After clinching a series win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled to within 3.5 games of first place in the National League West.
With the victory, the Dodgers improved to 6-1 in their last seven contests. During that span, Los Angeles has picked up 4.5 games in the division and now find themselves only five games below .500 at 22-27.
The Dodgers’ quick rise in the standings is nothing short of monumental. It was just over a week ago that the club found itself in a vulnerable position, having lost nine of 10 games after dropping a combined five of six to the rebuilding Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins.
But the Dodgers have since answered back and only grown stronger with the returns of many key players from the disabled list, including Justin Turner, Logan Forsythe and Tony Cingrani, among others.
Manager Dave Roberts always expected the Dodgers to improve and remains confident that his group of players have enough talent to win the NL West, per Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times:
“I still believe in our guys and expect us to win the division,” Roberts said. “I think that’s the most important thing. Whether it’s a runaway or it’s a one-game situation, I don’t know. But I still feel good about our club.”
Over a 162-game season, talent wins out “more times than not,” Roberts said. He remained confident his team has the most talent.
Even as his team was on the skids, Roberts stood by his prediction that Los Angeles will come out on top in the division when it’s all said and done.
In addition to the Dodgers playing better baseball as of late, the club has been aided by the overall mediocrity in the NL West. As of Tuesday, only two teams in the Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks are currently sporting a winning record.
For the Diamondbacks, their early stranglehold on the division has since evaporated after dropping 12 of their last 13 games.
The losing skid comes after the club concluded the month of April with a dominating 20-8 record — including a 7-2 showing in head-to-head meetings the Dodgers.
