The Los Angeles Dodgers have been a very streaky team this season, and that’s been particularly true over the last couple of weeks.
Just one week ago the team lost five straight games, causing ace Clayton Kershaw to call for some panic and urgency, as the postseason is just over one month away.
No one seemed to have a problem with Kershaw’s comments, and it may have even sparked some fire in the team as they turned it around this week, winning five straight games entering Sunday and are in position to sweep the Chicago Cubs.
Kershaw largely downplayed the impact his comments may have had on the team, and in a similar light, manager Don Mattingly wasn’t sure who to attribute the recent winning to. “I don’t know who you want to give credit to,” he said.
“It sounds really good, though, that we’ve done that [winning streak]. I just think [Kershaw] has an impact. It is a little bit of a wakeup call for guys to say, ‘Hey, let’s go. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point.’ I think that’s all he was saying. We’ve got to play with some urgency.”
Andre Ethier began the night on the bench and entered as part of a double switch in the seventh inning. He hit a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh that scored the go-ahead runs. “I think it was the right feeling to freak out a little bit just because you see the Giants creep up on you,” Ethier said of Kershaw’s comments.
“So, it’s rightfully so that it’s time to push that panic button and have a sense-of-urgency check on everyone.” The Dodgers currently hold a 3.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the National League West, but still have seven games remaining with the division rivals in September.
