From dominant pitching gems to a perfect extra-innings record, discover the driving forces behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' late-season surge.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been on a heater recently, and that includes sweeps against the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates.
LA went to Coors Field and handled the Rockies in a series win that they desperately needed, fresh off losing three of four to the team with the best record in all of baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers.
Now though, the Dodgers have a new lease on life as they've won six straight games and are once again within one game of the Brewers.
There are a lot of reasons why this Dodgers team is sitting at 80-51 overall, but here are six from their recent stretch of six straight victories.
1. Blake Snell has been incredible
Incredible is one of many words that could be used to describe just how well Blake Snell has pitched since coming off the Injured List.
The 33-year-old has thrown exactly six innings in all three of his starts this month, but he allowed just one earned run in a 12-inning stretch that greatly benefited the Dodgers from August 17-23.
2. Rest day came after a two-hit gem
The Pirates were extremely aggressive at the deadline, but they were only able to record two hits against the Dodgers in the series finale in a game that saw them get shutout, 4-0.
Snell gave up both of those hits while relievers Edgardo Henriquez, Brock Stewart, and Alex Vesia were all perfect in their inning of work.
3. Dodgers improved to 5-0 in extra innings games
For a team that didn't see a game go into extra innings until July 6, the Dodgers sure know how to win in any given situation.
It's not exactly great that they needed 10 innings in back-to-back games against the Rockies and Pirates, but they ended up winning those games to stay perfect this season in games that go past nine innings.
4. Kyle Tucker is starting to figure it out
There's been a ton of heat on Kyle Tucker this season for his horrific first year with the team, but he now has hits in back-to-back home games, and while that may seem like nothing, it's a major improvement as he's fresh off a nearly 0-for-30 streak at Dodger Stadium.
5. Tarik Skubal is dialed in
Tarik Skubal may only be 1-2 in his first four starts with the Dodgers, but he struck out 11 Pirates in seven innings as he picked up his first career win in a Dodgers uniform on August 22.
6. Dodgers can reclaim baseball's best record
Remember, the Dodgers may only be one game behind the Brewers, but since Milwaukee won the season series, it's technically a two-game gap for the Dodgers. Either way, if they keep this hot streak up, they'll be back into the conversation in no time.
