Apstein: Are the Dodgers on the verge of becoming the best team in baseball history?

From Stephanie Apstein at Sports Illustrated on August 23, 2017:

[Justin] Turner is not the prankster; that’s super utilityman Enrique Hernández, who recently set up a hidden camera to film himself jumping out of a laundry hamper at unsuspecting teammates. Turner’s not the adult in the room; that’s silver-haired second baseman Chase Utley, who strength coach Brandon McDaniel jokes has “never made a mistake in his life.” Turner doesn’t host team dinners (that’s Adrián González) or have T-shirts made (Yasiel Puig). But the Dodgers—with an 87–35 record at week’s end that led the majors by 12 games and had them on pace for a record-tying 116 wins—are Justin Turner’s team.

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Expectations were high for the Dodgers from the beginning, but no one could have foreseen the juggernaut they’ve become. They opened the season with, according to Baseball Prospectus, a 90.6% chance of making the playoffs. They haven’t dipped below 100% since June 26. They have allowed the fewest runs in baseball and scored the sixth most. They went on a 51–9 tear through last Friday, the best 60-game stretch in 105 years. They haven’t lost a series since the first week of June. If they don’t rest their starters in September they have a real chance to break the record of 116 wins.

Read the full article here: https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/08/22/los-angeles-dodgers-justin-turner



Originally published: August 23, 2017. Last Updated: August 23, 2017.