Have the Los Angeles Dodgers found the formula to start running away from the National League West?
A stretch of 14 wins in 16 games, including seven straight, has given them a commanding 6 1/2-game lead in the division as they start a three-game series Friday night in San Diego against the second-place Padres.
“The last two weeks have been pretty special,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “It’s a good indicator of what this group is capable of. I think everyone in here would admit we let those two (losses) get away from us. But it’s been fun showing up every single day. I know everyone in this clubhouse enjoys it.”
Los Angeles capped a 6-0 homestand Wednesday by nipping Miami 3-1, getting a two-run homer from Teoscar Hernandez in the bottom of the sixth inning that snapped a 1-1 tie. Gavin Stone worked seven innings to earn the win.
Manager Dave Roberts said there have been commonalities to most of the wins in this current run.
“It just seems like every night we come in and we’re getting a good start, we’re getting big hits, we’re taking good at-bats and winning ballgames,” he said. “That’s a good formula. We’re just playing complete baseball and we’re doing this very consistently.”
The Dodgers will try to keep the run going behind Tyler Glasnow (6-1, 2.70 ERA), who’s coming off an 11-2 win Saturday night against Atlanta. He fanned 10 in seven powerful innings, permitting five hits, a walk and two runs.
Glasnow has 63 strikeouts in 50 innings, tying him with Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler for the MLB lead. He’s 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in four career outings (one start) against San Diego, including a no-decision in March during the season opener in Seoul.
Meanwhile, the Padres have played a better brand of baseball lately as well, winning six of their last eight games. That includes a 3-0 shutout Wednesday at the Chicago Cubs as Dylan Cease whiffed 12 over seven innings, allowing just an infield single and two walks.
Good starting pitching has been the Padres’ key. Aside from a stinker by Matt Waldron on Sunday in an 11-4 loss at Arizona, San Diego has gotten successful outings in seven of its last eight starts.
That includes six shutout innings Saturday from Michael King (3-3, 4.29), who will take the ball in Friday night’s series opener. King scattered six hits, walked none and fanned three during a 13-1 victory at Arizona.
King is 1-0 with a 6.10 ERA in three prior appearances (one start) against the Dodgers. He got his win on March 21 during a relief stint in a 15-11 decision in Korea and was no-decisioned in an April 12 game at the Dodgers that the Padres rallied to win in extra innings.
San Diego leads the season series 3-2, splitting two games in Korea and taking two of three last month at Dodger Stadium.
“It’s going to be fun, especially at Petco (Park),” Cease said. “If I had to guess, it’s probably going to be sold out every game. It’s definitely going to be a fun matchup.”
–Field Level Media