If you are a fan of the character Lou Brown from the popular baseball movie Major League II (1974) played by actor James Gammon, then you are undoubtedly familiar with his famous clubhouse motivational speech to his players. If not, here it is:

“We won a game yesterday. If we win today, it’s called ‘two in a row.’ And if we win again tomorrow, it’s called ‘a winning streak’ … It has happened before!”

According to coach Brown, the Dodgers now officially have “a winning streak” going, with their 9-6 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, with the previous two coming on Tuesday and Wednesday nights against the Seattle Mariners, also at Dodger Stadium.

To what do the heretofore losers of 15 of their previous 20 games owe this winning streak after having begun the 2021 campaign with an MLB-best 13-2 record? According to Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy, who homered in each of those three consecutive Dodger wins: “I think we’re just getting back to ourselves.”

“We still have a good ball club. We had one a week ago, but we’re just finding ways to win,” the Dodgers version of Lou Brown – manager Dave Roberts – told reporters after the game. “Obviously, offensively, we’re putting together some good at-bats and pushing runs across, and the defense has been tightened up. I’d like to think we’ve turned the corner and continue to get better.”

Although the game looked as though it was going to be a laugher after the Dodgers put up an eight spot in the bottom of the second inning, an inning that saw every Dodger in the starting line-up (except Justin Turner) get a hit, things got a bit tense when Don Mattingley‘s Marlins pulled to within three runs by the fifth inning; this after Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw gave up a three-run home run to Marlins left fielder Adam Duvall in the top of the third inning.

“The third inning, they hit one ball hard,” Kershaw said after the game. “Unfortunately, it was the one that had two guys on base for a three-run homer.”

That three-run homer would be the only blemish on Kershaw’s otherwise brilliant outing that saw him improve his record to 6-3 on the season and included a season-high 11 strikeouts, with only one walk and six hits in his six innings of work.

Getting back to that ‘laugher-to-tense’ thing, Dodgers right-hander Dennis Santana had Dodger fans squirming in their seats a bit after allowing a walk, a hit, and a run to put the Marlins within “slam range” (as former Dodger and current Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker used to say) in the top of the eighth. But 25-year-old Dodgers left-hander Victor Gonzalez bailed Santana out by striking out the only batter he would face in relief of Santana, with two outs and the bases loaded to end the Marlins eighth-inning threat.

And then came Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, who has had his struggles this season. All the 33-year-old Willemstad, Curacao native, three-time All-Star, and three-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year award winner did was retire the Marlins in order in the top of the ninth, to record his seventh save of the season while consistently hitting 97-MPH with his famed cut fastball.

“When he’s throwing like that, he’s not going to get hit,” Kershaw said of Jansen.

“It’s called ‘a winning streak’ … It has happened before!”

It has also happened again.

Play Ball!

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