3 ways Dodgers can hold off Padres, Diamondbacks for NL West title

If you haven't been actively keeping up with MLB standings over the last few weeks, you're in for quite a surprise with what I'm about to tell you.

The San Diego Padres have won 27 of their last 39 games entering Aug. 9, cutting the Los Angeles Dodgers lead in the NL West down to 2.5 games. San Diego has surged on aggressively especially after acquiring some top talent at the trade deadline.

The Padres aren't the only team to worry about either. The reigning NL champs, the Arizona Diamondbacks, have cut the Dodgers lead over them down to 3.5 games, sitting just one game behind the Padres. The NL West has gone from a landslide victory for the Dodgers down to one of the most interesting divisional races this year.

If Los Angeles wants to hold these two surging teams off and win the NL West, they need a few things to happen.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

3. Shohei Ohtani needs a 40/40, 1.000 OPS finish to the season

With the Dodgers being as injured as they are, this team has run on the back of their offseason pickup, Shohei Ohtani. If you have to ride on the back of an MLB player, it's really only Ohtani and Aaron Judge that could carry teams in the way that they do.

Luckily for the Dodgers, despite not pitching this season, Ohtani has put together another historical season, likely heading towards another MVP award, this one in the National League as strictly as a designated hitter.

Despite not pitching or playing defense, Ohtani is tied for the National League lead in WAR with 5.7, tied with Reds superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz.

But if the Dodgers want to hold off the Diamondbacks and Padres, they will need Ohtani to turn it up even more down the stretch. Dave Roberts needs his superstar to put together a 40 homer, 40 stolen base season with an OPS north of 1.000. These are realistic expectations of one of the game's best bats. He currently sits at 34 home runs, 32 stolen bases and an OPS of 1.008.

Los Angeles will need a terrific finish to the season from their superstar. He needs to play like the $700 million man that the Dodgers made him into this offseason.

2. Trade pickups need to perform like their price tag

The difference between a contending team and a team that competes for the World Series can often be seen by what they do or don't do in the days leading up to the trade deadline. The Padres added the top reliever on the trade market among other pieces. The Diamondbacks added a few solid pieces too.

Los Angeles did their part to add, headlined by the ace of the deadline, Jack Flaherty. The front office did their job by going out and buying at the deadline. Now it's time for these trade acquisitions to perform like their price tag indicates they will.

Last season, Jack Flaherty was traded at the deadline and then proceeded to fall apart for the Orioles down the stretch. He's looked much better this year, and he's already put together a solid start for the Dodgers.

Michael Kopech will be a huge piece of the Dodgers bullpen going down the stretch. They need to see him perform like a high leverage reliever should. The Dodgers will only go as far as their trade acquisitions help them go. If these pieces let them down, their season could go down the drain right in front of their eyes.

1. Get healthy, stay healthy (Ahem... Mookie Betts)

And here we are at the most obvious and most important part of this list. The Dodgers need to get healthy and stay healthy, led by their superstar shortstop Mookie Betts.

To note, this isn't to use these injuries as an excuse for why the Dodgers are losing ground. Every team deals with injuries. The Atlanta Braves lost their best two players for the season. Injuries are part of the game so they should never be used as an excuse for losing games. But, they can be used as a bit of an explanation for why a team isn't performing as expected.

The Dodgers need Betts back in the worst way imaginable. Betts isn't the only one on the injured list either. Ryan Brasier and Walker Buehler are currently on rehab assignments while Chris Taylor, Blake Treinen, and a few others don't have timetables for their returns yet.

But the main piece here is Betts. The Dodgers have two main superstars, Betts and Ohtani. Losing either one of these pieces would obviously crush the team, as it has since Betts was placed on the injured listed in mid-June.

Betts would likely be at or above the level of play that Ohtani has put together this year if he had stayed healthy. The Dodgers need to see him return and return with his hair on fire if they want to secure the NL West.

Good news is that he's expected to return in the coming weeks.