The Los Angeles Dodgers’ recent play, which included losing seven straight games and eight of nine at one point, is not insignificant. Still, Blake Snell believes that the team figuring things out is inevitable.
The Dodgers’ skid was a team effort in the worst way possible, with the starting rotation, bullpen and offense all contributing to losses at various points recently.
While one streak of bad performances is not indicative of an entire 162-game season, it is important to see how the team responds to the setback once it has collected itself. Of all the teams in MLB, the Dodgers have the strongest case for being given the benefit of the doubt, considering their body of work under manager Dave Roberts dating back more than a decade.
“I listen to what people say and I just laugh, because I know the team,” Snell recently told Kirsten Watson on SportsNet LA. “I know what we have and the people that are coming back, what we’re going to be able to do. So I think it’s funny. I’d rather go through this now than go through it in September.
“We’re in a good spot. We’ll figure it out, flip it around and start winning. They’ll then reverse how they talk about us and say the opposite. That’s fine. With me, the rotation we have and what we’re able to do, the bullpen and how solid it is, then you look at our lineup and the way we play defense, it’s part of it.
“It’s what’s going to make us so great coming down the stretch. I’m not really too worried about it.”
While there are drawbacks to having a roster as old as the Dodgers’, the talent, professionalism and experience it possesses lend credence to Snell’s statements.
While Roberts did not directly disagree with Snell’s sentiments, the Dodgers’ skipper emphasized the need for more “urgency” from his club. The 11th-year manager wanted his players to hold themselves to a higher standard than simply saying “we’re going to be okay,” and “we’re good.”
The Dodgers took the first step after that losing streak by securing a series victory over the Kansas City Royals, their first series win in their last four tries. However, L.A. then lost three of four games to the Milwaukee Brewers in what Roberts called an important series they needed to win given the potential playoff implications down the line.
Freddie Freeman not concerned by Dodgers’ losing
Snell became the second player to express a lack of concern with the Dodgers’ recent performances. Freddie Freeman also expressed confidence that the team will eventually turn things around.
The Dodgers showed up by scoring 11 runs against the Colorado Rockies in the series opener, the first time they’ve reached double-digits since July 2. But that comes at an extreme hitter’s park against bad pitching, and there are still questions to answer for the group.
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