Dodgers continue to surge, defeating Orioles ahead of important NL West showdown

Dave Roberts declared he wouldn’t be leading the Dodgers in a new way this week, despite the fact that his team was about to begin what may be its most important stretch of the season.

He didn’t really need to, considering the way the team has been performing.

The Dodgers extended their winning streak into August on Thursday night when they defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-3. They also moved four games clear of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West, matching their biggest division lead in the previous three weeks, and took a three-game series against another World Series contender.

After his team won seven of the last nine games at Dodger Stadium over the course of the previous week and a half, Roberts declared, “Great homestand, very outstanding baseball.” “I believed we did a good job. It wasn’t a litmus test, in my opinion, but it’s still a good idea to go out there and figure out how to win baseball games.

This was supposed to be a turning point in the Dodgers’ inconsistent season.

The first major challenge was hosting the Orioles. The Dodgers’ next trip to Arizona for a crucial four-game series against the second-place Diamondbacks is scheduled for this coming weekend.

But the Dodgers’ public statements haven’t indicated that they’re feeling any pressure to step up the urgency.

Upon his return to the lineup, catcher Austin Barnes stated, “Obviously, everybody understands the scenario.” But our crew is a little bit older. These are not unfamiliar circumstances for us. All we have to do is concentrate on winning baseball games.

The same is true of the meticulous way they’ve handled their injured roster.

For the third straight game, the team rested first baseman Freddie Freeman from the starting lineup in the hopes that a break would help relieve the pain he’s been experiencing from his fractured right middle finger. For Friday’s series opener in Arizona, Freeman is anticipated to be back in the starting lineup.

The hitting order for the Dodgers didn’t appear very scary. Max Muncy, a powerful third baseman, was not playing because he was facing a left-handed starter. Gavin Lux, a left-handed hitter who was on a roll, was demoted to the eighth position. For the first time in his career, Tommy Edman, a light hitter, was the cleanup hitter.

Nevertheless, the Dodgers continued to roll, winning another game and making history by being the first major league team to win 80 victories.

Kiké Hernández’s down-the-line double in the second inning was leveraged by them, and Chris Taylor’s single in the following at-bat brought the score closer.

With a two-run double from Barnes, an RBI single from Mookie Betts, and a bloop single from Miguel Rojas in the opposite field, they managed to score four runs in the fourth inning.

In the ninth, they added more security by setting up Edman for a sacrifice fly.

With 14 hits, the most since August 3, the Dodgers concluded with two hits apiece from Betts, Edman, Lux, Taylor, and Rojas.

Roberts stated, “I think there are a few small problems that need to be cleaned up.” Overall though, males are seeing that now is the moment to lock it in, and they are acting accordingly.

The Dodgers’ strategy for pitching also embodied their level-headedness.

Prior to the game, Roberts said that instead of starting No. 1 starter Jack Flaherty on typical rest, the Dodgers will instead use a spot starter on Sunday against the Diamondbacks, possibly triple-A right-hander Justin Wrobleski. Instead, Flaherty will open Monday’s finale.

Roberts added that the Dodgers will not be changing their bullpen usage this week because they did not believe that the season, or a division race that has become more competitive than anticipated following the team’s difficult summer, warranted taking too many risks with big-league pitchers.

Before Thursday’s game, Roberts stated, “There are some guys we’re probably going to try to stay away from the bullpen,” mentioning left-hander Alex Vesia and hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech. “They would be accessible in October.”

At least they had enough on Thursday to reach the finish line.

Starting pitcher Bobby Miller battled with command early in the game, giving up three walks and one hit batter to just three strikeouts. However, in the fifth inning, Baltimore’s Colton Cowser crushed a three-and-one fastball for a three-run home run.

When attempting to cover first base in the second inning, Miller injured his left knee, which has been bothering him lately. “It’s just one terrible pitch that I look back on,” he said. “Sadly, it’s beyond the fence.”

From there, the baton was taken over by a rejuvenated bullpen, which came into the game with the fourth-best ERA in the majors in August.
After pitching a scoreless sixth inning, Anthony Banda’s ERA dropped to a respectable 2.06. Daniel Hudson, who was pitching for the first time in nine days after taking a break to control his workload, gave Blake Treinen a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, but Treinen got out of it by striking out Gunnar Henderson. Then, following Treinen’s comeback for a scoreless eighth, Evan Phillips recorded his 17th save in a perfect ninth, only his second since losing the starting closer position last month.

I think it says a lot about who we are as a team and ourselves to have a really great homestand like we had,” Treinen remarked. “It has been a great boost for us to finally get some guys back into our lineup that are healthy.”

In fact, the Dodgers are 17-8 in August after going just 23-18 from mid-May to the end of June, then going winless for the first time in six years in an 11-13 July. They are doing well in August thanks to a more balanced lineup, the bullpen’s comeback, and just enough output from a starting rotation that is limited by injuries.

“I’m happy with our recent performance,” Roberts stated. “All I want to do is keep doing that till the season is over.”

Getting that done is still difficult.

The rotation ace’s current state Roberts has not said that Tyler Glasnow’s comeback from elbow tendinitis is certain, so things are still unclear.

Regarding Glasnow, who is expected to resume his throwing programme on Friday, Roberts remarked, “We’re hopeful.” “I believe that there are still a lot of unknowns. But I believe that optimism permeates the entire organisation.

Starter number two After throwing two innings in a rehab start with triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the mend. However, he will require one more rehab game, if not more, before he can return to the starting lineup.

The Diamondbacks and the third-place San Diego Padres, who both suffered losses on Thursday before to the Dodgers’ game, are teams the Dodgers are expecting to hold off in the interim.

They’ve managed to do so thus far without straining their roster’s lack of players. This weekend in Arizona, that strategy will be put to the test one more time.

Betts remarked, “Maybe being close to one another will keep us hungry.” “Maybe “hungry” isn’t the best term to use. but sustains us till the conclusion of the season, after which perhaps the switch doesn’t need to be turned on at all. It simply remains on at all times. We’ll see.