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LOS ANGELES — After acquiring Freddie Freeman in March, there was genuine curiosity when it came to finding out whether the 2022 Dodgers could ultimately become one of the most dominant teams of all time.
Over the first few months of the regular season, the Dodgers held steady atop the National League West. During that time, they warned everyone that they weren’t yet clicking on all cylinders. The hype wore down a bit.
Well, it might be time to start having that conversation again.
With an 8-5 win over the Twins on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers have reeled off 10 consecutive victories. During that stretch, they have dominated the competition, winning all 10 games by multiple runs. They’ve outscored opponents 70-24 during the streak.
What has made Los Angeles so dangerous over the last month and a half is their ability to win in a variety of ways. Over the weekend, Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger played hero on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. On Tuesday, the Dodgers suffocated the Twins with a season-high eight doubles.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers fell behind early as rookie right-hander Ryan Pepiot didn’t have his best stuff, allowing four runs in his fifth Major League start. It was a rare bad outing for a Dodgers starter. But the offense wasn’t going to let the Dodgers go down quietly.
Muncy continued to demolish pitches, smashing his fourth homer of the month in the second inning. In the fifth, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner and Will Smith strung hits together to tie the game at 4. Then the Dodgers turned to the long ball.
Chris Taylor smashed his first homer since coming off the injured list, a solo blast off right-hander Michael Fulmer to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead. In the eighth, the Dodgers saw a glimpse of Joey Gallo’s raw power. The lefty slugger, who had a disastrous year at the plate while with the Yankees, gave the Dodgers much-needed separation, smacking a three-run homer in the seventh.
Over the last week, Bellinger and Muncy have shown signs of life at the plate, a scary sight for opposing pitchers. If Taylor and Gallo can tap into their strengths, the Dodgers’ lineup will only get that much deeper.
