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Dodgers need to ride this offensive wave to a new confidence

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So one theory is they’re a team full of Joe Boyds who’ve sold their souls to the devil, turned into a bunch of Joe Hardys and are now crushing every baseball alive on the way to winning the pennant by 21 games.

‘Damn Yankees’ redux.

Another theory is with the return of Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal, the Dodgers are finally starting to get healthy, and throw in the seeming return to form of Andre Ethier and James Loney, just starting to resemble the team they were designed to be.

And then finally, there is the too-high, too-low theory, which dictates a team is never as good as it looks when it is simply kicking butt or never as bad as it appears when rolling into a ball and hiding.

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Me, I’m going with theory No. 3. At least I think I’m safe in saying the Dodgers won’t be averaging 7.5 runs per game the rest of the way, as they have during their current three-game winning streak.

The 23 runs in their last three games exceeds the 18 runs they’d scored in the previous seven.

The Dodgers, however, are lining up behind the door of Theory No. 2.

‘When everybody is going, we’re a dangerous team,’ said Matt Kemp.

‘We’ve pitched good all year long,’ said Manager Don Mattingly. ‘If we can do this (offensively), we’re going to be tough.’

‘This is not just a hitting streak. This is what we’re capable of,’ said Ted Lilly. ‘I think we’re that good.’

Easy there, cowboys. Certainly after a miserable May, the past three games are encouraging. And the Dodgers should feel good about them.

The stagnant National League West is still hovering out there, waiting for someone to act interested. Despite everything, they’re only 4½ games out.

All teams go on good and bad runs. Know losing skids and winning streaks. The really good teams minimize the poor stretches and play more consistently to their potential.

The Dodgers are on a roll, or a least a mini-roll, and have to hope a new confidence is borne from it. Then maybe they can become a more consistent offensive threat.

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When everything has seemed borderline depressing, you take your victories where you can, and then build on them. Although, just to play it safe, I’d be on the lookout for anyone named Lola.

-- Steve Dilbeck

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