Dodgers end 32-year drought by winning the World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers became World Series champs for the first time in 32 years last night, downing the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to take the Series in six games, 4-2.

I watched the game with Ann at my side. She realized that this game was going to be an emotional journey for me. My brother Micheal and nephews Jesse, Chris, and John were keeping in touch via text message. Jesse stopped in Las Vegas on his way back to Salt Lake to catch the game.

At one point, Adam, Mike's grandson in Seattle, chimed in with a supporting text, "We got this grandpa."

Tampa Bay started with their ace, Blake Snell, who shut down Los Angeles for the first five frames, holding the Dodgers to a pair of hits. When No. 9 hitter Austin Barnes singled to center, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash pulled Snell from the game.

We had heard all Series about Tampa Bay's "high leverage" relief pitchers and how Cash was eager to turn the game over to his pen. Look, it worked all year. Tampa Bay had the best record in the American League and vanquished New York and Houston to get to the Series.

But on this night, Cash and all the sabermetrics and stat-crunching was wrong. Snell was dealing and the Dodgers had no answers to his pitches. 

After the game, several Dodgers admitted that they sighed in relief when Snell left the game. Mookie Betts wasted no time in capitalizing on the pitching change, greeting Nick Anderson with a lined double down the left-field line, setting up a second and third situation with one out.

Anderson then threw a wild pitch, allowing Barnes to score and knot the game at 1-1. LA went up 2-1 when World Series MVP Corey Seager grounded sharply to first baseman Ji-Man Choi who tried to nab Betts at the plate. Betts got a great jump on the ball and beat the throw to home.

Betts added an insurance run with a solo homer in the eighth inning for the final 3-1 score.

Though Tampa Bay's bullpen got a lot of ink, it was the Dodgers' pen that came through in crunch time. With Tampa Bay up 1-0 in the second after a Randy Arozarena homer in the first, Kevin Kermaier doubled and Choi walked, putting runners on first and second with two outs. 

LA Manager Dave Roberts pulled starter Tony Gonsolin and brought in Dylan Floro to face Arozarena. Arozarena, who set postseason records for his hitting, went down on three Floro changeups to quell the rally.

In the third and fourth innings, Roberts called on little-used Alex Wood, the former starter, to keep the Dodgers in the game. Wood pitched two strong innings of no-hit ball, striking out three in the process.

In the fifth inning, Roberts brought in Pedro Baez and Victor Gonzalez. Baez got two outs and gave up one hit. Gonzalez finished the fifth and pitched the sixth inning, giving up no hits and striking out three.

Brusdar Graterol got two outs in the seventh and gave up one hit. Graterol handed the ball to Julio Urias with two outs in the seventh and the Dodgers' southpaw took LA the rest of the way home, recording seven outs, four of them strikeouts. Urias fanned Willy Adames on a 97-mph fastball on the inside corner to start the celebration.

Here are my takeaways:

• Clayton Kershaw, much-maligned for postseason failures, got the monkey off his back with two strong World Series victories and a 4-1 record and 2.93 ERA in the playoffs. Kershaw's postseason numbers would probably be much better if Houston didn't cheat in 2017 and the Dodgers not used him on short rest out of necessity repeated times. The best pitcher of his generation is now a champion.
• Mookie Betts is worth all the money LA is paying him. He didn't have a standout Series at the plate but his defense and base-running were difference makers.
• Corey Seager proved that when he is healthy he is one of the best hitters in the game. After major injuries in the last few years, Seager was phenomenal. Named the NLCS and World Series MVP, Seager was the foundation of a potent LA offense.
• Julio Urias emerged as a star. Urias started two games in the postseason and made four relief appearances. In 23 innings of work, he struck out 29 batters, posted a 1.17 ERA, and notched a perfect 4-0 record.
• Walker Buehler is now the ace of the staff. Buehler went 2-0 in the postseason, pitched 25 innings, posted a 1.80 ERA, and struck out 39 batters. 
• Rookies Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Victor Gonzalez pitched in high-pressure situations and will be major contributors in the years to come.
• Though struggling in the 60-game sprint after an MVP season in 2019, Cody Bellinger had some timely hits in the playoffs and should rebound nicely in 2021.
• Austin Barnes, known for his defense, hit .320 in the postseason.
• Joc Pederson, who had a dismal regular season, hit .382 with two homers and eight RBI coming off the bench in the postseason.
• Max Muncy, another Dodger who had an off-year, hit .318 in the Series with a homer and five walks.
• Justin Turner hit .320 in the Series with two dingers.

