All Eyes on the Championship: The Dodgers and the 2nd Half

The 2nd half of the season after the All-Star break is where it all kicks into high gear. The glitz and glamour of the first half to get to the Midsummer Classic is all behind us and the quest for another championship is on the horizon.

Clayton Kershaw’s legacy was forever tainted by Game 5 of the 2017 World Series (Photo: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The legacy of the Dodgers and their postseason woes is nothing to forget as it shows how far the team has come since the 2017 and 2018 postseasons. The team since then has posted incredible numbers and have acquired All-Star after All-Star in blockbuster trades and it has resulted in one championship so far but the job is far fro finished.

Pitching

There were some cobwebs, but Andrew Heaney looked good in his first start in over a month (Photo: AP)

To say the Dodgers acquired sleepers like Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney has aged poorly as the two have put up impressive numbers in their tenure with the team. Anderson has impressed any doubters as he continues to show his pitching prowess on the mound. Heaney, while sidelined throughout the year with various injuries, has also shown prowess in his pitching skills. The recent news of Dustin May continuing his rehab also shows promise that the pitching staff will once again be up to full strength once Buehler makes his comeback.

Offense & Defense

Jake Lamb had two doubles on Sunday, including the go-ahead RBI in the 7th (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

On the other side, the additions of Jake Lamb and the recent acquisition of Trayce Thompson have shown that Friedman once again came in clutch when acquiring talent to fill injuries. After the Pollock trade earlier in the year and the injury to Chris Taylor, things looked bleak in left field. Thompson’s clutch hitting and good defense have made him hit high in the lineup, with no one batting an eye.

Here’s to Another Trophy

So is there anything the Dodgers sorely need in order to make a strong championship bid? I don’t think so, the top three in Betts, Freeman and Turner are producing quality at-bats each time and prove why they’re at the head of the lineup. The heart of the order with regulars like JT, Bellinger and Smith continue to shine and the bottom of the order seems to surprise the fans time and time again. While the rumors of Juan Soto heading to L.A before the deadline sound nice on the surface, the Dodgers have done much more with far less in the past.