The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the L.A. Angels on Sunday, improving to a National League-best 16-7 while increasing their winning streak to a season-high five games in the process.
“It’s been encouraging,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the club stringing together five consecutive wins. “Not only the wins we’ve put together, it’s how we’ve gone about it.
“I just think it wasn’t synced up initially in the season, which is understandable. During this win streak, it just seems like collectively all 28 players are playing as one. When we do that, we can be pretty good.”
After jumping out to a 7-3 record through 10 games, Roberts opined that the team had not yet reached its full potential. “To be quite honest, I don’t think we’ve really clicked on all cylinders,” he said at the time.
“I think we’re catching the baseball, the bullpen has been really good, (but) the offense hasn’t really gotten untracked, which I know we will. We’re finally hitting our stride.”
The Dodgers’ current five-game winning streak took shape last week after defeating the San Diego Padres in back-to-back contests, outscoring them, 17-2. It resulted in a split of their four head-to-head meetings and ensured the Dodgers didn’t lose their first series of the season.
L.A. followed up by winning three consecutive games against the Angels, posting a run differential of plus-nine.
As Roberts noted, the club looks more in sync after several players got off to slow starts to begin the year. Cody Bellinger has been swinging the bat better of late, going 4-for-13 with two home runs and four RBI in three matchups against the Angels.
Likewise, Mookie Betts has bounced back from a rough opening series against the San Francisco Giants and is now putting up MVP-caliber numbers. He’s batting an overall .314/.372/.663 with six doubles, eight home runs and 19 RBI in 22 games.
On the pitching front, Clayton Kershaw has helped bolster one of the youngest starting rotations in the league. Since being activated off the injured list, he has compiled a 2-1 record with a 2.65 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in three starts.
Roberts remains ‘confident’ in Bellinger
With Bellinger starting to find more success at the plate, it’s worth noting that Roberts’ confidence never waned. “He’s working really hard, and it’s going to come,” he said last week.
“[Bellinger] and the hitting guys, every single day there’s progress. It hasn’t shown yet in a game, but I’m confident it will.”
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