Sweep Of Rockies Shows Dodgers Are NL West’s Elite
- Updated: April 22, 2015
(Image via Twitter)
We all kind of intuitively knew the Colorado Rockies probably weren’t for real despite their hot start and sweep of the Giants in San Francisco early last week (hey, thanks for that, by the way). But after three games against the Rox in the City of Angels, the Los Angeles Dodgers proved to the world that they are the elite club in the National League West.
Whether it was power pitching (16 strikeouts, including 12 from Clayton Kershaw, in Friday night’s game), or power hitting (on Sunday, three home runs in one inning alone off Rockies’ reliever Scott Oberg, and six extra-base hits from Scott Van Slyke and Justin Turner), the Dodgers out-classed the Rockies in every way this weekend.
Again, I know, it’s the Rockies. It’s not the Padres, who are probably the Dodgers’ toughest opponent for the division title this summer, or the Giants, who are the defending World Champions, but the Rockies. You know, the club that fades fast every year after a few hot weeks in April, the club that can’t play on the road, and the club that doesn’t pitch at all.
But, not for nothing, Troy Tulowitzki is healthy and on an offensive tear, Corey Dickerson is fast becoming a star at the plate, and Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu are in the middle of breakouts for the Rockies. The point? This was a good, healthy, offensively loaded version of the Colorado Rockies, and the Dodgers utterly dominated them in nearly every facet of the series.
By the end of play Sunday, the Dodgers got three games against the division leader, at home, and won every one of them. These things matter, and the Dodgers didn’t shy away from the spotlight this weekend to take the division lead.
It’s a long season, and whether it’s the Padres, or Giants (or Rockies) facing down the Dodgers in September, things won’t be easy for L.A., because things are never easy in baseball.
But over the weekend, the Dodgers won by pitching well (just six runs allowed over three games), by playing defense, and by getting offensive contributions from, well, everyone.
On the Sunday game where Van Slyke and Turner exploded at the plate, Adrian Gonzalez was hitless and made the last out in five separate innings. If you’d have told me there’d be a Dodger win where the club got ten extra-base hits and Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier, and Jimmy Rollins combined to go 1-for-12? No shot. But here we are, with a sweep of the Rockies for first place in the NL West.
Again, it’s a long season. The Dodgers undoubtedly will see adversity again, and again, and again before it’s all over, but you’re kidding yourselves if you think the sweep of the Rockies, and the ongoing winning streak, aren’t a big deal.
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