The 2018 season has been a difficult one for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they got off to a poor start and took a while to recover and gain traction.
They have been playing their best baseball of the season as of late though, and that was evident this week with a sweep of the Colorado Rockies in a series at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers entered the three-game set trailing the Rockies by a half-game for first place in the National League West, and go into Thursday’s off day with a 2.5-game lead in the division. It’s their largest of the season.
Yasiel Puig was the hero on Wednesday night, hitting a pinch-hit three-run home run in the seventh inning to land a knockout punch on the Rockies.
Kenley Jansen got the save to close out the 5-2 victory, and after the game he admitted to this season not being as easy for the Dodgers as years past, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“This year, we really have to earn this,” Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen said. “People can say they turn it on. That’s not true. We had to grind this year. It’s been such a grind for us this year with injuries and that terrible April. Everything is happening at the right time. That’s what we wanted.”
Jansen has also gone through his own personal struggles throughout the course of the season but has begun to regain his form as of late, which is definitely a positive sign if the Dodgers return to the postseason.
Los Angeles has now won seven of their last eight games, and 18 of the last 25 overall. With nine games to play, their magic number to clinch a sixth straight NL West title is down to just eight.
The Dodgers welcome the last-place San Diego Padres to town for a three-game series over the weekend, looking to inch closer to that ultimate goal of winning their sixth straight division championship.
