Back on Monday, May 17, we posted this article here on ThinkBlueLA: Series With Dbacks Most Important of Season for Dodgers.

It was.

Not only was it the first four-game sweep of the Diamondbacks by the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium since 2004, it was absolutely essential that they did so.

Why, you ask?

Because while the Dodgers were sweeping their desert rivals, the NL West first-place San Francisco Giants swept their four-game series with the lowly Cincinnati Reds (including an embarrassing 19-4 pounding on Thursday), and the NL West second-place San Diego Padres swept their three-game series with the Colorado Rockies. In other words, despite sweeping the Dbacks, the Dodgers gained only a half-game on the Padres in the NL West standings … that’s it.

The Dodgers enter Friday’s new Most Important series of the season trailing MLB’s hottest team by a full two games and the Padres by one. In the simplest of terms, the Dodgers must take at least three of four from The Hated Ones to gain any ground on them in the division standings. Anything less, they will leave the City by the Bay at or below their current two-game deficit.

The good news is that in the words of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after his team’s 3-2 win over the Dbacks on Thursday night: “We’re playing our best baseball right now.” Taking it one step further and although perhaps a little biased, 41-year-old Dodgers newcomer Albert Pujols added: “This team is probably the best team in the major leagues. … They know how to win.”

Speaking of Pujols, he hit his first home run in a Dodgers uniform (to go along with the 19 home runs he has hit against them in opposing uniforms over his remarkable 21-year MLB career) on Thursday night – a 375-foot opposite-field two-run shot in the bottom of the second inning with Dodgers catcher Will Smith on second base – to give his new team an early 2-0 lead. But as you would expect from one of the game’s greatest ambassadors, his team came first.

“It felt great. It gave our team an early lead,” Pujols told reporters postgame.

Speaking of Will Smith – and home runs – it was Smith’s solo home run in the bottom of the seventh that gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead and eventual win. What makes this Pujols/Smith thing even more incredible is that Smith has openly said that Pujols was his favorite player growing up.

“It’s been awesome,” Smith said postgame. “He’s been a presence from day one. He’s been great with me. He introduced himself and said if there were any questions, feel free to ask. Getting to see him work in the cage, it’s not every day you see one of the best hitters ever going through their cage routine. Seeing that is only going to make myself and everyone around here better.”

“He told me he grew up watching me,” Pujols said after Thursday’s game. “I told him, ‘Please don’t. You’re making me feel older.’ It’s great. He’s pretty special. When he’s hitting in the cage, I keep my eye on him.”

When asked what it was like being the first Dodger to congratulate Pujols when he stepped on home plate after hitting his first home run in Dodger Blue, Smith said that it was a memory he will cherish forever.

“That was special,” Smith said. “I’ll remember being on base when he hit his first homer as a Dodger, High-Fiving him. It’s pretty surreal. I look at him as a teammate now, not an idol. He’s here to help us win a championship.”

Although sweeping the Diamondbacks was great and all, now the real work begins.

Play Ball!

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