They lost 11 in a row, and then they won 4 in a row, so all the fans can calm down, and all the news media can shut up.
The Dodgers may have needed the 11-game wake up call to shock them into really working towards a playoffs that seemed carved in stone for them. They'd been coasting thus far, and this skid needed to prove to them that the World Series that seemed inevitable for them wouldn't be as such if they kept the same lax attitude. Even Clayton Kershaw had a bad start in that stretch...and now that he's back to his old tricks, I imagine they won't expect that sort of thing from him again.
The Dodgers don't have a ton of structural problems. The rotation is pristine. The bullpen is pretty great. The only problems are one or two guys like Joc Pederson and Enrique Hernandez, who aren't hitting, but have alternative options that CAN hit. This is a team that can rock the game if they all keep the momentum they've had throughout the season.
The best part was that they didn't have Clayton Kershaw for the entire season, but they still had guys like Alex Wood and Yu Darvish who were willing to step into the ace position while he was gone, and guys like Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda who could keep the back half of the rotation sharp. This wasn't the Trout scenario where the Great One gets injured and everyone spirals into panic.
No, the Dodgers, losing streak behind them, seem to be heading towards great things.
Coming Tonight- He spent his rookie year trying to legitimize a team that may have been dead on arrival without him.
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