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The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the month of May in the midst of an eventual four-game losing streak and eight games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West.
The club proceeded to post a dreadful 4-10 record over the first two weeks of the month, as the losing skid was ultimately capped off with dropping a combined six of seven contests to the rebuilding Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins.
But it was from that point in which the Dodgers miraculously turned their season around. Los Angeles salvaged the final game of a three-game road series against the Marlins and went on to sweep the Washington Nationals in the backend of an East Coast road trip, conquering the likes of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg to do so.
The club has since won additional series against the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres while splitting a four-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies.
After sweeping the Rockies at Coors Field over the weekend, the Dodgers have improved to 13-4 since May 17. In that span, Los Angeles has gained 5.5 games in the standings, climbing to within two games of the first-place Diamondbacks.
Let’s look back at the last two weeks of play and highlight a wide array of contributors that have helped keep the Dodgers afloat in the midst of an abundance of injuries, and examine those who are searching for it.
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Cody Bellinger: Entering play on Tuesday, Bellinger finds himself just 5-for-his-last-54 at the plate with three extra-base hits and 18 strikeouts.
Yasmani Grandal: After tearing the cover off the ball in April, Grandal has cooled off a bit in recent weeks. He’s batting .178 with two home runs and six RBI over his last 45 at-bats.
Justin Turner: Turner has yet to find consistency at the plate since being activated off the disabled list in early May. He has recorded 14 hits in his last 59 at-bats (.238) — with only one of them going for extra bases.
CONTINUE READING: Walker Buehler, Joc Pederson among standouts
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Walker Buehler: In the past three weeks, Buehler is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.84 WHIP across his last 19 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts compared to only two walks.
Matt Kemp: Over his last 17 games, the 33-year-old is hitting a Major-League best .436 with seven doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI in 60 trips to the plate. Kemp was rewarded for his latest hot stretch with NL Player of the Week honors.
Max Muncy: Muncy’s breakout season has been nothing short of unprecedented as he is batting .250/.362/.667 with two doubles, a team-leading six home runs and 13 RBI in 58 plate appearances.
Joc Pederson: Pederson has made the most of his opportunities as of late, batting a solid .325 with five doubles, one triple and two homers across his last 40 at-bats.
Yasiel Puig: After a slow start to the 2018 season, Puig has since returned to form and is 17-for-his-last-45 (.378) with four doubles, four home runs and nine RBI.
Ross Stripling: Stripling continues to shine with an increased workload in the starting rotation. In his last three starts, the right-hander has allowed a mere two runs over 19.2 innings pitched (0.92 ERA) with a 28-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Chris Taylor: The seemingly now-everyday shortstop ranks 11th in all of baseball with a 195 wRC+ since May 17, compiling a .308/.439/.654 slash line with three doubles, three triples, three homers, 13 runs scored and 10 RBI in his 66 plate appearances.
Honorable Mentions
Logan Forsythe: Forsythe is quietly turning a corner offensively, having collected 13 hits in his last 46 at-bats — good for a .283 batting average.
Kenley Jansen: Jansen has made 10 appearances since May 17, picking up eight saves in the span while yielding only one earned run in 10.1 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts compared to one walk.