To say the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins are on the opposite end of the baseball spectrum would be a vast understatement.
The former is well on their way to an unprecedented seventh consecutive National League West title and find themselves jostling with the New York Yankees for the best record in all of baseball.
On the contrary, the Marlins are reeling from the effects of a grueling rebuild after trading away Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton for relatively weak returns. Moreover, they currently reside in the NL cellar with the fourth-worst record at 45-75.
The first two affairs were lopsided in favor of the Dodgers, but the Marlins bounced back on Thursday to avoid a season series sweep.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly, who held the same position for the Dodgers from 2011-15, credited his former club for demonstrating the type of team they are, via David Wilson of the Miami Herald:
“The games with LA, in particular, I think they’re good because they kind of let you know where you’re at because they’re probably one of three teams, maybe four, that legitimately if they don’t win the World Series they’re going to look at it like it’s been a bad year,” Mattingly said. “They kind of let you know where you’re at. Their starters have pretty much let us know where we’re at. Their hitters let you know where you’re at.”
In Tuesday’s opener, the Dodgers enjoyed one of their most dominant offensive performances of the season, pushing more than a dozen runs across the plate en route to a 15-1 win.
The club mashed a total of six home runs, receiving two from rookie Will Smith. The Dodgers also accumulated a stunning 13 extra-base credits in the contest, which included three doubles from A.J. Pollock.
On Wednesday, the hit parade continued as the Dodgers cruised to 9-1 blowout victory. They added four home runs in this particular game, including two from another rookie in Edwin Rios — the first two of his career.
Then in Thursday’s finale, Cody Bellinger set a career high and took the MLB lead with his 40th home run. The Dodgers set a new franchise record with 14 home runs hit during the duration of three-game series.
L.A. additionally became the first team since 1908 with at least four homers in four consecutive games.