It took 32 years, but the championship trophy now resides in the City of Angels.

 

Dodgers on the cusp of first title since 1988

 After Saturday night's ninth-inning collapse, Dodgers' fans had to wonder if the baseball gods had one more dose of cruelty in store for us.

With a chance to go up 3-1 in the Series evaporating into the Texas night, the Dodgers called on Clayton Kershaw on Sunday to summon up one more winning outing -- and he did.

The future Hall of Famer acknowledged afterward that he didn't have his slider that was so devastating in Game One but he gutted it out, holding the Rays to two runs on five hits and striking out six in 5.2 innings of work.

A pivotal point in the game came in the bottom of the fourth when Manny Margot tried to steal home but Kershaw cut him down at the plate by firing to Austin Barnes. First baseman Max Muncy alerted Kershaw to the attempted steal and he stepped off the rubber and tossed to Barnes, who put down the tag in a bang-bang play.

The Dodgers' got things going with two runs in the first inning off Tyler Glasnow when Mookie Betts stroked a double to left and Corey Seager slashed a single to right. Bellinger then singled to right to make the score 2-0. The Dodgers increased the lead to 3-0 in the second inning when Joc Pederson powered an oppo homer to left-center.

Tampa Bay fought back, as they always do, on a Kevin Kiermaer single, Yandy Diaz triple to right, and a single up the middle by Randy Arozarena.  

LA's pen turned in a shutdown performance as Dustin May, Victor Gonzalez, and Blake Treinen pitched the final 3.1 innings. 

Treinan supplanted Kenley Jansen in the closer role and rookies May and Gonzalez pitched like they were back in Triple-A, shutting down the Rays to preserve a critical win in Game 5.

The Dodgers have an off-day today before Game Six on Tuesday. Tony Gonsolin takes the hill Tuesday against Game Two winner Blake Snell, who held LA to two runs on two hits over 4.2 innings in Tampa Bay's 6-4 win.

Should there be a Game Seven, LA's Walker Buehler will pair off against Tampa Bay's Charlie Morton in a rematch of Game Three when Buehler held the Rays to one run on three hits over six innings and the Dodgers battered Morton for five runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings.

Buehler puts stamp on Series, Mexican-born Urias takes the hill

In last night's Game Three of the World Series, LA's Walker Buehler fired a three-hitter through six innings with 10 strikeouts and the Dodgers' potent bats came alive against Tampa Bay's Charlie Morton for a decisive 6-2 win and a 2-1 edge in the Series.

Morton came into the game with a 5-0 record in the postseason and an infinitesimal 0.70 ERA. Morton is Tampa Bay's stopper but Justin Turner greeted him with a bomb to left field in the first inning and the LA hitting machine revved up in the third and fourth innings to put the game out of reach.

Max Muncy cracked a two-run single in the third frame, Austin Barnes executed a squeeze bunt in the fourth, and Mookie Betts drove in another run with a single up the middle against Tampa Bay's four-man outfield.

Barnes then added a solo home run in the fifth inning to round out LA's scoring.

Buehler was dominant, clocking the upper 90s on the radar gun and controlling the strike zone. Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, and Kenley Jansen closed out the game and only a Randy Arozarena solo shot off Jansen spoiled a clean slate for the bullpen.

But Jansen, who almost lost his closer job earlier in the postseason, looked like his old self while closing the game in the ninth.

Tonight, the Dodgers throw Julio Urias, the pride of Culiacan Rosales, against a bullpen game for the Rays. 

Urias, who has worked both as a starter and reliever this year, is 4-0 in the postseason with a 0.56 ERA. He has worked 16 innings in the postseason, most recently three innings of shutout ball in Game Seven against Atlanta in the NLCS.

