Now that’s power.

The Los Angeles Dodgers ended the first half in first place in the division.

The Dodgers completed the first half of their schedule with a 10-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the final game of the first half on April 9. At 51-38, they were still in second place in the NL West.

However, the Dodgers moved into first place when the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks lost 2-4 to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the final game of the first half on Tuesday. Arizona finished with a 52-39 record.

This year, with 30 teams playing their opening games on the same day, there was one team that finished the first half a day early. The Dodgers and Angels. The two teams wrapped up the first half with a two-game freeway series at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 8-9. The Dodgers swept the Angels, extending their winning streak to four games.안전놀이터

With the win, the Dodgers (0.573) moved into first place in the division with a one-game lead over Arizona (0.571). It’s the first time in 39 days since June 1 that the Dodgers have been in sole possession of first place in the division. Arizona held a four-game lead over the second-place Dodgers on June 18, but couldn’t sustain the momentum. They slipped to 4-7 in their final 11 games of the first half.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, went 12-5 in their last 17 games, including a four-game winning streak down the stretch. Through 89 games in the first half, the Dodgers had the best offense in the NL, ranking second in team OPS (.785), team home runs (149), and runs per game (5.55), behind only the Atlanta Braves.

The Dodgers’ biggest hit on offense has been J.D. Martinez. Signed to a one-year, $10 million deal last winter, Martinez batted .255 (73-for-286) with 22 home runs and 62 RBIs. The batting order of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Martinez is the best in the majors.

J.D. Martinez is the Dodgers’ biggest hitter in the first half. USATODAYYonline
On the mound, however, the Dodgers have been shaky. Their 4.50 team ERA ranks 11th out of 15 NL teams and fourth out of five in the West. The Dodgers hadn’t had a team ERA this bad in 79 years, since 1944 (4.68).

The starting ERA is 4.55 and the bullpen ERA is 4.43. Clayton Kershaw is the only pitcher to complete a regulation inning. Kershaw has been the de facto ace, going 10-4 with a 2.55 ERA in 16 games, but even he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder injury late in the first half. Opening day starter Julio Urias returned from a 43-day rehab stint with a hamstring injury and barely got back on track with a quality start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 7, allowing two runs in six innings.

Noah Syndergaard, a one-year, $13 million signing last winter, disappointed with a 1-4 record and 7.16 ERA in 12 games before a finger injury sidelined him in early June. Dustin May, who seemed to be on track for a bounce-back year, was shut down again with a recurrence of his arm injury, and Tony Gonsolin didn’t rejoin the team until late April with an ankle injury. Rookie pitchers like Michael Grove and Bobby Miller also found the major leagues to be a daunting challenge.

In the end, it was the mercenary skills of manager Dave Roberts and the focus of his players that allowed them to finish first in the division and second in the NL. Winning is about playing baseball.

“We’re starting to play good baseball now,” Muncy said after the final game. I think we played pretty good baseball in the first half and I think we have the ability to do more than that.”

“Internally, we always had the confidence that we could do it, and we believed in that and played in our rhythm,” Betts said, while Freeman added, “We’ve had good times and bad times, but we’ve come together as a team. I think we’ve done a good job of staying together in recent weeks. We’re a really special group of players.”

If the Dodgers win the West again this year, it will be their 10th since 2013. This is the Dodgers at their best. This is why the Dodgers are the favorite to land Shohei Ohtani when he hits free agency later this year.

The LA Times reported that day that the Dodgers are the favorite to sign Ohtani. Will the Dodgers’ third try appeal to him?”, predicting that Ohtani will land in the Dodgers’ arms for the highest price ever in free agency.