Of course, there’s also the opposite end of the hypothetical: The powerhouse champion. The 2018 Red Sox. The 2017 Astros. The 2016 Cubs. The 2015 Royals. The 2013 Red Sox. Right now, there are four teams that have a chance to end up looking like one of the champions above. The Yankees had the best record in the AL or even all of baseball for much of the season. They’re in a bind right now, but if they rebound and win over 100 games, they obviously count. The Astros aren’t as bad as the Yankees, but they’ve lost eight of their last 14. Of course, they’re still on pace to win 103 games, and considering they’ve taken three of the last five AL pennants, they’d surely be champions. Check the opt-in box to confirm you want to join.
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How about the Mets? The franchise hasn’t seen a 100-game winner since 1988, but is currently 70-39, which is a 104-game hitting streak. Their lead was cut to half a game over the Braves a few weeks ago, but the Mets have gone 12-2 since then. They just took four of five against the defending champs and finally sport the eerie Scherzer-deGrom combo at the top of the rotation. They have a 6 1/2 game lead and are looking their best all season in some ways.
Could it end up being a power vs. power matchup in the NLCS? Because the most obvious choice here would be the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s entirely possible that many people take the Dodgers for granted right now. It is also understandable. After all, the Dodgers have set those high expectations for themselves in the regular season.
The Dodgers haven’t missed the playoffs since 2012. They’re going for their ninth division title in the last 10 years, and the one they didn’t win was a season in which they won 106 games. They have made the NLCS six of the last nine seasons, taking the NL pennant three times.
And yet, the only World Series title the Dodgers have won since 1988 was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Therein lies the rub. Certainly the Dodgers and their fans are desperate for another title, especially one in a full season in which they can play and win the World Series in front of a packed house at Dodger Stadium.
If they don’t, the season is a failure.
It’s one of those things that doesn’t really seem fair, but it’s also a situation that’s the envy of the rest of baseball. It goes both ways. Sure, it’s terrible, from the Dodgers’ point of view, that they could go out and win 112 games, make a run in Game 7 of the World Series and lose by one run and be considered a failure. It’s also a testament to how good they’ve been over the last decade that they’re in this position. Many other teams could make it to the league championship series and have their fans fondly remember the magical run for years to come.
The other byproduct of being easily the best organization in baseball is how much fewer of their incredible streaks are in baseball. The Dodgers went 21-5 in July. How much more impressive would this record sound in a month if it were the Marlins, Rangers, Angels, Royals, Orioles, Reds, Pirates, Rockies, Diamondbacks or, well, just about any other team? Being honest with ourselves, I think we can all agree that it would affect us much more strongly.
We’re just used to seeing this kind of dominance from the Dodgers.
Oh, and he’s 7-0 in August so far.
They actually won their last two games in June, too, so they’re an outrageous 30-5 since June 28th. The next best team in that division is the Mariners, who had a 14-game winning streak there and are still 24-10, 5 1/2 games behind the Dodgers.
There is no doubt who the best team in baseball is. There is no doubt who would be the best choice to become this season’s powerhouse champion. But can they do it in October and November? If not, they are failures. That’s the deal. A raw one? Maybe, but also one 29 other teams would like to do.
The biggest movers
Rk
Team’s
Chg
Rcrd
1 Dodgers They’ll need to address the bullpen late in the year — specifically Craig Kimbrel’s role — but reinforcements are on the way and there’s plenty of time. — 75-33 2 Mets I don’t know if we should necessarily call these “statement streaks” in July and August, but it seems like so many people were armed and ready to give the Braves the keys to the NL East after their run in June. The Mets took two of three in Atlanta last month and then four of five last weekend at home. 1 70-39 3 Stars Doesn’t seem like Justin Verlander has won more than two Cy Youngs? Maybe that’s because he’s finished second three times (and should have won at least one of them). Regardless, he’s first right now. At the age of 39. He is coming off Tommy John surgery. 1 70-40 4 Yankees They are now 9-16 since July 8th and look so bad. I don’t think they’re in danger in the East (yet), but the lead is less than 10 games for the first time since June 15th. I would have dropped them, but there is nowhere to go with the Braves struggling. There is still enough credit from the first semester. — 70-39 5 Braves They are far enough behind the Mets that the wild card spots are more of a concern. They’re actually closer to being out of the playoff picture (five games at the Brewers with the Padres and Phillies in between) than catching the Mets. — 64-46 6 Cardinals Eight days ago, they were four games back. They are now in first place with a two-race lead. The Brewers visit St. Louis for a three-game series this coming weekend, so maybe it’s time to put some distance between them? 6 60-48 7 Blue Jays The deficit is 9 1/2 games. The Blue Jays and Yankees play each other seven more times. I really doubt it could happen, but the chances are greater than zero. What a story that would be. 1 60-48 8 Phillies They have won 10 of their last 11 games. Rhys Hoskins is beyond hot. Ranger Suárez continues to throw well and Bryce Harper has started to hit a tee. The situation is improving. 3 60-48 9 Mariners Of their four relievers — Paul Sewald, Penn Murfee, Andrés Muñoz and Erik Swanson — the worst WHIP is 0.95 (Muñoz). It’s a stable of heralded studs. 1 59-51 …
