The Los Angeles Dodgers recently went through one of the worst losing streaks in franchise history, suffering 11 straight defeats and 16 out of 17. They became the first team in MLB history to win 15 of 16 and lose 15 of 16 games in the same season.
The organization’s longest losing streak since 1944 was snapped Tuesday behind strong pitching performances from Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen. Cody Bellinger and Yu Darvish then led the way the following night, giving the Dodgers back-to-back wins for the first time since Aug. 24-25.
It was their first series win since Aug. 18-20, and the Dodgers secured a fifth consecutive trip to the postseason. Entering play Friday, their magic number to clinch the National League West is down to seven.
While the Dodgers appear to be trending in the right direction, manager Dave Roberts cautioned the team still has work to do, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“We’re still not out of the woods,” Roberts said after the game. “We’re still trying to consistently put games together.
Roberts is right in that sense, as despite winning their last two games, the Dodgers hit just 4-for-22 with runners in scoring position during that span and left a combined 22 runners on base. What’s more, they still are just 3-16 since the downward spiral began three weeks ago.
Now the Dodgers begin a key weekend series on the road with the Washington Nationals. Prior to the past two weeks, it was viewed as carrying little significance. However, the best record and thus home-field advantage throughout at least the NL playoffs very much hangs in the balance.
The Dodgers currently hold a 5.5-game lead over the Nationals, but don’t own the tiebreaker. Regardless of whichever teams finishes with the top record in the NL, the Dodgers and Nationals aren’t likely to meet in the playoffs unless both advance to the NL Championship Series.
