After starting off the season 4-9, some began to question whether the Los Angeles Dodgers would be able to replicate their 2017 success in which they won 104 games and reached their first World Series since 1988.
They have since won six of seven games, including two out of three against another National League playoff contender in the Washington Nationals. As a result, Los Angeles moved to 10-10 on the season, which is a game better than they were through 20 games in 2017.
In Sunday night’s win over Washington, the Dodgers erased a 3-0 deficit to come away with a 4-3 victory. Their bats could not figure out Nationals starter Jeremy Hellickson for the first five innings but came alive in the sixth inning on three doubles by Chris Taylor, Yasmani Grandal and Cody Bellinger.
After battling back to earn the victory, Taylor said he believes the bats are finally getting to back to where they were last season, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I think we’re in a good spot right now, honestly,” said Chris Taylor who brought the Dodgers’ offense to life with a sixth-inning double “The last few games it feels like we’re putting together good at-bats, just playing better baseball in general. Even tonight, the bats were slow early. … I thought we did a good job of hanging in there and took advantage later in the game when he got tired.”
Taylor is one of those players that started off slow but has come alive lately, hitting safely in five straight games and batting .318/.400/.500 during that span. Yasmani Grandal has also been key, as he’s in the midst of a career-best 11-game hitting streak.
The Dodgers have a chance to keep things rolling beginning Monday night when they host one of the leagues-worst, the Miami Marlins, for a three-game series. Top prospect Walker Buehler is being called up to make a spot start in the series opener.
