Dodgers Jump Big in Latest MLB Power Rankings
The Dodgers enter the second week of May as one of the hotter teams in baseball.
The Dodgers have won eight of their last 10 games, and have won three straight series entering the current one against the Brewers.
Even though the Dodgers lost the series opener to Milwaukee, they still are playing as well as anyone in the league, which is why they shot up MLB.com’s recent power rankings this week.
The Dodgers sit at the No. 5 spot in the league and the second-highest in the National League, only trailing the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers jumped an impressive six spots from No. 11 last week — here’s what writer Manny Randhawa had to say.
“The Dodgers surged back to stun the rival Padres on Sunday Night Baseball, when Mookie Betts delivered a clutch game-tying homer in the ninth inning, and Los Angeles scored three in the 10th to pick up its eighth win in nine games and finish the week 5-1. After back-to-back three-game home sweeps of the Cardinals and Phillies, the Dodgers dropped the opener of their weekend set against the Padres at Petco Park, but they wouldn't be denied a series victory thanks to a two-run homer by Chris Taylor on Saturday and homers from Betts and James Outman on Sunday night.”
The Dodgers have settled in nicely after a rough start to the year. The bullpen has drastically improved, while the starting pitching has been much more consistent.
On offense, the addition of Will Smith back into the lineup has been crucial. Also, Max Muncy’s reemergence as an MVP candidate early in the year has been quite the boost.
The Dodgers offense is only going to improve once Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman really get going. That’s why, among other reasons, a top five ranking for the Dodgers is more than fair. I only expect them to keep climbing the rankings as the year progresses.
