World Series…or Bust?

Something has stabbed the Dodgers in the jugular and no one can stop the bleeding.

If you happened to start tuning into Dodger baseball two weeks ago (and were one of the fortunate fans who is actually able to watch the games) you’d most likely think you were watching a last place team.  The Dodgers have lost a season high 13 of their last 14 games and have been outscored during that period 79-32.  They have lost 8 games in a row – their worst losing streak in over four years.  Before tonight they had only scored 3 runs over the course of 4 games.  Their only win in the last two weeks was a 1-0 win over the San Diego Padres, not exactly a productive offensive game.

Prior to two weeks ago, fans had the luxury of watching (or following) the “MLB best Los Angeles Dodgers” go 91-36 with a .717 win percentage.  It appeared they were either setting a new record, coming from behind to win (42 times) or getting walk-off hits (10 times) by a new player almost every single night.  Losses were rare and an abundance of runs (especially home runs) seemed a given.  The team went on a franchise best 43-7 stretch (best 50 game stretch in MLB since 1912), swept opposing teams 16 times, and didn’t lose a single series from June 7th through August 27th.  At one point, they lead the division over the Arizona Diamondbacks by as many as 21 games!

Skipper, Dave Roberts, appeared to be a genuis to many and there was World Series buzz already going on in early August. In fact their biggest division rivals, the San Francisco Giants, were eliminated on August 21st with well over a month of baseball left to play.  The team was on cloud nine and so were the fans.  The Dodgers were unbeatable.

Then, something changed.

No one can be sure exactly what it was.  Maybe it was the disappointment of the trade-deadline acquistion starting pitcher, Yu Darvish, who has a 2-2 record, 4.50 ERA and 1.538 WHIP over 5 games with the Dodgers.  Maybe it was the disappointment of the waiver-deadline acquisition Curtis Granderson who is hitting .097/.233/.544 (BA/OBP/OBPS) with only 8 RBI’s and 6 runs scored over 18 games with the club.  Maybe it is the seemingly endless “September call-ups” from AAA Oklahoma City.  Maybe it’s the inconsistent lineups that Dave Roberts has put together.  Maybe it was Cody Bellinger, Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Corey Seager and Brandon McCarthy all spending time on the DL.  Maybe it is the effect of a run down team over the course of a 162 game season.  Or maybe there really is a “Sports Illustrated cover curse.”  Likely, it’s a combination.

As was previously stated, tonight’s loss resulted in the Dodgers dropping their 13th out of 14 games.  No World Series winning team has ever had a 1-13 losing streak during a season.  Not one.

To say fans are upset would be a huge understatement.

Fans are blaming Roberts.  They are blaming players who are slumping at the plate.  They are boo’ing relief pitchers (specifically, Pedro Baez) who have been struggling with command.  Fans are giving up hope just when the team needs their support the most.  But, all hope is not lost.  There is a silver lining in Dave Roberts’ playbook.  If the Dodgers somehow manage to squeak by and win the division it will be their 5th consecutive division title.  In MLB history here are the results of every team who has won their division at least 5 years in a row:

• 1949-1953 New York Yankees: WON 5 WORLD SERIES’ (5 appearances)
• 1960-1964 New York Yankees: WON 2 WORLD SERIES’ (5 appearances)
• 1971-1975 Oakland Athletics: WON 3 WORLD SERIES’ (3 appearances)
• 1991-1993*, 1995-2005 Atlanta Braves: WON 1 WORLD SERIES (5 appearances)
• 1995-1999 Cleveland Indians: LOST WORLD SERIES TO ATLANTA BRAVES (1 appearance)
• 1998-2006 New York Yankees: WON 3 WORLD SERIES’ (5 appearances)
• 2007-2011 Philadelphia Phillies: WON 1 WORLD SERIES (2 appearances)
• 2013-2017 Los Angeles Dodgers: ???

Baseball is a superstitious sport; however if you accept the negative stats as a be-all and end-all you also have to accept the positive ones.  Do the Dodgers still have a chance to win it all?  At this point, they have as good a shot as anyone else.  They still have the best record in the MLB at 92-49 and, with a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight, they still maintain a 10 game lead in the division.  Do fans have reason to worry?  Of course.  The Dodgers only have 21 games left and with a recent 13-game winning streak by the D-backs, the division could come down to the wire.

If the Dodgers continue the tailspin and fail to fix the issues currently plaguing the team, it could be that their historic season was all for not.

BakoBoyInBlue

*The 1994 season ended on August 11th due to a players’ strike.