The Los Angeles Dodgers have been atop the National League West standings throughout the 2024 season but a once-comfortable lead has been significantly cut into as the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres both are within 4.5 games of first place in the division.
That’s been a result of mounting Dodgers injuries and inconsistent performances, coupled with both the Diamondbacks and Padres going on respective runs.
While the Dodgers await the returns of Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts and more, they now find themselves in a competitive NL West race.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged as much and again gave the Padres credit while also noting the Dodgers need to get back on track, via SportsNet LA:
“We certainly weren’t taking anything for granted. The Padres certainly have played really good baseball and gotten themselves back into the division race. Right now, that’s a part of it, but we’ve just got to get back to winning baseball games.”
The Dodgers’ lead in the NL West this season grew to as many as nine games. However, that steadily has eroded amid July being the team’s first losing month since March/April 2018.
L.A. also has hit the skids since beginning the second half on a five-game winning streak. They’ve now lost three games in a row and are just 2-6 since their winning streak was snapped.
The Dodgers have won the NL West title nine times in the past 10 years.
NL West outlook
San Diego is 9-3 since the All-Star break, which included a seven-game winning streak that was snapped just before hosting Los Angeles. The Padres responded by sweeping the Dodgers at Petco Park.
“They made some additions, they’re feeling good,” Roberts said during the two-game series. “They’re playing great baseball. Probably the month of July, they’ve played as good of baseball as anybody in all of the Major Leagues. So they’re certainly feeling good about themselves, absolutely.”
The Diamondbacks also made additions at the trade deadline but their hot stretch dates back to coming out of the All-Star Game as well. During that stretch Arizona has gone 10-3 entering play Saturday.
That has them beginning the day four games back of the Dodgers for first place, but the Diamondbacks won’t face them until a series that begins at Dodger Stadium at the end of the month. The Diamondbacks also don’t face the Padres until the final weekend of the regular season.
Similarly, the Padres don’t face the Dodgers again until late September at the start of a six-game road trip that concludes at Chase Field.
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