Dodgers fans can’t stop laughing at rivals’ rapid disappearance in NL West standings

Earlier this season, baseball media and fans across the country noted just how competitive the National League West had been (save for the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies, of course).

It was a tight race at the top early in the first half, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks all vying for first place. On June 14, the Giants held first place with a better win percentage than the Dodgers, while the Padres were just two games out. But as the calendar flipped to July, LA was left alone at the top.

By July 2, the Dodgers’ NL West had expanded all the way to nine games over the Padres, who at least still narrowly hold a Wild Card spot. In the same time frame, the Giants’ latest losing skid dropped them to just three games above .500 and one game out of the Wild Card.

Dodgers have taken commanding lead in NL West as Padres remain stagnant, Giants slump

As LA has gotten hot, San Fran has trended in the opposite direction. The Dodgers have won 15 of their last 20 games, including two series against the Padres and one against the Giants (although three of those series have been against the Rockies, Nationals and one in progress against the White Sox). San Francisco has won seven of its last 20 games, and in that time, it was swept by the Marlins and lost a series to the White Sox.

Just weeks ago, the Dodgers were afraid the Giants could give them a run for their money with their revamped batting order, but Rafael Devers hasn’t worked out as they hoped so far. Devers is slashing .204/.306/.370 over his first 14 games with his new team.

Meanwhile, the Padres have remained relatively consistent with their record, but they’re so desperate to maintain their beef with the Dodgers that their broadcast has tried to rally fans against Max Muncy in the All-Star race (which Manny Machado should have run away with). LA’s two series wins against San Diego since June have been huge contributors to their drop in the NL West standings, and Dodgers fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some of the Padres’ key bats have fallen into slumps lately, like Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill. The Dodgers took full advantage, established a firm 5-2 lead in the season series and show no signs of slowing down.

Even with their litany of pitcher injuries and setbacks this season, the Dodgers have, once again, separated themselves from the pack in the NL West. They still have nearly half a season to maintain this lead, but when they’re closer to full strength and stacked with trade deadline reinforcements, the Dodgers could be unstoppable in their division.