The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the second half of the 2017 season in the same torrid fashion they went into the All-Star break, save for a nail-biter on Sunday to complete a sweep of the Miami Marlins.
Following a day off, the Dodgers now face the Chicago White Sox for a quick, two-game Interleague Series at Guaranteed Rate Field. Los Angeles enters play in the midst of a nine-game winning streak and 29-4 stretch.
While the streak has been impressive, when examined under a wider scope, the Dodgers are 55-18 since beginning the season 9-11. That coincides with Cody Bellinger making his MLB debut on April 25.
While the Dodgers’ current run has received plenty of attention, Alex Wood echoed a sentiment previously shared by Clayton Kershaw, via Steven Wine of AP Sports:
“Clayton’s quote about, ‘Are we on a hot streak, or is this just who we are?’ — I never really thought about it that way, but I’m starting to think maybe this is just who we are,” unbeaten left-hander Alex Wood said with a laugh. “We have a different guy doing it every night, whether it’s pitching or one of the guys in the lineup. It has been incredible.”
Justin Turner, who’s a National League MVP candidate, also believes only crediting the Dodgers for their current run is not accurate:
“We’ve been pretty good all year,” third baseman Justin Turner said. “To say it’s a five-week thing I don’t think is fair to the team.”
Los Angeles received contributions throughout the lineup and benefitted from the likes of Brandon McCarthy and Wood having career seasons. Wood became the first Dodgers starting pitcher to begin a season 10-0 since Don Newcombe in 1955.
After concluding their road trip Wednesday, the Dodgers will play 10 consecutive games at Dodger Stadium to close out the month of June. They’re an MLB-best 39-11 at home, and also have the best record in the Majors at 64-29.
