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.