A win tonight would give the Dodgers a commanding 3-1 lead in the Series with Clayton Kershaw scheduled to go in Game Five tomorrow night. A Tampa Bay win would even the series at 2-2.

Urias will be the second Mexican-born Dodgers' pitcher to start a World Series game. Fernando Valenzuela started and won in the 1981 Series. He was on the 1988 roster but did not pitch due to injury. Urias pitched three innings in relief in the 2018 Series. Viva La Raza. 

Rays sting Dodgers in Game Two

Lining up the 2020 World Series, it was billed as Tampa Bay's shutdown pitching against LA's potent batting.

Last night, we saw some of that pitching. Blake Snell no-hit the Dodgers into the fifth inning before surrendering a two-run dinger to Chris Taylor.

Will Smith added a solo shot in the sixth inning and Corey Seager went yard in the eighth as LA pulled to within two at 6-4.

Tampa Bay relievers Nick Anderson, Peter Fairbanks, Aaron Loup, and Diego Castillo showcased the Rays' deep pen and shut down LA's comeback. 

Here are my takeaways:

• Tampa Bay does have the edge in pitching, both with starters and relievers.
• The Dodgers have the bats. They scored eight runs in Game One and four runs in Game Two.
• Friday's Game Three, Walker Buehler vs. Charlie Morton, should be a good one. Morton is 3-0 in the postseason with an 0.57 ERA and Buehler is 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA.
• Tampa Bay got some timely hitting against a depleted LA pitching staff in Game Two. Dustin May got lit up for three runs on four hits in an inning of work and Tampa Bay's Brandon Lowe came out of a deep slump with two homers.

The winner of the World Series will wear the crown because of depth. Either LA's deep batting order or Tampa Bay's deep rotation and bullpen will be the determining factors.

The Dodgers, who do not strike out often, whiffed 15 times in Game Two, nine of those coming against Snell. 

Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger went a combined 1-for-13 in Game Two. That will have to change if LA hopes to win Game Three.

Text messages make the Series a family affair

During last night's Game One of the World Series, I watched baseball while Ann sat next to me and watched some television on her laptop, headphones attached. 

But we were not alone. My brother and my three nephews in Utah were right there with me as we group texted throughout the game. Oh, how baseball brings families together.

Every time there was a big play in the game, my phone would ding with a comment from Michael, Jesse, Chris, or John. Granted, some of the messages veered off the topic of baseball, but watching with my extended family made the experience that much richer.

Now, to the game.

Clayton Kershaw was vintage Kershaw. Two hits over six innings, eight strikeouts, and 19 swings and misses. He controlled the game with a mix of sliders, curves, and fastball that clocked in at 93 mph. He is not going quietly into the night.

Going into last night's game, the question was this: What would prevail, LA's stout batting order, or Tampa Bay's stellar pitching? Well, for Game One the answer was clearly LA's bats, powering the Dodgers to an 8-3 win and drawing first blood in the Series.

Cody Bellinger followed his Game Seven game-winning dinger in the NLCS with a two-run blast in the fourth, Mookie Betts added a solo shot in the sixth, and Justin Turner, Max Muncy, Will Smith, and Chris Taylor all contributed clutch RBI.

The Dodgers showcased power and the ability to play small ball, with Betts stealing two bases and joining Cory Seager in a double steal. 

Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow's hard cheese was impressive, but his lack of control (six walks) was his downfall. The Dodgers are grinders. They make pitchers work and do not often offer on pitches out of the strike zone. Seager had a quiet night, walking three times, but that kept the pressure on the Rays.

Tampa Bay's bullpen, advertised as a strength, surrendered two runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings. LA's Dylan Floro was tagged for two runs on two hits but Victor Gonzalez, Pedro Baez, and Joe Kelly turned in three innings of shutout ball to close the ledger. Gonzalez turned a fantastic double play on a line drive that quelled a Tampa Bay rally in the seventh.

On to Game Two.

Musings about the World Series

 The Dodgers open the World Series tonight against Tampa Bay and Dodgers' fans are anxious.

Losing the World Series in 2017 and 2018 will do that to you. 

