Dodger fans can breathe a sigh of relief…temporarily. They put together a win that fans and the team frankly have been waiting for for a week or so. Bobby Miller has turned into a revelation (I’ll get into that later), the superstars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman came through again, and J.D. Martinez continues to be one of the most underrated off-season pickups in the league so far.

Miller went 6 innings, giving up 0 runs, extending his consecutive scoreless streak to 16 innings, striking out 7 Phillies hitters. He has been electric so far, and when you have Miller pitching like that, and the offense clicking on all cylinders, it is a recipe for success and one that can equate to postseason wins.

Even James Outman broke out of a slump, crushing an opposite-field double in his first at-bat. Even David Peralta crushed a solo bomb off of Aaron Nola, who is supposed to be one of the Phillies’ elite arms and a big reason they got to the World Series last year. That’s an excellent sign for the Dodgers, as they will probably have to face this Phillies team in the playoffs or use these games to get into the playoffs over them.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Bobby Miller is a Walker Buehler Clone

Okay obviously not identical, but makeup and stuff? Absolutely. He now boasts a 0.78 ERA and has thrown 16 consecutive scoreless innings as I mentioned earlier, which is far and away the best on the staff, even with limited starts. There is no question that the Dodgers have to keep Miller up in the big leagues for the rest of the year, especially with the struggles of the pen and the uncertainty of the starting staff. He brings moxie, energy, and even more important, the best talent on the staff so far.

The lineup finally breaks out

If you look up and down the box score from today’s game, you will see what I mean. The 5-9 hitters in the Dodgers lineup all had at least 1 hit, and David Peralta had 2 including a no-doubt home run. Oh, and the stars showed up too, with Freddie Freeman going 1-2 with a walk and Mookie Betts going 2-4 with 2 RBI. This is exactly what the Dodgers need from the offense, and while not possible every game over the next 4 months, if they can find consistency with this lineup and get some production from the bottom half, it could be another great year for the Dodgers.

Players are looking more comfortable

Early on, it looked like a team with a bunch of new guys and nobody knowing their role within the team which it was, but now the Dodgers look free, comfortable, and most importantly, having fun out there. That was one of the keys to their success over the past decade, and with new faces in the locker room, it isn’t easy to incorporate everyone right away. But when you bring in veterans that know how the league works and know what the Dodgers organization is about, it makes it a lot easier to bring everyone together. David Peralta has been excellent as of late at the plate, and J.D. Martinez has already surpassed his home run total from last year. Even Jason Heyward, who was cast off by the Cubs last year, has his highest OPS and slugging since his rookie year. It’s not just that the Dodgers are happy with the production, but it’s that they need them to perform like this to have a chance in the National League this year.

The Dodgers will send Caleb Ferguson as the opener out to toe the mound against Tyjuan Walker for the Phillies Sunday. The first pitch is set for 10:35 AM PST.