The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night and extended their season-best winning streak to 11 games in the process.
L.A. has improved to 15-1 this month while expanding their lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West.
The Dodgers have historically fared well in August, winning at least 21 games during the month since the 2020 season.
“I think one part of it is the depth but also I don’t look at, and I certainly don’t believe our players look at August as the dog days,” manager Dave Roberts said.
“I think it’s just another calendar month. So I don’t think we start to get tired mentally or physically, and hold on. We’re trying to play through October. I think when you have a culture and team of that mind, we’ve got a long way to go, so there’s no time to feel fatigued in any capacity.
“But I will say when you have depth and you can matchup guys, lean on starters or relievers, it keeps guys fresh.”
The Dodgers’ depth and versatility have been key to the team’s recent hot streak. They improved both of those areas at the MLB trade deadline with the acquisitions of Kiké Hernández, Amed Rosario, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly and Ryan Yarbrough.
Whereas Roberts doesn’t consider August to be a tiresome month, Clayton Kershaw had a different opinion. “August is the worst month of the season, for sure,” he said bluntly. “It’s the dog days. So I think for us to be playing as well as we are right now is fun.
“I don’t think any of us think too much of it. I think we just come out and try to win the next game, and try to do that over and over again. It’s just a testament to the guys that play every day. It starts at the top with Freddie and Mookie, and all the way down it’s been pretty impressive to watch.”
Mookie Betts, who has been the heart and soul of the Dodgers lineup this season, credited his teammates for being able to find different ways to win games. “I just feel like they’re kind of different wins,” Betts began.
“Sometimes it’s the offense, sometimes pitching, sometimes the bottom of the lineup, sometimes the top of the lineup. We can win many different ways, and I think that’s the main thing.
“What stands out is the variety of ways we can win and variety of ways we can get things done. That’s why we’ve been playing so good.”
Miguel Rojas: Dodgers ‘doing their job’
Miguel Rojas, who returned to the Dodgers in a trade with the Miami Marlins last offseason, echoed a similar sentiment as Betts.
“I think everybody is doing their job. We’re playing really good baseball and we’re having fun doing it,” Rojas said.
“We’re playing for each other. It’s not the same guy every single night, it’s coming from different places. Bullpen has been amazing, starting pitchers are throwing the ball really well. If you look at the overall numbers, there’s not going to be a place where you can find any kind of weakness.
“Kudos to the organization for getting us Lynn, the bullpen guys, Amed, Kiké. Everybody has been doing a great job. I think our lineup against lefties and righties is way more complete.”
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