The 2020 version of the Dodgers has been called the best in LA history. But a series loss against the Rays would mean this year's version did not live up to expectations.

Look, every sports team wants to win the championship every year. They start training camp with the hope of holding the trophy at the end of the year. Sadly, only one team gets to live that dream.

Tampa Bay is formidable. The experts say their pitching, both starters, and relievers, is the best in baseball. Starters Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow are dealers. The pen is equally talented.

On the other side, LA's pitching has been a little spotty. Clayton Kershaw is showing his 32 years, Walker Buehler has blister issues, and Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May have yet to find the control they need on their pitches. Only Julio Urias has shined in these playoffs.

Where the Dodgers have an edge, at least statistically, is at the plate. The Dodgers have the deeper bats with Cory Seager, Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, Will Smith, Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, and AJ Pollock all capable of crushing it.

What the Dodgers have going for them is Big Mo, momentum. While the Rays held off Houston after squandering a 3-0 lead, the Dodgers stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to win three in a row to take the National League pennant. 

Then there's the hunger factor. The Dodgers, trophy-less for 32 years, got to the big show in 2017 and 2018 only to come up empty. They have to be starving for a title after getting so close. 

However it goes, the Series is taking me back to the early sixties when my mom, Teresa Marin Fierro, used to take me and some buddies to Dodgers' games at Chavez Ravine where we got seats in the left-field pavilion for 75 cents and my mom and my aunt cheered on LA while sipping on tall ones.

My love for baseball was inherited. My mom loved the Dodgers and though I lost her 35 years ago, we still share that passion. 

Baseball can be a time machine.

Tonight, and for a few more nights, I will once again be 10 years old, sitting in the left-field bleachers and cheering for my team. 

I will celebrate the victories and mourn the losses. I will be a fan. And for a few hours, I will not think about pandemics and elections and our family pet who is seriously ill. 

Such is the beauty of baseball.

Can Dodgers end 32-year drought?

 For many reasons, 2020 has been a non-typical year.

A pandemic, economic crash, insane presidential election, and for us baseball fans, a 60-game mini-season.

Going into the season, the Dodgers were odds-on favorites to win it all. On paper, they have the best batting order, starting pitching, and bullpen.

After disposing of Milwaukee in the Wild Card series, San Diego in the Division Series, and Atlanta in the NLCS, the Dodgers are still standing. Next up, Tampa Bay.

So what did we learn about the Dodgers during the first three rounds of the playoffs?

• Milwaukee was not a problem. 
• San Diego is going to be a problem for a long time. The young Padres, with superstars Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado, are the real deal. If pitchers Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger had been healthy, I don't know if LA would have been able to hold them. The Dodgers surely would not have swept them in three games.
• Atlanta is scary good.  Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna, and Marcell Ozuna can rake. But what makes the Braves a threat is a young pitching staff of Max Fried, Ian Anderson, and Kyle Wright with Mike Soroka and Mike Foltynewicz coming back next year after injuries. The Dodgers made an incredible comeback from down 3-1 against the Braves but I wouldn't want to face them again next year.
• LA's lineup is deep. Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Joc Pederson had good numbers in the first three series but Will Smith, AJ Pollock, Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, and Edwin Rios produced timely hits as well. 
• Then there's Enrique "Kike" Hernandez. Hernandez is a super-sub who had only 18 at-bats but delivered four hits, two of them timely homers -- none more timely than Sunday night's game-tying blast.
• Bellinger has struggled all year after his MVP campaign in 2019 but he delivered the swing of the year in Game Seven, going yard for the winning run. He's got to take a large dose of confidence into the Series.
• Mookie Betts can play defense. His robberies in right field were critical for LA.

It's ironic that the Dodgers are back in the Series without Clayton Kershaw being the workhorse. LA's nine wins so far in this year's post-season have come from Julio Urias (4-0), Walker Buehler (1-0), Kershaw (2-1), and Blake Treinen (1-1). Urias only started one of those wins and Treinen came out of the pen as well. 

Urias emerged as the most valuable pitcher, throwing 16 innings and surrendering only one earned run for an 0.56 ERA. Buehler, he of the chronic blisters, tossed 19 innings and gave up only four runs for a 1.89 ERA. Kershaw has been mortal, throwing 19 innings and giving up seven earned runs for a 3.32 ERA.

