Dodgers News: Writer Expects LA to Win NL West This Season

As the second half of the baseball season opens up, the Los Angeles Dodgers sit tied for first place within the NL West division. They are percentage points ahead of the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks currently, and despite all the odds stacked against them this season, things have remained the same.

LA has been hit hard by the injury bug all year long and they have seen multiple players regress from seasons past.

But they never gave up and kept pushing through. They were dominant last season but saw that it didn’t matter in the end as they were bounced in the first round of the postseason by the rival San Diego Padres.

This season was supposed to be a “step-back” year as they allowed their younger players more playing time to see what they had in them. But the Dodgers still seem to be lightyears ahead of most teams in the league despite all the talent that they have lost over the last few seasons.

They just find ways to stay competitive and that’s a major testament to the entire organization from the top down. It’s a big reason why many teams across the league want to emulate LA and have started to try and build similar structured teams.

As the second half starts, many people still see the NL West as the Dodgers division. MLB writer Brandon Scott gave thoughts on the division and why LA is still the favorite.

"But this is the Dodgers' division to win. Despite an inactive offseason, the Dodgers returned the best team in the NL West and took a slight lead over the Diamondbacks by winning percentage (Los Angeles has played two fewer games)."

Per Bleacher Report

It hasn't been easy for LA this season, however. Their pitching staff has been uncharacteristically poor and it has hurt them. The offense has carried them all year as they have had to win in spite of their pitching, rather than their normal in favor of it.

"The Dodgers have the best run differential in the division and the second-best in the NL. Their pitching is noticeably mediocre, ranking 11th in fWAR with the eight-highest ERA in baseball."

Per Bleacher Report

With the trade deadline coming up here quickly, the Dodgers will likely look to add to the pitching staff. If they want any hope of winning come playoff time or possibly even getting to the postseason, they need to make some upgrades.

If they can upgrade the pitching to get them to even league average level as a whole, this Dodgers team will be very scary come playoff time.