Los Angeles Dodgers need to avenge 2017 All-Star Game showing

The Los Angeles Dodgers sent three players to the Midsummer Classic to avenge the bad performance the 2017 all-stars had.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are sending fewer all-stars this season than the team did last and are only sending one repeat all-star in Kenley Jansen. Matt Kemp and Ross Stripling are joining Jansen and manager Dave Roberts as the representatives of the reigning NL Champions.

Last season, Jansen, Clayton Kershaw (who was replaced by Alex Wood), Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and Final Vote winner Justin Turner represented the Dodgers. Although that cast has much more star power, the 2017 Dodgers really did not do anything during the 2017 All-Star Game.

The only one that did somewhat decent was Jansen, which is fitting as he is the only one returning to the festivities. Jansen threw one scoreless inning in relief for the National League, striking out three batters before Wade Davis let up a go-ahead solo home run off the bat of Robinson Cano in the tenth inning.

More from LA Sports Hub

At that point in the game, the score was tied 1-1, which is not what anyone wants to see out of an All-Star Game. Do not worry, though, as the only run given up by the National League at that point was let in by Dodgers’ pitcher Alex Wood.

The Dodger bats failed to really do anything, either. Turner, despite winning the Final Vote with a record 20.8 million votes, only logged one at-bat in the contest. He failed to record a hit.

Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger got more action, the two left-handed hitters getting five combined at-bats. Seager and Bellinger failed to collect a hit between the two of them and Bellinger was the final out of the game, striking out to Andrew Miller.

This year, the Los Angeles Dodgers need to avenge what they did last season. Stripling needs to come in and toss not only a scoreless inning but a dominant scoreless inning. I want all of Washington D.C. to ooh and ah at his looping curveball.

Jansen needs to come in the ninth and shut out a closely contested game with the middle of the American League order due up. Jansen will probably get the ball in the ninth regardless with Dave Roberts managing the NL side.

Finally, we need to see a Matt Kemp performance that we all saw in the early stages of the season that led to his first all-star start since 2011. With Kemp batting fifth, he may get a look at starter Chris Sale in the first inning.

Hopefully, Kemp can come up with two outs in the first inning and two runners on and deliver an extra-base hit off the southpaw. If that happens, give Kemp two more at-bats and I want to see a home run tossed in for, ya know, safe measure.

Next: Top 10 teams in Dodgers' history

Of course, this is all hypothetical and what would happen in the best-case scenario. Regardless, though, Jansen, Stripling and Kemp need to come through and proudly represent the 2017 NL Champions.

Home/Los Angeles Dodgers