Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak Selections — May 2
By Jason Reed
The game is simple: get a hit. When dealing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, though, that simple decision is sometimes hard to make.
The Los Angeles Dodgers desperately need a win tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks. A loss here gives Arizona a guaranteed series victory, with a chance to go for the sweep on Thursday. This would put the Dodgers 11 games back of the Diamondbacks with only two more games against Arizona until late August.
A large part of the Dodgers struggles recently have been due to the bullpen blowing leads late in games. At the start of the season, the Dodgers’ offense was lacking. Recently, the offense has kicked it up a gear only for the pitching to take a step back.
However, Tuesday night was still not an offensive showcase by any means. Despite scoring three runs, the Dodgers only mustered four hits; hurting our Beat the Streak in the process.
Tuesday’s picks:
Tuesday created a goose egg for both Sarah and I. That’ll happen when the team only gets four hits, two of which coming from Chris Taylor. Statistically, we had a one in three chance to select a hitter to get a hit. With two of us, you would think one of us would strike gold.
We didn’t. I went with Joc Pederson. Pederson had a decent game, getting on base twice via walks. However, in the at-bats that counted, Pederson went 0-2 with a strikeout.
Sarah went with Yasmani Grandal, who had three-hole duties last night. Grandal too got on base twice via the base on balls, however, also went 0-2 with a strikeout the at-bats that counted.
Sarah’s pick (Current streak: Zero): Joc Pederson
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My pick for tonight is Joc Pederson. Truth be told, he’s been one of my favorite players since 2015 and it’s nice to see him start to bounce back after a very rough 2017.
Pederson was an obvious trade candidate this offseason, but luckily he stuck around because the Dodgers need him, now more than ever. The question, however, isn’t if Pederson will get a hit (I believe he will) but whether or not that hit will make an impact.
The Diamondbacks have been nothing if not dominant, and the Dodgers have to find a way to get through their elite pitching.
With everything the Dodgers are facing, Joc Pederson is going to become a vital part of this team entering the summer.
Jason’s pick (Current streak: Zero): Matt Kemp
Honestly, these Beat the Streaks are the only thing keeping me sane during this cold spell. While the Dodgers might not be winning many games, I do get the little victories whenever the player I selected gets a hit. The problem is, recently I have made some bad picks.
Tonight I am going with the best pick possible and my favorite Dodger at the moment in Matt Kemp. Kemp has been hitting the baseball well thus far this season. While that is set to slow down eventually, right now, Kemp is a .300 hitter.
Next: Remembering each starter's first start
Kemp went 0-4 in Tuesday’s contest against the Diamondbacks, making him due for a big knock in this game. I am calling my shot now: Matt Kemp is going yard tonight.