MLB: Dodgers' Unbelievable Streak
The Los Angeles Dodgers just ripped off a stretch of baseball that would make all but the best teams in the history of the sport blush. I'm of course talking about their 50-game stretch where they went an ungodly 43-7, treating baseball games the way Daenerys Targaryen treats the Lannister Army. This is best 50-game record since the 2013 Dodgers went 42-8. These two teams hardly resemble each other, so lets dive into the numbers of this most recent patch of Earth scorching.
This Dylan level of hotness starts with the offense for these Dodgers. As a team they’ve slashed 269/.356/.508, while hitting 96 home runs and scoring 5.5 runs per game. These numbers mean that they hit almost two HRs per game. To put that into perspective, the average number of HRs hit per game in 2017 is 1.26 … by both teams. The Dodgers were effectively bringing Barry Bonds to a tee ball game.
Out slugging feels too mild of a term, it was the equivalent of a Michael Bay film on the diamond. Their biggest offensive explosion coincided with the second biggest win streak of the 50 games, a 10-game massacre of the Reds, Rockies, and Mets. During those 10 games, they scored 79 runs and hit almost as many homers (27) as runs they allowed (28). The Dodgers offense isn't the whole story, though, the pitching staff has more than held its own.
Opposing offenses struggled to keep up with the Dodgers' juggernaut of an offense scoring only 3.2 runs a game. The staff as a whole held opponents to a measly .220 average and gave up less than a hit per inning. They also had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.75:1 totaling 462 K's, while only walking 123 hitters.
The Dodgers, who are first in ERA among starters and second for relief pitchers, also got stronger during the deadline. They added pitchers Yu Darvish (who is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 20 K’s since making his debut) and Tony Watson to an already formidable unit. They are chasing history. This team has an outside shot of breaking the regular season wins record held by the 2001 Mariners and 1906 Chicago Cubs. FiveThirtyEight gives them a 13 percent chance of reaching the 116-win mark. They are a well balanced machine and have the tools and depth to not only break records, but to become World Series champions. Also they are doing it without possibly the greatest pitcher of his generation, Clayton Kershaw, so there is also that to worry about for opponents, when he returns prior to the postseason.
Photo Credit: Dodgers Blue and Yahoo! Sports.
