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Dodgers: Three storylines to watch after clinching the division
The Dodgers are now in coast mode as they clinched their seventh straight division title. That doesn’t mean there are not storylines still to follow.
The 2019 NL West division race is officially over. Although it wasn’t much of a race unlike last season, the Dodgers cruised to their second quickest division title-clinching in franchise history. That doesn’t mean there are not intriguing storylines to watch the rest of the way. To begin here is the first storyline to watch the rest of the regular season.
Gavin Lux aims to keep a starting role into the postseason
Gavin Lux busted the door down to earn his first big league call-up with the Dodgers. Between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, Lux hit .347 with 26 home run in 113 games. He was the Dodgers’ minor league prospect of the year and is a potential X-factor for the postseason, if he can lock down a starting spot at second base.
So far in the bigs, Lux has hit just .240 with one home run but his most recent start he went 3-4 and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Max Muncy will return on Friday so the roster competition is about to heat up. Lux could become the starting second baseman against right-handed pitching if he can show the Dodgers enough these last few weeks.
Can key contributors return from injury and play well?
Injuries continue to take their toll on the 2019 Dodgers as Justin Turner is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his bothersome left ankle. Max Muncy is set to return Friday against the New York Mets. Rich Hill is returning this afternoon against the Orioles. Then there is Alex Verdugo who is trying to get right after a back/oblique injury.
For Max Muncy, his return will be more of a pain tolerance type situation. His wrist is going to be sore every time he gets jammed or hits a ball off the end of the bat. Can he battle through the pain and get back to launching home runs for the Dodgers? Then there is the aforementioned Hill who will return but is no lock to hold up the rest of the season.
Max Muncy, Justin Turner, and Rich Hill are all three key contributors for the Dodgers and if they are not close to 100% then the Dodgers’ chances of winning the World Series decrease significantly. While Alex Verdugo is not a key contributor like those three veterans, if he returns he could give the Dodgers another outfield option should Joc Pederson go cold in the postseason.
The Dodgers are one of the most talented teams in baseball when healthy, but they are no lock to enter the postseason close to 100% healthy.
Will Ryu and Bellinger finish strong in their hunt for the Cy Young and NL MVP?
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At the All-Star break, Hyun-Jin Ryu led MLB with an ERA of 1.73. In the second half he has struggled to replicate that success, posting ERA’s of 7.48 and 6.23. His ERA now stands at 2.45 which is just 11 points better than Max Scherzer who has an ERA of 2.56. Braves’ rookie Mike Soroka and Jacob deGrom are also in the running.
After getting some time off to reset and fight fatigue, Ryu will return to the rotation on Saturday against the Mets. The Mets are in the hunt for the second NL wild card spot so it will be good postseason prep for Ryu and the Dodgers. Ryu currently stands as the Dodgers’ probable game one starter for the postseason but that could change if his struggles continue.
Cody Bellinger is another Dodger chasing a National League award, with his hunt being for the NL MVP. Yelich is now out of the race but Bellinger will have a tough time fighting off Ronald Acuna Jr, Anthony Rendon, Pete Alonso and others if his own skid continues. Bellinger hit well above .300 for most of the season but he now sits at .303.
Next. Justin Turner to undergo an MRI on his injured left ankle. dark
Bellinger trails Alonso by three home runs and ranks 9th in RBI’s. The one boost for Belli is that he is a gold glove caliber fielder at each position he plays, which has been centerfield, right field, and first base. Cody is hitting just .219 in September and has an OPS below .800 for the first time this season. He needs a strong finish to become the Dodgers’ first position player to win the award since 1988.