’s not worried. That kind of calms us down, and now we’re playing like we should be.”
The Dodgers endured similar troubles at the end of last season when the club posted a disappointing 13-17 record to close out the regular season. It included a particularly rough stretch in which they dropped 16 of 17 games from the final week of August through mid-September.
Similar to their current turnaround, the Dodgers would rebound with victories in six of its final seven contest to enter the postseason on a high note. Roberts was a key presence in both instances, helping Los Angeles push forward each time with newfound confidence when it mattered most.
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