Series recap: Dodgers sweep Diamondbacks

Well the Los Angeles Dodgers are now 5-0 against the Arizona Diamondbacks this year. Can they play them everyday? After sweeping the Dbacks in Phoenix this past weekend, the Dodgers will travel to San Francisco to face the Giants on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. But let’s look back at the Diamondbacks series and recap what went right and wrong.

Apr 13, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hits a three run home run in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Series MVP: 1B Adrian Gonzalez

Gonzalez went 7 for 13 over the weekend and had a home run in all three games and now has homered in four straight games. On Friday, Gonzalez hit a two-run shot in to right off of Brandon McCarthy to get the Dodgers on the scoreboard. Saturday, Gonzalez hit another two-run shot, this time to left field. And yesterday, A-Gon hit a three-run jack to right field. It was gone from the moment it went off of his bat. Gonzalez also had 10 RBIs throughout the series and now has an extra-base hit in eight straight games, one shy of tying the franchise record set by Jack Fournier in 1925. (Eric Stephen) Gonzalez is a consistent .290 hitter and will look to stay hot against the Giants.

Dee Gordon continues to impress

I wrote in my article last week about Dee Gordon and how he has been the biggest surprise this season. Gordon went 3 for 7 in two games against the Dbacks. Gordon leads the team with a .400 batting average but what has me very impressed is how aggressive he has been on the base paths. Yes, we all know how fast Gordon is but his aggressiveness on the base paths is a great commodity for the team to have. Gordon had five stolen bases over the weekend with four of them coming yesterday. The most impressive one was in the top of the third when Gordon stole 2^nd as Dbacks pitcher Randall Delgado stepped off the rubber and before he knew it, Gordon was already to 2^nd. Gordon leads the MLB with nine stolen bases.

Hyun-Jin Ryu’s Friday start was one of his best

Hyun-Jin Ryu has been a workhorse so far this season and due to injuries, has already made four starts. On Friday, Ryu had one of his best starts of his young career as the southpaw threw seven shutout innings, allowing two hits, and striking out eight. Ryu didn’t allow a runner past first base and retired his final 10 batters. He now has a 19-inning scoreless road streak. Ryu has more pressure on him with Clayton Kershaw sidelined but has done very well besides his start against the Giants. He will look to get revenge when he faces San Francisco on Wednesday.

Brandon League struggles big time

Before pitching on Saturday, Brandon League had begun the 2014 season with four scoreless innings in relief. On Saturday, he entered in the bottom fo the ninth with a six-run lead but only retired two batters before manager Don Mattingly pulled League and replaced him with Kenley Jansen who retired the final batter. League allowed three runs and it looked as if he was throwing batting practice. Brian Wilson is eligible to be activated from the DL on Tuesday and you have to wonder, will Donnie Baseball pull the plug on League?

It’s always great to get a series sweep but even better when you are on the road. The boys in blue will look to stay hot against the Giants.