Dodgers Beat the Streak: Going for the series win in San Diego
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won two of three against the San Deigo Padres and are in prime position to take the four-game series on Thursday night.
The Los Angeles Dodgers responded nicely from a 4-1 loss by returning the favor and handing a 4-2 loss right back to the San Diego Padres. With the Diamondbacks losing 19-2 against the Rockies, the Dodgers are now just a half-game out of first place.
This means that for the first time all season the Los Angeles Dodgers could have sole possession of first place in the NL West. Of course, the Dodgers are going to need some help from the Rockies but by the time the game starts the Dodgers will know whether or not the Diamondbacks one.
If that is the case, that will dwarf the storyline around the Dodgers winning the series. However, that is equally as important as well. A series win can carry momentum into the last series of the first half against the Los Angeles Angels.
If the cards fall right, the Dodgers could have as much as a 3.5 game lead over the Diamondbacks by the time the All-Star Break hit. Nobody saw that coming in April.
As for Wednesday night’s game, the Dodgers collected 10 hits as a unit, which fared well for our Dodgers Beat the Streak selections. Our picks, Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez went a combined 1-9. While it is not pretty, it extended our streaks.
Sarah’s pick — Current streak 1: Justin Turner
My pick for today is Justin Turner. Turner may not be as strong of a slugger as he was before he got injured, but he is still producing for the Dodgers.
Whether it’s with a clutch hit or a few words of motivation for his teammates, Turner is a leader on this team. Plus, he is the only current Dodger with a home run against today’s starter for the Padres, Tyson Ross. In 12 AB’s against the righty, Turner has a strong .333 average and 2 RBIs against Ross.
It’s only a matter of time until JT gets going. He’s a player who is constantly working on his swing, so whatever slump he is in, if you can even call it that, probably won’t matter in a few weeks. I have a feeling that tonight will be a strong night for him, hopefully, one of many as we head into the final series before the All-Star Break.
Jason’s pick — Current streak 1: Andrew Toles
Andrew Toles has had two straight off-days as the Dodgers have faced southpaws in each of the last two contests. With a right-handed pitcher on the mound in Tyson Ross, Toles may get the start in favor of Enrique Hernandez or a resting Matt Kemp.
Regardless, after going a combined 0-3 as a substitute in the last three games, Toles is primed to follow up his promising first game of the year with another good performance on Thursday.
Toles may not have any huge hits but he definitely will find the base paths via base hit at least once in the contest. In fact, I would not be surprised to see Toles launch his first home run of the season.
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Whether it is a bunt single or a roped home run into the right-field seats, Andrew Toles is going to get a base knock on Thursday.