Los Angeles Dodgers: Three areas to improve to win World Series in 2019
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Dodgers fell short of the ultimate goal for the second consecutive season. Something must improve for LA to make that final leap.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are two-time defending National League Champions and two-time World Series losers. While 2018 was much different from 2017, it still stings knowing that a second place finish was the result for the second straight year.
2018 was a grind from Opening Day. A lackluster offense lost the first two games of the year to the San Francisco Giants, 0-1. An injury-riddled team mixed with a World Series hangover presented the worst start the Dodgers could have imagined.
However, with the return of Justin Turner and the hot starts from both Matt Kemp and Max Muncy, the Dodgers slowly crept back into relevancy. It took 163 games but the Dodgers were able to become six-time defending National League West Champions.
At the end of the day, though, it was that same lackluster offense that hurt the team in the World Series that started the season way back in March.
This loss still did not sting as bad as the year prior, a year that was deemed the “Dodgers year” and a World Series in which the team blew Game 2 and 5, two games that LA should have won.
We knew where the team needed to improve to win the World Series in 2018 and it could be argued that the team never gained momentum and reaped the fruit of that labor.
There are improvements to be made yet again with the team yet again falling just short. Here are three areas we think the Dodgers must improve in to end what will be a 31-year drought.