After getting off to an 8-2 start to the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped six in a row before winning their next 4, including a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. In each loss, different parts of the Dodgers game was missing.
The bullpen struggled in most of the games, starting pitching from Walker Buehler was sub-par, and the offense disappeared. Clutch hitting could not be found, even the long ball that had carried them the first three series of the year.
Now, after running off four wins in a row, they find themselves back in Milwaukee with an early season, second series against the Brewers. The first series didn’t go the Dodgers way so they will be looking for all the pieces to come together to show where they rank against the top teams in the league.
Being the top in the West is one thing, but to match up against the other premier teams in the league will be a gauge all year. It also may not be as easy to sleepwalk through to a 7th straight title, the San Diego Padres got off to a great start, as preseason opinions have suggested.
The next ten games will be key in determining just what Dodgers team they really are. Four against the Brewers, then three against the under-performing Chicago Cubs, and three more against the upstart Pittsburgh Pirates, will give us a chance to see how the Dodgers stack up.
Can they get every aspect of the team clicking? Or will it take some more time to get the machine running as is expected? By this time next week, we should have a better idea of who this team actually is.
Feature Photo: Los Angeles Dodgers/Twitter
