The Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates are currently staring down different realities in the National League. The Dodgers are two games behind Arizona for first place in the NL West.

The Pirates are seven games out of first place in the NL Central, staring up at the Cincinnati Reds.

Recently, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was selected to the NL All-Star Game, making Dodgers history. Kershaw has since been added to the team's injured list.

Kershaw's injury led to the selection of David Bednar to the NL All-Star team in place of Kershaw, which prompted the purchase of a hilarious gift for the future Hall-of-Famer.

Kershaw has had an excellent season thus far for Los Angeles. With a 10-4 record, a 2.55 ERA and 104 strikeouts, he has become a near-impossible pitcher for Major League hitters to solve at the plate. Bednar has 16 saves for the Pirates, including a 1.44 ERA in a little over 31 innings pitched.

As the first half of the 2023 MLB season comes to a close, the Dodgers have been active in steering their ship toward improvements both future and present in nature.

The team pulled off a trade with the Seattle Mariners, landing infielder Pat Valaika. The Dodgers are also rumored to be eyeing potential offseason addition Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani has joined forces with Mike Trout recently to set records that only a duo of future Hall-of-Famers could pull off.

With first place squarely in the Dodgers' sights, the hope now is that Kershaw can recover in time for the games that truly matter this October.

Kershaw is expected to miss a little over two weeks, and his health will remain a priority as the Dodgers continue their march toward the franchise's eighth World Series title.