I remember when an auspicious five-word rallying cry was actually meant to invoke anticipation and inspire excitement. But this season, "it's time for Dodger baseball" serves more like a danger warning, becoming increasingly ominous and foreboding with every call to the bullpen and runner left on base.
If, at the beginning of the season, you told the San Diego Padres that they would be one game behind the Dodgers on May 14 they would be thrilled. If you told the Dodgers the same thing they would wonder how the Padres got so good. And if you turned the newspaper upside down while perusing the standings, it would almost be true.