Dodgers Beat the Streak: New series in Philadelphia
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Dodgers head to Citizens Bank Park to square off with a potential playoff foe, the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies series starting on Monday may be a prelude to a potential NLDS or NLCS matchup during October. Los Angeles is in first place of the NL West and leads the second-place Diamondbacks by 1.5 games. Philadelphia is first in the NL East and leads the second-place Braves by one game.
There is still a ton of season left to play but the Dodgers and Phillies look like two of the best teams in the National League.
The Dodgers proved their ability to hang with the rest of the playoff teams in the NL by taking two of three games on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers. In game three, the Dodger bats really woke up and drove 11 runs across the plate.
Alex Wood and the rest of the pitching staff rebounded nicely after allowing two runs in the first inning, shutting the Brewers out over the last eight frames.
This offensive showcase was great for my Dodgers Beat the Streak hitting streak. My selection, Max Muncy, went 2-5 on the contest with an RBI.
Sarah’s pick, Yasmani Grandal, did not come to the plate. So while her pick did not hurt her streak, it did nothing to extend it either. Could be worse.
Sarah’s pick — Current streak 3: Joc Pederson
My pick for today’s opener against Philly is Joc Pederson. He’s faced today’s starter, Zach Elfin 4 times, and has knocked in 3 runs against him. Though those runs may have occurred during a Joc Pederson hot streak, it means that he’s seen the ball well against Elfin.
Speaking of hot streaks, are the Dodgers on one right now? I think they just may be. Though Manny Machado has only been a Dodger for three games, he’s been solid against a Brewers team that has a chance to win that division. It’ll be interesting to play in Philly this week, Chase Utley’s final series there before he retires being just one of the highlights.
Joc Pederson could potentially get traded the closer we get to July 31st, but he could also prove that he’s too valuable for the Dodgers to move. I hope he does.
Jason’s pick — Current streak 2: Matt Kemp
The Dodgers are coming up against a tough right-handed pitcher in Zach Eflin, who has a 7-2 record with a 3.15 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
While Eflin does not have blow it by you stuff, he is a young arm that is capable of tossing a gem on any given night. For a Dodgers offense that usually relies on momentum, getting runs across the board early is key to solving Eflin and getting to the Phillies’ bullpen.
Because of that, I think we are going to see an RBI in the first two innings from the likes of Matt Kemp, who hit two home runs on Sunday against the Brewers.
That is not the reason I am selecting Kemp, although it is a good one. Instead, I am selecting Kemp because he has gone 3-5 off Eflin in his career with two home runs, a double and three RBIs.
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Kemp obviously has great success against Eflin and that is a great reason to select him for Monday’s game. Might as well extend my streak to three already.