Pandemic baseball: Dodgers 60-game sprint

It's mid-August and Major League Baseball is one-third of the way through its compressed 60-game schedule.

Here are a few observations about the NL West-leading L.A. Dodgers and their main competition:

• Mookie Betts is everything he was hyped to be. He hits for average, he hits for power, he patrols right field like a guard dog and he runs the bases like Maury Wills. On top of that, he seems to be one of those clubhouse guys that lifts his teammates. Long live Mookie.
• Clayton Kershaw got his heater back. After several years of coping with a diminishing fastball, Kersh is hitting the gun at 94-95 again and now that he has a devastating slider to go with his nasty curve, he is showing flashes of his old self. Kershaw went seven innings and gave up only one hit the other night. It was a flashback to his dominating days. This is a pitcher.
• Cody Bellinger will be ok. Though his average is still well below the Mendoza line, Bellinger's bat woke up against the Angels this weekend. He had two dingers in one game and he's making hard contact. When Bellinger is right and Mookie is leading off, this team his serious firepower. Now let's talk about depth. Corey Seager is raking, Justin Turner just keeps on hitting, and Chris Taylor is off to a good start. AJ Pollock is looking like his glory days in Arizona. Max Muncy and Joc Pederson are struggling and Enrique Hernandez continues to be one of the most valuable utility players on the squad. Austin Barnes is hitting a respectable .250 while catcher of the future Will Smith sits with some neck discomfort.  
• The young bucks might be ready. When the Dodgers let Hyun Jin-Ryu and Kenta Maeda sign elsewhere it put the onus on L.A.'s next generation of starters, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin. Buehler (0-0) has had a slow start, showing a 5.21 ERA through four starts. Urias is 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA. May is 1-1 with a 2.75 ERA and Gonsolin has yet to give up a run through 8.2 innings. Meanwhile, Kershaw is 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA and Ross Stripling is 3-1 with a 3.97 ERA. Starting pitching is solid.
• The bullpen could be the key to getting back to the World Series. Additions Jake McGee (0.00 ERA), Blake Treinen (0.96 ERA), and Brusdar Graterol (4.00 ERA) have solidified a pen that already had Kenley Jansen (0.96 ERA), Joe Kelly (0.00 ERA), Dylan Floro (0.00 ERA), Caleb Ferguson (1.13 ERA), Pedro Baez (2.89 ERA) and Scott Alexander (0.00 ERA) on staff. McGee, Treinen, Graterol, and Kelly all have closer stuff. Jansen appears to be back to full strength. He struck out Mike Trout on three pitches to secure last night's extra-inning win.
• Colorado and San Diego have both stepped it up and will contend for the NL West if the Dodgers falter. Charlie Blackmon (.438), Trevor Story (.321), Garrett Hampton (.313), and Daniel Murphy (.333) are lighting it up while Nolan Arenado is off to a slow start (.247). Colorado pitchers Antonio Senzatela (3-0), Jeff Hoffman (2-0), Kyle Freeland (2-0), and German Marquez (2-3) have pushed the Rockies to a strong start. Jon Gray (0-2), has yet to find his stride and has a 6.41 ERA.
• The Padres are 11-11 but have demonstrated that their player development is on track. Fernando Tatis Jr.(.310, 9 dingers, 21 RBI) is a budding superstar and Jake Cronenworth (.311), Wil Myers (.288), and Eric Hosmer (.286) are off to good starts. Manny Machado has yet to warm up (.217) but does have five homers and 13 RBI. San Diego starters Dinelson Lamet (2-1, 1.59 ERA) and Chris Paddack (2-2, 4.91 ERA) have showed splashes of brilliance and Zach Davies (2-2, 278 ERA) and Garrett Richards (1-1, .374 ERA) show promise.