Los Angeles Dodgers: Going for the sweep in St. Louis

The Los Angeles Dodgers have taken three straight games in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Today, the Dodgers go for win number four and cushion in the playoff race.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have come hot out of the games in the four-game series in St. Louis. After being swept in Dodger Stadium by the Cardinals earlier in the season, the Dodgers entered this extremely important series with some nervous fans.

Los Angeles has done exactly what it needed to do and has won the first three games of the series. Even a loss in the fourth and final game of the series will still yield a definitive series win.

Whether it was outbattling the team offensively in game one, a gem by Walker Buehler in game two or an offensive showcase led by Yasiel Puig in game three, the Dodgers have played as good as the team could’ve in a tough road series.

Now, the Dodgers have a half-game lead in the National League West and are a game better than the Cardinals in the Wild Card race. While the division is the obvious goal, winning this fourth and final game to give the team a two-game cushion from the third Wild Card is a good thing to have in the team’s back pocket.

Winning on Sunday and the Rockies potentially losing would give the Dodgers a 1.5 game lead in the NL West heading into a crucial three-game series against Colorado at home. Winning that series two games to one would give the Dodgers a nice 2.5 game lead.

Every game matters and the Dodgers need to keep the momentum rolling from a 17-run showing on Saturday. Here is who we think will provide the offensive spark on Sunday in our Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak series.

Sarah’s pick — Current streak 1: Manny Machado

What happened to the Dodgers and can they please stay that way forever? Yesterday, the Dodgers offense, lead by Yasiel Puig and Cody Bellinger, skyrocketed and scored 17 runs, beating a St. Louis team that has been great this season, especially lately.

Puig homered 5 Times within 24 hours (that has to be some kind of record doesn’t it?) and helped the Dodgers overtake the second Wild Card spot and (because the Giants beat the Rockies) allowed the Boys in Blue to reclaim first place. So, as the Dodgers go for the sweep, my pick is Manny Machado.

Machado helped the Dodgers to an early lead on Saturday (one they lost, and then reclaimed) and I think he is going to do something like that again. If the Dodgers don’t resign Machado (which I doubt they’re going to do) he’s only going to be in Dodger Blue for a couple more weeks, plus a potential run at the World Series.

His time in LA could be coming to a close, but he’s got plenty left to do while he’s here.

Jason’s pick — Current streak 4: Justin Turner

The chances of the Los Angeles Dodgers having another offensive showcase like yesterday is slim, you rarely see teams post two straight 15+ run games.

However, the offense has been firing on all cylinders and worn down the Cardinals bullpen. This means that Adam Wainwright is going to need to go at least six or seven innings to give the St. Louis bullpen a break.

With that in mind, the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely going to develop an extremely patient approach to get Wainwright high in the pitch count and make him grind for every out. No one is better on the Dodgers at doing that than Justin Turner, who will come up with a huge opposite field RBI in the early innings of the game.

Calling an exact hit type might be a bit too much but I see Turner grooving an outside corner, two-strike pitch into right field to set the tone for the Dodgers.