Making a statement

They're whimsical, see?

The continuing refrain from the mainstream media during the Dodgers' surprisingly good start this season has been "Yeah, they're winning, but not against quality opponents.  Just wait until a good team plays them."  Sure enough, against better competition (Brewers & Braves), the Dodgers dropped two out of three, despite hanging tough with both.  This weekend's three game series vs. the Nationals was therefore looked at as a big litmus test- a battle against a powerful young team with three strong pitching matchups.  Taking two out of three (considering one was against Stephen Strasburg) would have been an accomplishment- a sweep wasn't even considered.  

Which makes the final result that much more gratifying.  There are still major flaws with this team, position players in particular- but they scratched together juuuuuuust enough offense to back up the dominant pitching performances this weekend.  Chris Capuano has been a VERY pleasant surprise thus far, holding the Nats scoreless over seven strong innings yesterday.  If he can stay healthy, he's going to be an asset in the back of this rotation.  

This upcoming series vs. the Rockies is going to be a big one- taking the series in Colorado would give the Dodgers a chance to really separate themselves in the NL West race.  And following it up with three games against the lowly Cubs means there's a very real chance they can return to Dodgers Stadium May 7th as the league's first 20 game winner, a nice feather in the cap for the incoming owners.