While the feelings of the Dodgers are certainly good as they embark on a road trip to the Midwest, the club will have the challenge of tackling the Brewers again, the same squad who stole two of three contests from Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium just last weekend.
Monday is quite the day for fans of the Dodgers. As with every April 15th, it is Jackie Robinson Day across the league, in celebration of the first day the color barrier was broken by Jackie while wearing a Brooklyn Dodger uniform.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for the Dodgers on their first road trip of the season. Los Angeles swept the Rockies in Denver and then all momentum sputtered and died in St Louis.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are firing on all cylinders offensively, and it’s a sight to behold. Coors Field is known for it it’s offensive numbers but still—the Dodgers scored another 29 runs over the three game series.
As it turned out, Clayton Kershaw did continue his streak of Opening Day starts for the Dodgers. It just happened to be for the Oklahoma City Dodgers as opposed to the team in Los Angeles.
Using the words “Dodgers” and “on paper” in the same sentence can provoke many followers of Los Angeles baseball into a spiel about how their favorite club could be the most talented team in baseball, yet, at the same time, one of the most underachieving. The Dodgers, far and away, had the most talent and potential in the National League West, but it still took the squad 163 games to secure a spot in the 2018 playoffs. Sure, there were plenty of ups and downs regarding injuries and player personnel, but theoretically, the Dodgers should have ran away with the pennant rather than making it appear to be a bit of a struggle. They made the NLDS against the Braves a lot closer than what it should have been. Additionally, they were probably even more talented than the Brewers, even though Milwaukee finished the regular season with the NL’s best record.
For some fans, it already seems like an eternity since their beloved Dodgers have actually played a game. The club’s victory in Game 4 on Monday afforded the squad a very much deserved three full days of rest before setting their sights on Milwaukee and the NL Central champion Brewers. Nevertheless, the time has finally arrived for both teams to commence battle. Heading into Friday’s opener, we thought it would be a good idea to highlight five potential storylines which Los Angeles fans should keep an eye on as the series progresses.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have advanced to the NLCS after beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in their NLDS matchup. The two games in Atlanta were a bit more stressful than the games in Los Angeles, but the Dodgers still found a way to shove aside a Braves squad whose time hasn’t quite come yet but look poised to compete in the NL for the next handful of years with their intriguing young nucleus of players.
As the Dodgers embark upon the next stage of their 2018 postseason quest, the landscape seems to be in great shape in terms of team dynamics, as the squad will have three full days to recover before firing the engines back up in Milwaukee.