Can Anyone Realistically Stop the Dodgers?

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent the offseason assembling a roster that looked almost unfair.

Now they’ve lost five games in a row.

Los Angeles sits at 69-45 and has suddenly fallen behind 1.5 games to the Milwaukee Brewers in the overall MLB standings. Even more surprising, the Dodgers are just 1.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who have quietly climbed to 68-45 behind a six-game winning streak.

So, can anyone realistically stop this Dodgers superteam?

The answer might finally be yes.

Nobody can question the talent. Los Angeles has spent aggressively to construct arguably baseball’s most intimidating roster, and then somehow added reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline. On paper, there shouldn’t be many weaknesses.

But baseball isn’t played on paper.

The Dodgers are just 3-7 over their last 10 games, and this five-game skid is another reminder that spending enormous amounts of money doesn’t make a team invincible. Los Angeles has a +141 run differential — the best mark in baseball — yet it doesn’t even own MLB’s best record right now.

That should give the rest of the National League some hope.

Milwaukee is 70-43. Atlanta is 68-45 and surging. The Cubs are 65-49. Even if the Dodgers remain the favorite, there are teams capable of making October uncomfortable.

The Braves are particularly interesting. Atlanta owns a +110 run differential and is suddenly within two games of the best record in baseball. While Los Angeles has lost five straight, Atlanta has won six straight.

That’s a massive swing.

None of this means it’s time to panic in Los Angeles. A five-game losing streak in August doesn’t erase the ridiculous amount of talent on the roster, and nobody should be excited about facing this pitching staff in a postseason series.

But maybe the Dodgers aren’t the unstoppable monster everyone assumed they would be.

October baseball has humbled loaded rosters before.

The Dodgers still might have the best team in baseball.

For the first time in a while, though, they’re giving everyone else a reason to believe they can be beaten.