With a win on Monday the Dodgers will have just their second three-game winning streak of the 2013 season. After winning the final two outings in San Diego this weekend they face San Francisco on Monday with Hyun-Jin Ryu on the mound.
The last time the Dodgers won three in a row was April 5th-7th, since then they have won two-straight just nine times. On Monday they sit 8.5 back in the NL West and 10 games under .500 at 32-42.
A quick look at the MLB standings shows a few surprises, one being that every team in the AL East is currently over .500.
One of those Al East teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, added Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, and R.A. Dickey for a total of $50 million in 2013 alone. Toronto entered the season with similar expectations to the Dodgers after adding on so much payroll in the offseason.
On June 10th, the Blue Jays were nine games under .500 and 12 games out of the AL East. Toronto fans were angry, opposing fans thought it was hilarious, and sports analysts that proclaimed them a favorite in the American League had their predictions busted.
Sounds pretty familiar, right, Dodger fans?
Well, Toronto is now riding an 11-game winning streak to a 38-36 record that has shrunk their deficit in the AL East down to a manageable five games.
Is this a ridiculous comparison to be making? Sure, the Dodgers do not appear to be turning things around, but with the return of Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford the roster will be back to full health and we will see what they can really do.
Not to say that the Dodgers are going to rattle off 10 straight wins, but when a team is full of talent like the Blue Jays or the Dodgers you cannot count them out.
The Dodgers have not played a single game this year with Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, and Carl Crawford all on the field together. Then add Yasiel Puig into that mix and it is hard to see this team failing to make a run, even at 8.5 games back.
Also, do not forget that the trade deadline is just a month away. It will not be a surprise if this front office gives the green light for another big trade.
It may be naive for keeping faith in a team that only has won three games in a row just once this season, but beating the 38-37 Giants with Hyun-Jin Ryu pitching for the Dodgers on Monday seems doable. So, let's start with a three-game streak, and see what the Dodgers can do from there.
