Dodgers' rotation pulled off historic stretch exactly when LA needed it most

The Dodgers still have a considerable stretch of tough regular season games in front of them, but spoiled two back-to-back opportunities to dominate last-place teams (they were swept by the Pirates and then dropped a series against the Orioles). Since then, they've rebounded a bit.

It's been a weird, weird week for Dodger baseball. Emmet Sheehan took a perfect game bid into the sixth a day after Tyler Glasnow and the Dodgers' combined no-hit attempt was broken up in the ninth, which in turn happened just two days after Yoshinobu Yamamoto's no-hitter was broken up through 8 2/3 innings and Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott combusted to lose the game despite a three-run LA lead.

But Dodgers are heading into the weekend and a pivotal three-game set against the Giants after enjoyng a sweep of the Rockies at home. Granted, it was the Rockies, but they've managed to get the better of the Dodgers way too many times for comfort this season.

LA's rotation hit back. From Sept. 6 through Sept. 10, the Dodgers' rotation struck out 49 batters, and Orioles and Rockies batters could only cobble together a combined .091 batting average against them.

Dodgers' rotation went on a historic run that bodes well for postseason (even if it was against the Orioles and Rockies)

Sure, everything has to be caveated with the fact that these victories came against two last-place teams, but the Dodgers desperately needed the boost going into a series against a division rival. If they had to pick on a few bottom-feeders, then so be it (and let's not forget that the Orioles still walked away from that series with the win and are MLB's best team in Sept.).

The Dodgers' pitching problem has mostly been contained to the bullpen, but it's still reassuring that their starters went 8 2/3 innings pitched (Yamamoto), 5 2/3 (Clayton Kershaw), 7 (Glasnow and Sheehan), and 6 (Snell). The bullpen desperately needs to figure out its own problems, but LA's starters took a lot of work off of their plate.

LA's division lead over the Padres is still tenuous and the Dodgers arguably have the more difficult schedule ahead, but so far this month San Diego was swept by the Orioles, lost one against the Rockies, and then lost a series against the Reds, so they may be in even worse shape than the Dodgers.

The Dodgers will see the Giants, Phillies, Giants again, Diamondbacks, and Mariners — all of whom are bound to give the rotation more grief than the Orioles and Rockies — before the year is done. Still, it was a much-needed stretch of fantastic starting pitching for LA, and definitely good for the Dodgers' battered egos.