Mookie Betts' powerful return, Dodgers nabbing NL's best record isn't a coincidence

Mookie Betts made his long awaited return to the Dodgers' lineup on Monday night against the Brewers, and there were a couple of key differences. He was batting second behind Shohei Ohtani, having willingly ceded the leadoff spot after Ohtani's success there (though he has been notably slumping over his last 15 games), and had moved back to the outfield after (way too much) flip-flopping on management's part.

It was also a pretty severe injury he was coming back from: a broken hand sustained during a mid-June game against the Royals. He didn't go on a rehab assignment, so he was coming straight back after a nearly two-month absence from competitive play. No one would've blamed him if he needed a little time to settle in, whether it was into his new spot in the order or new/old spot in the outfield.

However, because he's Mookie Betts, he didn't seemed to need that at all. In the top of the third with Kiké Hernández on third, Betts saw a fastball on the outer edge of the plate from Freddy Peralta and launched it on a line to left field. Jackson Chourio made a leaping grab for it, but to no avail. That one was gone, giving the Dodgers a two-run lead.

Mookie Betts announces his arrival back to the Dodgers with a home run against the Brewers

The Dodgers went on to win 5-2 thanks to Clayton Kershaw's best start since his return (5 2/3 innings, three hits, one earned run), Ohtani shaking out of his slump a little with a two-run homer of his own, and another RBI for Betts in the seventh to score Ohtani and make the Dodgers look like they made the right call moving Betts behind him in the lineup.

With Monday's win, the Dodgers officially grabbed the best record in the National League, tied for first in baseball with the Orioles and Guardians as the Phillies have been struggling over the past few weeks. They also extended their division lead over the Diamondbacks and Padres to 3.5 games. This series against the Brewers is key to avoiding landing in a Wild Card spot to start the postseason.

With Betts back in the lineup, the Dodgers look a lot more like the team that they set out to be at the beginning of the season. Baseball is the team sport, and one player can't make or break a team, but Betts' presence clearly picks up everyone around him. The Dodgers are already in better shape now, with him, than they were for the last two months.