The defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs couldn’t score a run in their first two games of a series last weekend against the Dodgers. So I went to Dodger Stadium Sunday trying to learn what was going on. Well, to be honest I went to see which superb pitcher, Clayton Kershaw or Jon Lester would prevail. Neither one was having a good day. Kershaw, in fact, gave up four home runs.

But I enjoyed the day because the Dodgers won, 9-4 the 47,000 fans had a good time and most of the crowd was in a festive mood. Baseball games can offer plenty of surprises. Who would have thought the Dodgers would win their fourth straight game on a rare day when Kershaw wasn’t sharp? Or Cory Bellinger would hit his tenth home run in 31 games to become the club’s rookie to reach 10 homers in the fastest time in Dodger history. Or the Dodgers would score nine runs on a day when Manager Dave Roberts rested most of his regulars? The guys who filled in did a terrific job. Roberts did the right thing because the next day in St. Louis the regulars took advantage of their day off as the Dodgers ran their winning streak to five and then six the next day. The champion Cubs have gotten off to a slow start this season as they contributed to their

problems by losing to the Padres in San Diego on Monday and Tuesday. Bellinger was regarded as the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect entering the season and has exceeded expectations Not only has he hit so well but he’s been versatile on defense, playing in the outfield and filling in for injured Adrian Gonzalez at first base. Some scouts have said the 21-year-old Bellinger is an all-star caliber first baseman. Bellinger has struck out 40 times so he’ll need to keep making progress as the season goes along. Well, there’s nothing wrong with his work ethic. He learned a lot from a father who played in the minor leagues for 10 years. This is a very interesting Dodger season because they’re getting more competition in the division than in the recent past.

Their competition lately has been the Giants, but the Dodgers have won the division four straight times. Now the Colorado Rockies have been holding down first place and the Arizona Diamondbacks have been in second place with the Dodgers third, the Giants fourth and the Padres last. I think the race will be decided by the state of the Dodgers pitchers. Starters other than Kershaw have to get better. Win or lose the Dodgers have a scrappy team that’s been entertaining their fans. And there’s a lot more of that on the way.