Three Things to Look for From the Dodgers in the Second Half

July 12, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (23) is greeted by second baseman Howie Kendrick (47) after hitting a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t pretty, but at 51-39, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a four and a half game lead in the NL West. They would be in first place in four of the six divisions in baseball, with only the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates boasting better records. The Dodgers’ +62 run differential is the fifth best in baseball, only behind the three aforementioned teams and the Toronto Blue Jays, who despite being a game under .500 have a +82 run differential.

Despite all of that, the first half of the season felt torturous at times. According to the guys at Dodgers Digest, the Dodgers have their fourth highest winning percentage through 90 games over the last 20 years. As Molly Knight points out in her fantastic book, The Best Team Money Can Buy, “talent usually wins out over the course of 162 games”. The rest of the division has talent, but the Dodgers have an abundance of it. Other than possibly shortstop, it’s hard to find a hole in the Dodgers starting lineup. Dodger fans aren’t content with winning the division and making the playoffs, as it’s been nearly 27 years since the Dodgers’ last world series appearance.

The Dodgers will be in the postseason, and as the last couple seasons have shown, once the calendar hits October it becomes a crapshoot. However, the second half should reveal whether the Dodgers will be legitimate contenders or be looking at another early exit.

July 12, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Brett Anderson (35) reacts after giving up a solo home run to Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun (8) in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

2. Adding a pitcher

We know Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke are going to keep the Dodgers in pretty much every game they pitch in. Brett Anderson has been great for a third starter, even though he entered the season expecting to be the fifth. Mike Bolsinger has been steady, but hasn’t shown much of an ability to survive late in games. Brandon Beachy figures to be a nice back-end starter, and looked decent in his first outing in two years, but was hurt by a rough defensive day from Andre Ethier and some iffy ball/strike calls.

Anderson is 4 1/3 innings shy of the second most innings he has thrown in his career, and he’s been surprisingly healthy through the first half of the season. If he stays healthy, he would not be a bad #3 starter in the postseason. However, that is a big if, and it would be more reassuring with another top-line starter in the mix.

With a number of pitchers scheduled to hit free agency this offseason, some of them could be on the move before the trade deadline for a package of prospects. Johnny Cueto has been the big name for most of the season, but with their recent slide and dimming playoff odds, there’s an increasing chance that the Detroit Tigers move David Price. Jeff Samardzija and Mat Latos should also be available, but neither of them are that much of an upgrade over a healthy Anderson.

If the Dodgers were able to bring in a Cueto or a Price, it would make a five or seven-game series extremely difficult to lose. The possibility of Kershaw, Greinke and Cueto/Price throwing six of seven games in a series gives the Dodgers a huge advantage.

Jul 10, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson (31) catches a foul ball with his arm after hitting against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

3. Consistency at the plate.

Offensively speaking, the Dodgers are above average at every position, with the possible exception of Jimmy Rollins at short. The only moves I can think of to upgrade the Dodgers offensively is to get Carlos Gomez in left field or to put Corey Seager at short, but Seager isn’t a guaranteed improvement over Rollins (yet).

Instead, the Dodgers really just need to find their mojo at the plate again. They still rank near the top of the NL in on-base percentage and lead all of baseball in home runs, but it seems like once one player slumps, everyone else follows suit. Joc Pederson‘s batting average dropped more than 30 points from June 6 until the all-star break, and his OBP dropped by 20. Agone saw his average drop nearly 20 points in 13 games since June 28, and Yasiel Puig slumped while recovering from a blister on his hand, as Stacie Wheeler pointed out about a week ago.

If the Dodgers are going to threaten in the postseason, they’ll need to show the ability to put together consistent offensive performances, regardless of who is on the hill. Lack of run support for Kershaw and Greinke is annoying now, but it becomes a huge problem if it continues in October, where every game counts.