Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Down five runs going into the 7th inning last night, the Los Angeles Dodgers found a way to pull out a comeback win. They beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9. They have taken the first two games of the series which means tonight they will be looking for their second consecutive sweep.
With all of the moves made and money spent during the off-season by both the Jays and Dodgers, we expected both of them to be serious contenders this year. Well one of them is all but out of the playoff hunt, and the other is currently on a five game winning streak which has led to a division lead. There has been much deserved publicity and praise for what outfielder Yasiel Puig has done for the Dodgers since being called up on June 3. However, many people are seeming to ignore what shortstop Hanley Ramirez has done since returning from the DL.
Ramirez has a remarkable batting average of .384 along with nine HR and 30 RBI since June 4. With both Puig and Ramirez in the lineup the Dodgers have been 27-13 this year, which is night and day difference from the 25-34 record without one or both of the players. They currently are .5 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks which makes the NL West one of the more intriguing division races of the season. If the Dodgers can play like they have been playing the last month, they might end up being the team to beat in October.
