It has taken the Los Angeles Dodgers less than three weeks to effectively end what was a competitive NL West race. The Dodgers ended July with a 2.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants and a 3.5-game edge on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Fast forward 17 days later and Los Angeles has a 10-game first-place lead, well on its way to its seventh NL West title in eight years under Dave Roberts.
Yes, the Giants and Diamondbacks have fallen off, but they'd still be in contention for the division championship if the Dodgers hadn't caught fire. Los Angeles has a 14-1 record in August. The Dodgers extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 7-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday.
What exactly has been the key to the Dodgers' success?
“It still starts with pitching,” Dave Roberts said, via The Athletic. “It really does.”
A look at the Dodgers' stats before and during August back up Roberts' claim. Los Angeles' rotation had a 6.18 ERA in July. Lance Lynn won his first start for the Dodgers on Aug. 1, and the pitching staff has taken off from there. Over the last 15 games, Los Angeles has a spectacular 2.35 ERA. In the last 15 days, the Dodgers' 0.92 WHIP and .197 opponents' batting average are easily the best marks in MLB.
Clayton Kershaw has given up two runs in 10 innings since his return from a shoulder injury, lowering his ERA for the 2023 season to 2.48 ERA in Wednesday's start. The Dodgers have given up nine total runs in the last seven games. A different pitcher has been credited with the victory in each of those wins.
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have carried Los Angeles for much of the season. The Dodgers' stars have both had MVP-caliber campaigns with the rest of the lineup only producing slightly better than average. Their production was greatly needed while the pitching staff dealt with injuries and failed to live up to expectations.
Roberts' comments are especially true when taking a look at the Dodgers' teams that he's managed. Since 2017, Los Angeles has finished with the National League's best ERA every single year.
It's a trend that's likely to end in 2023. The Dodgers' 4.23 ERA ranks six spots behind the San Diego Padres, which own an NL-best 3.81 ERA.