Dodgers need to capitalize on next two series with weak opponents

In their next two series, the Dodgers face the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles. They need to take advantage of this easy stretch.

The Giants have fizzled out somewhat since their hot stretch in July, so they really aren’t even as good as their 66 wins dictate. The Dodgers need to take down both their arch-rivals and the lowly Orioles (46-93).

For one, these are teams the Dodgers should beat. The team thrives against bad pitching, especially bad relief pitching, and both of these black and orange teams will throw out mostly poor relievers.

It is important to beat these teams more than others the team will face down the stretch because, after these six games against bottom feeders, the Dodgers will take on the desperate charges for October of the New York Mets and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Both of these teams have stacked pitching staffs, high-powered bullpens (even if the Mets is struggling as of late) and deep platoon-based offenses. While the Mets have Pete Alonso, the potential home run king of baseball, and Jeff McNeill, the potential winner of this year’s NL batting title, the Rays have a balanced and deep attack, but both will test the resolve of a Dodger team looking to cruise into the playoffs with the best record in the NL.

In this article, I run through the Giants and the Orioles to find who on each roster could keep the Dodgers from achieving series wins in both series, which could cripple their momentum heading into October.