Dodgers haven’t lost since being no-hit last week

The Dodgers needed a wake-up call. By the looks of it, they got one.

After being swept by the Padres last week, the Dodgers traveled back to Dodger Stadium with a sour taste in their mouth. Getting swept is never fun, but it stings more when it comes against a team in your own division battling for first place. You would have thought that would have been a wake-up call.

Well, not quite. In their first game back at home, the Dodgers were no-hit by the Cubs, extending their losing streak to four games and really making it an embarrassing and frustrating week. Since then, how have the Dodgers responded?

By winning seven games in a row. They’ve scored 38 runs over their last seven games and have a run differential of +23. The offense has been clicking, the pitching has been great and just like that the Dodgers are neck-and-neck with the Giants for first place.

“Going down to San Diego and getting swept and getting no-hit isn’t ideal,” Justin Turner said following Friday’s win. “It only counts as one game. It’s not a weeks worth of losses. Thats the beauty of this game, you get to take your lumps and have a chance of winning another ball game. I think we’ve done a pretty good job after that stretch.”

Manager Dave Roberts also spoke following Friday’s game and said he doesn’t know if the last week is much of a turning point, as he thinks the Dodgers have been having good at bats all season, the results just haven’t always been there.

“The at bat quality has been fantastic,” he said. “The last seven days is a collection of good at bats. Some days you’re going to put up crooked numbers and beat the starter, some days you’re still going to grind but not put up big numbers. It’s been good quality at bats across the lineup.”

The Dodgers scored nine runs in the seventh inning last night. Multiple times this season they’ve had innings in which they pile on the runs. Turner said that putting up big lopsided numbers that that is great, but the team would much rather consistently score a run or two every inning.

“Beggers can’t be choosers,” he said. “If you’re going to run into those big innings, we’ll take them.”

Dodgers links

• ICYMI: The Dodgers visited the White House on Friday. Kyle Feldsher of CNN recaps the incredible day.
• Speaking of the White House, Joe Kelly was spotted rocking a jacket he received from a member of a mariachi band at Dodger Stadium earlier in the week. Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic caught up with the fan that did the exchange with Kelly.
• Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic also takes a look into how the Dodgers’ bats have woken up recently
• Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times takes a look at recent players who have been investigated by Major League Baseball for assault