“You might think I’m crazy
To hang around with you
Maybe you think I’m lucky
To have something to do”

~The Cars

Baseball is a funny game. Rarely does it go the way you think it will, and that’s one the things that makes it my favorite sport. Just yesterday, I tweeted this:

And then guess what, the team with the most players on the disabled list and the struggling rookie pitcher handed Stephen Strasburg his first loss of the season.

Now of course it doesn’t always work that way. If it did, the amount of prayers, crying, and offers of people’s own backs would have fixed Clayton Kershaw by now. And every other injury the Dodgers have incited this year, come to think of it.

The way that the hand had been dealt to the Dodgers this year, they should be mired deeply into third or fourth place. But they are not. Could they be closer to the Giants? Of course. Losing two very winnable games to the Diamondbacks last week while the Giants also lost stings. But overall, being four games back of San Francisco is not too shabby, especially when the Giants had an insane 32-9 run in the first half.

The Dodgers also currently hold the lead in the NL Wild Card race. Winning the division is optimal, but making the playoffs is the main goal. And we all know the playoffs are a crapshoot once you get in. And I’d take Kershaw in a one-game winner-takes-all against anyone. (He will be back by then. I refuse to believe otherwise).

Another lovely thing about baseball is if you are slumping one month, that does not mean you will be slumping all season. Justin Turner just keeps continuing his torrid way, after a very slow and abysmal start. In his last seven games, his slash line is .345/.441/.793. Over his last 30 games he is batting .336. Howie Kendrick? Even hotter! In his last seven games he’s hitting .517.

The hits keep coming to this team, as Corey Seager was out for three games, and Yasmani Grandal for one contest, due to a stomach bug. And still the Dodgers took two of three from the first place Nationals. Outfielder Yasiel Puig might be back on the disabled list with a hamstring issue, but with the club’s depth, someone will be there to step up and take his place.

This team has a lot of fight in them, despite the injuries, despite a rookie manager, despite not having all the pieces right now for a solid stretch run. All these trials and tribulations will only help a team during a tough playoff run. We are only ten days from the trade deadline, and the team is bound to look differently on Aug 1. Even with Kershaw out indefinitely, I am not anywhere near losing hope that the season is lost.