Runaway NL West Leaders Finally Win a Game
This is proof yet again that stockpiling victories in the early season is a good idea.
As if there's any difference.
However, in a sport that plays 162 games a season, the perspective of when wins come does measure into a team's decisions along the way.
For the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was quite a way.
At the end of play on Sun 13 Aug, the Dodgers stood at an incredible 83-34 and were a whopping 18 games ahead of the second place Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.
To get an idea of their dominance in a tough division, in the month since then, Los Angeles has gone 10-18 and only lost eight games of their lead:
But from Sat 26 Aug until last night, the Bums were just that, 1-16.
Eleven of those laid eggs had come prior to last night, when Clayton Kershaw was called upon to do what he's paid $35,571,428 to do this season.
It wasn't exactly a classic, but the southpaw delivered on the mound and at the plate in San Francisco:
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Dude's line: in 6 innings, he allowed only 1 earnie and 8 hits, walking 1 while fanning 8.
The fourth inning gave Kershaw all the support he needed, as Los Angeles posted a four-spot off Johnny Cueto with the key moments being:
- Garrett Utley going splash to lead the inning,
- Corey Seager launching a sacrifice fly, and
- Yasiel Puig smashing a two-run double.
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Still, this one wasn't in the books until closer Kenley Jansen snuffed a sacks-jammed threat in the ninth:
So sayeth a possible future Los Angeles Laker, who's current home team isn't doing all that badly, themselves.
The Dodgers have now clinched no worse than a second wild card spot, which should be academic at this point.
However, they've still gotta prove they're outta their funk first.