LA's pen has been stingy, with Pedro Baez, Dustin May, Dylan Floro, Victor Gonzalez, Adam Kolarek, Tony Gonsolin, Alex Wood, Joe Kelly, Jake McGee, Brusdar Grateroland Kenley Jansen all throwing important innings. 

The distinction between a starter and a reliever has blurred. Dave Roberts will start a game with a reliever and bring in a starter to spell him. It's truly a team approach. Urias has been so valuable because Roberts can plug him in anywhere and anytime. 

In the Series, expect Roberts to continue shuffling in his pitchers to match up against the Rays.

Best team in baseball: What could possibly go wrong?

The Dodgers open up post-season play tonight in a best two-out-of-three set against the Milwaukee Brewers, the No. 8 seed in the National League who made the playoffs with a losing record at 29-31.

The Dodgers cruise into the Wild Card with the best record in baseball at 43-17, which over a 162-game schedule would equate to a 116 win pace.

Should the Dodgers avoid a stumble against the Brewers they would face the winner of the San Diego-St. Louis series. San Diego's two aces, Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet are dealing with injuries and are reportedly not available for the Wild Card series.

Prior to their pitching injuries, I saw the Padres as the biggest threat to the Dodgers in the National League but without their two best pitchers they suddenly seem beatable.

Los Angeles will go with Walker Buehler in Game One and Clayton Kershaw in Game Two. Should there be a Game Three, Dave Roberts could go with Tony Gonsolin, Julio Urias, or Dustin May. Gonsolin has proven to be the most stable of the three and I predict he would get the call.

Kershaw has been steady this year, posting a 6-2 record and a 2.16 ERA. He's not the power pitcher he was earlier in his career but he can still coax his fastball to 93-94 mph when he needs it. But this year Kershaw is throwing a lot of sliders, curves, and changeups, which makes his fastball seem a lot faster.

Buehler has the stuff to win a big game but he has a small sample size in 2020, spending time on the IL with blister problems. He last pitched on Sept. 24 against Oakland and struck out six and gave up only one hit through four innings.

Dave Roberts has a deep bullpen this year, unlike previous seasons, and is not afraid to use it. Don't be surprised to see Dylan Floro, Adam Kolarek, Jake McGee, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, and Victor Gonzalez pitching meaningful innings. Roberts has to be gun shy about staying with his starters too long. He will use his pen to try and win a Series.

On the offensive side of the house, the Dodgers are loaded. Mookie Betts and Cory Seager are having MVP-like seasons and Justin Turner, A.J. Pollock, Chris Taylor, and Cody Bellinger can rake. Bellinger finished a dismal season with a .239 batting average but did have 12 dingers and 30 RBI. 

But a deeper look into the numbers reveals that Bellinger, last year's MVP, is warming up at just the right time. Bellinger hit a respectable .284 in the second half of the 60-game season, .333 in the last 15 games, and a sizzling .350 in the last seven games of the year. If he can stay that warm the Dodgers could roll.

Max Muncy finished below the Mendoza line at .192 but will probably get the chance to redeem himself in the playoffs.

Most baseball people are predicting the Dodgers will win it all. The X-factor is Betts, who brings his A-game to the park every night. Whether it's at the plate, patrolling right field, or on the basepaths, Betts can be a game-changer.

If St. Louis can take out a depleted San Diego team the Dodgers would likely face St. Louis, Chicago, or Atlanta to return to their third World Series in four years. Their opponent? Tampa Bay is the favorite but I wouldn't count out the Yankees, Astros, or White Sox. 

The path is difficult but doable. What could possibly go wrong?

Bellinger is finding his stroke

 

In his MVP season a year ago, LA's Cody Bellinger was a beast. He hit at a .305 clip, slugged 47 dingers and drove in 115 RBI. It was a phenomenal year.

In 2020, the year of a 60-game pandemic-shorted season, Bellinger has been a bust. Until recently he was hitting under .200 and seemed lost and overmatched at the plate.

What a difference a week can make.

