LA has outscored opponents 100-31 over the last two and a half weeks, widening their NL West lead to 6½ games
The Dodgers finished off a perfect homestand by winning their seventh straight game. That longest win streak of the season came only a few games after the previous longest winning streak. That’s the recipe for 14 wins in 16 games, and Los Angeles separating themselves from the rest of the National League West.
In the last homestand, the Dodgers lost six of their first eight games, and lost all three series at Dodger Stadium. Things weren’t clicking, either they couldn’t get enough offense in a decently pitched game, or the pitchers dug too much of a hole or allowed runs late.
This current run started with a 10-0 shutout of the Mets on April 21, one of four double-digit-scoring games for the Dodgers in the last two and a half weeks, and seven games scoring at least eight runs.
Over the 14-2 stretch, the Dodgers have averaged 6.25 runs per game, which is good enough to sweep a lot of problems under the rug.
In his first major league game in nearly 23 months on Monday, for instance, Walker Buehler allowed three runs in his four innings. But the Dodgers scored three runs in the first inning, two more in the second, and another run in the third, such that after the top of the first inning the Dodgers never trailed.
“I kept messing it up, and they kept fixing it,” Buehler said Monday night.
Shohei Ohtani homered in that game on Monday, and leads the team with seven home runs during this 16-game stretch, with an 1.185 OPS. He leads the majors in several categories on the season.
“He’s the best player ever,” Buehler said of Ohtani. “They gave him twice as much money as anyone’s ever made in this game, and he keeps proving why we did that.”
Ohtani hasn’t been alone at the plate.
Max Muncy had a three-homer game against Atlanta and hit a grand slam to break open Tuesday’s win over the Marlins.
Freddie Freeman has seven doubles and is tied with Ohtani with a team-leading 10 extra-base hits over the last 16 games.
Rookie Andy Pages is thriving in his runway of playing time, leading the Dodgers in hits (22) during this stretch, with four home runs, four doubles, and his 13 RBI are second-best over the last 16 games.
Teoscar Hernández has five home runs, and drove in all three runs in Wednesday’s win that finished off a sweep of the Marlins.
Mookie Betts set the world on fire while winning National League player of the month in April, but has cooled off in a relative sense with an .845 OPS over the last 16 games. That’s still a very good number, but ranks seventh on the team during that span.
But for the most part, Dodgers pitching hasn’t needed much help from the offense over the last two and a half weeks.
Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto won all six starts during this stretch, allowing a total of five runs in 41 innings. Each has an eight-inning start — Glasnow on April 21, Yamamoto on Tuesday — something the Dodgers didn’t get at all in 2023.
Gavin Stone has allowed three solo home runs over his last three starts and nothing else in 20 innings.
Excluding the planned bullpen game on April 28 in Toronto, Dodgers starting pitchers during this run have a 1.95 ERA while averaging 6.15 innings, the perfect recipe for an 11-0 record in those 15 starts.
The bullpen has been even stingier, with a 1.37 ERA in 52⅓ innings. That includes bulk left-hander Ryan Yarbrough pitching nine scoreless innings. Just about the only ding among the relievers over the last two and a half weeks are the injuries suffered by high-leverage right-handers Evan Phillips (hamstring), Ryan Brasier (calf), and Joe Kelly (shoulder) in the last week.
On the whole, the pitching staff has allowed no more than four runs in any one game over the last 16 games, and allowing four only twice.
Before winning on April 21 to start this hot streak, the Dodgers lost their previous three games and never led once in those games. But in the last 16 games, the Dodgers have trailed at the end of only 17 of 145 innings.
That’s the recipe for going 14-2.
