Dodgers fans must remember this recent WS champion amid disastrous stretch

For many Los Angeles Dodgers fans, Father's Day weekend represented rock bottom. An already-struggling Dodgers team was swept by the rivaled San Francisco Giants at home and were outscored 29-8.

This dropped the Dodgers to third place in the NL West with a 39-33 record. If things continue to slide, it's not unfathomable for the San Diego Padres to usurp the Dodgers and send the usual juggernauts all the way to fourth place.

This run has caused panic among the fanbase, especially after the team spoiled its fans to a combined 217 wins over the previous two seasons. While it's easy to get caught up in the moment, Dodgers fans need to remember that it's still only June and there's plenty of time for the ship to right itself.

It might seem bleak right now, but there are recent World Series Champions that prove that early-season struggles do no necessarily equate to total disaster.

Dodgers fans should turn to the 2019 Washington Nationals for solace

Not every World Series Champion is like the 2019 Washington Nationals, but they certainly give Dodgers fans a reason to be optimistic about how the 2023 season can turn around. The 2019 Nationals were even worse to start the season and had similar problems as the Dodgers do this year.

That Nationals team was 19-31 through its first 50 games and by the time the All-Star Break rolled around they were only five games above .500 at 47-42. That was after a red-hot run to end the first half, as the Nationals were 32-38 through their first 70 games.

That Nationals team also struggled immensely with its bullpen. The 2019 Nationals had a 5.68 bullpen ERA, which was the second-worst in the sport and the worst in the National League. The 2023 Dodgers have a 5.04 bullpen ERA, which is the second-worst in the sport and the worst in the National League.

Like the Nationals in 2019, there are reasons to be hopeful that the Dodgers bullpen is going to improve. The product that fans are seeing on the field in June is not going to be what fans see in October -- even if that means using starting pitchers out of the bullpen like the Nationals did in 2019.

The 2019 Nationals won the World Series behind several key factors. They had a great starting rotation that could add depth to the bullpen, they had a great offense, and most importantly, they got hot at the right time.

Baseball is unlike any other professional sport in America. The best teams don't always win the World Series. More often than not, the hottest team wins the World Series. Sometimes those things intersect and it's the best team that gets hot at the right time, but as Dodgers fans know all too well, that's few and far between.

The Dodgers have the pitching staff (if healthy) to implement a similar approach as the 2019 Nationals in October. Los Angeles also has the offense to succeed when things matter the most. Despite all of the team's struggles this season, the Dodgers still rank fourth in both OPS and runs scored.

Is it a guarantee that the Dodgers will get hot in October like the 2019 Nationals? Not at all. But that Nationals team is a firm reminder that a losing streak in June is not the end of the world, especially when the problems LA possess are fixable.