In the last six games, Bellinger has gone 10-for-23, hit four homers, and knocked in four RBI. In that stretch, he is hitting at a .435 clip.

He brought his season average up to .225 with eight dingers and 17 RBI.

More importantly, Bellinger is hitting like Bellinger again.

Max Muncy, who also was slow out of the gate, has heated up as well. In the last six games, Muncy is 6-for-20 with three dingers and five RBI and hit for a .300 average. 

This bodes well for the Dodgers in their quest for a return to the World Series where they hope to finally, after 32 years, win it all.

With Bellinger and Muncy heating up the LA lineup is very hitterish. Mookie Betts is hitting .293 with 11 homers; Corey Seager is hitting .300 with eight dingers; Justin Turner is swinging a .294 bat with 19 RBI, and Chris Taylor is hitting a steady .256 with nine runs batted in. Austin Barnes may be the biggest surprise, hitting .273 with seven RBI. Toss in AJ Pollock at .263, five homers and 15 RBI and you have a lineup that is difficult for opposing pitchers to maneuver.

The starting rotation is a strength and the bullpen has been downright nasty. 

This may be the year.

Halfway point: Dodgers have all the tools to return to Series

 After sweeping the hapless Colorado Rockies over the weekend, the Dodgers sit atop the standings at 22-8, four games up on San Diego, and holding the best record in Major League Baseball.

At the abbreviated season's halfway point, the Dodgers have all the pieces in place to get back to the World Series and end the 32-year championship drought.

The signs are promising.

• Mookie Betts is everything Los Angeles hoped for when they signed him to a long-term contract. He's hitting .300 with 11 dingers, 24 RBI, five stolen bases, and clubhouse energy that is contagious.
• Cody Bellinger, after starting the year with a horrible case of MVP hangover, has broken out of the doldrums. Bellinger is back to raking and that's good news for LA. Corey Seager has recovered from the elbow surgery two years ago and looks like his old self. Seager is hitting .298 with seven homers and 20 RBI. 
• Justin Turner (.272, 18 RBI), AJ Pollock (.275, 21 RBI), and Chris Taylor (.258, 9 RBI) are having solid years and Austin Barnes (.273, 7 RBI) is producing from the catcher's spot. 
• Max Muncy, who also got off to a slow start, is heating up and has seven home runs and 13 RBI.

The Dodgers are deep. Will Smith is sharing the catcher's duties with Barnes and came off the IL last night and homered in an 11-2 slugfest. Kike Hernandez, who shows up all over the diamond, has gone yard three times and knocked in 11 runs. Joc Pederson, used mostly in a platoon role, has hit four homers and driven in eight runs. Edwin Rios, Keibert Ruiz, and Matt Beaty solidify what is arguably the strongest bench in baseball.

Starting pitching is above average with Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Dustin May, and Ross Stripling all delivering steady performances. Over the weekend, Kershaw and Buehler delivered back-to-back 11 strikeout outings in shutting down the Rockies. Tony Gonsolin has started three games, pitched 14.2 innings, and has a 0.00 ERA - and he's still having a hard time breaking into the rotation.

But the biggest reason the Dodgers are primed to get back to the Series is the bullpen, where Los Angeles has assembled an imposing corps of hurlers who can swoop in and shut down a rally.

Joe Kelly (0.00 ERA), Adam Kolarek (0.00 ERA), Dylan Floro (0.69 ERA), Blake Treinen (0.75 ERA), Kenley Jansen (0.77 ERA), Caleb Ferguson (0.79 ERA), Jake McGee (0.90 ERA), Victor Gonzalez (1.80 ERA), Scott Alexander (2.00 ERA), Brusdar Graterol (3.38 ERA), Pedro Baez (3.97 ERA), and Dennis Santana (5.40 ERA) give the Dodgers the edge in an arms race.

Jansen is the closer, appearing in 13 games and going seven-for-seven in save opportunities. But Kelly, Treinen, McGee, and Graterol all have closer stuff. 

The Dodgers rolled out rookie reliever Gonzalez last night and all he did was pitch two innings, fan two, and limit the Rocks to one hit. 

October is on the horizon and the Dodgers have their eyes on the prize.

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.