Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak selections – April 14
Though it isn’t the happiest thought for Dodger fans, Zack Greinke bested the boys in blue on Friday evening. Tonight, the Dodgers look to bounce back and get the W with curveball specialist Rich Hill on the mound.
The past two weeks have not been easy for Dodger nation. The hope of the new season is alive and well, but the dreary clouds won’t seem to go away. The Dodgers are 4-8, and though 4-8 can easily turn in to 95-67, or even 100-62, breathtaking and strong doesn’t describe the start of the season.
That said, the Dodgers don’t have a specific problem that they need to fix. They just aren’t on the same page. It’s like an old pickup truck during a long road trip. You don’t need to take it to a mechanic and spend a few grand to get it fixed. You just need to let it rest, check the tires, and get back on the highway.
The Dodgers are like that truck. They don’t need to rebuild or take drastic measures to solve what surely isn’t a drastic problem. They just need to adjust what they’re already working with.
Which brings us back to the offense, and to where it will go from here.
Friday’s picks:
Last night, in the Dodgers 8-7 loss to Goldschmidt and the Diamondbacks, one streak, both of which stood at 2, was broken. Jason Reed selected Cody Bellinger, who hit his second homer of the season off of Zack Greinke, while I selected Kiké Hernandez, who went 0-3 with a strikeout.
Though a reset of a streak in Beat the Streak isn’t good news, I think it’s exactly what the Dodgers need to go out and try to eliminate the possibility of a sweep tonight.
Sarah’s pick: Matt Kemp (Current Streak: 0)
I’ll admit, when the Dodgers first re-acquired Matt Kemp this winter, I had a good feeling that he would immediately be traded again, and I didn’t really mind. Now, I am one of the biggest Matt Kemp fans out there. I think he earned all of our faith in spring training, and he is on the verge of proving himself again under the bright lights of Dodgers Stadium. This season, Kemp has 1 home run, 11 hits, and currently boasts a.355 batting average. Should Kemp fail to get hot, that average will change, but I don’t think it will.
Matt Kemp is, in a way, still the player we all know and love. He’s capable of hitting a handful fewer homers than he did in his prime, but they’re homers that will make a worthy contribution. I’m not confident that he will hit it out of the yard tonight, but he could, and he definitely has the potential to go for extra bases and even drive in a few runs.
At the end of the day, it’s April. It will be April for another couple of weeks, and that is plenty of time for the Dodgers to figure things out, and Matt Kemp hitting his stride again could be the first step.
Jason’s pick: Yasiel Puig (Current Streak: 3)
Yasiel Puig has been putting good contact on the ball but is yet to find results this season. After going 0-2 in Friday night’s outing against the Diamondbacks, Puig should be primed for at least one hit.
As long as Puig continues to hit the ball hard he will eventually find the basepaths. I Saturday’s matchup against Taijuan Walker will kickstart a hot streak at the plate for Puig.
Next: Beat the Streak - April 13
Hopefully that hot streak can lead to some wins for the Dodgers. LA cannot seem to beat the Diamondbacks right now and need a spark to counteract this slow start.