Dodgers season in thirds: Breaking down 2020 in 20-game chunks

It’s been a while since I dusted off the season in thirds breakdown. It feels weird to do so in such a short season, since a third of a normal season (54 games) is almost as long as the entirety of the 2020 schedule.

But I had some time on my hands, so here is a look at the Dodgers’ year so far, in 20-game chunks.

Generally speaking, the Dodgers pitching was better in the first 20 games, but the offense has picked up the slack over the last 20, keeping the run differential quite consistent.

The Dodgers tied their best 40-game start in franchise history, which includes 17-3 in the last 20. They have actually won 19 of their last 22, but we’re only interested in 20-game stretches here.

On offense, Mookie Betts and Corey Seager have been excellent pretty much the whole year.

“He’s been pretty hot, pretty consistent all year. I’ll take this if we can do it throughout the postseason,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday of Betts. “He’s just very consistent, and that’s what great players do.”

Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy started off terribly but picked it up late, while A.J. Pollock was hot early but has cooled off since.

I decided not to break down the pitchers individually, since 20 games is such a small stretch when appearing infrequently. But here are the pitching numbers, split into starters and relievers.

The one change I did make was counting Caleb Ferguson’s “start” on August 27 in San Francisco, pitching one inning to begin a bullpen game in the second game of a doubleheader, as part of the relief numbers.

So there you have it. The Dodgers are two-thirds into their season, and have one third remaining. Let’s see what the final 20 games bring.