Dodgers: Three Reasons the Dodgers Can Win the NL West

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LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 22: Manager Dave Roberts #30 and Bob Geren #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate the solo homerun of Joc Pederson #31 to take a 10 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

The Dodgers certainly didn’t expect to need a strong September to win a sixth straight NL West division title. That is exactly where they stand now with the final week of August just days away.

The Dodgers were a playoff lock at the beginning of the season with most experts only questioning if the team could get back to the World Series. As today began the Dodgers find themselves three and a half games back of first place in the NL West and it’s going to take a strong finish just to make the postseason.

There are many reasons why the Dodgers find themselves in this predicament. You could start with injuries as the Dodgers’ entire opening day rotation has spent time on the disabled list and then some of their fill-in starters were also injured. The Dodgers were without Justin Turner for a couple of months, and they went without Corey Seager until Manny Machado effectively filled his void in July.

There is also management to blame whether it’s Dave Roberts’ bullpen decisions or the fact that the front office has not brought in any elite relievers this season. Regardless of what’s to blame, the Dodgers need to start winning now, and there are still three reasons why the Dodgers can still win the division.