The Dodgers are not in first place in the NL West because they are the best team in the division, they’re in first place in the NL West because the Giants are currently worse than they are – but only slightly. And while this may sound pessimistic and have a negative spin to it and most certainly isn’t what loyal Dodger fans want to hear, it is the painfully brutal truth – like it or not.

But even though the Dodgers are not playing up to their potential and often times appear to be playing without any heart or drive – especially lately – the thing that fans and even the media and beat writers covering them need to remember (and keep reminding themselves of) is that as of today, Sunday, August 23, 2015, the Dodgers have exactly 40 games remaining – and anything can happen in 40 games.

Although there has been considerable debate that the Giants were not the best team in major league baseball last year when they won their third World Series title in five years, there is no debate that they were the best team – or at least the hottest team – in major league baseball once the playoffs started. If anything, this should give Dodger fans a bit of encouragement that even though they lead their division with the second-worst record of any other division-leader in the MLB, the Dodgers could still win their first World Series title in 27 years. After all, the Giants won it all last year as a Wild Card team, beating the Kansas City Royals – another Wild Card team – in a very exciting seven-game World Series.

That being said, both the Giants and Royals had something going into last year’s postseason that the Dodgers have been seriously lacking since the All-Star break this season – a deep rotation, a good bullpen and a consistent offenses.

Hate them as we may, the Giants were the hottest team in baseball once the playoffs started last year.
(Photo credit – Doug Pensinger)

Giants pitchers, led by the insufferable Madison Bumgarner, posted a 1.60 ERA and 0.0706 WHIP in the Division Series, a 3.20 ERA and 1.133 WHIP in the Championship Series and 3.98 ERA and 1.115 WHIP in the World Series. Royals pitchers posted a 1.74 ERA and 0.871 WHIP in the Division Series, a 2.92 ERA and 1.412 WHIP in the Championship Series and a 4.28 ERA and 1.459 WHIP in the World Series, which, of course, was the difference maker between the final two teams.

Offensively, the Giants hit a collective .277 with two home runs in the World Series while the Royals hit a collective .249 with three home runs – again the difference maker.

On defense, the Giants committed only one error in the World Series while the Royals committed two – ditto.

The point to all of this is that once game number 163 has been played, any one of the eight teams in the playoffs can win the World Series if they pitch the ball, hit the ball and catch the ball well. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they haven’t been doing any of these lately – especially on their current eight-game road trip in which they are 0-4 with three to go.

Other than losing the World Series, there is nothing worse than watching the other team celebrating your elimination from the playoffs. (Photo credit – Charles Rex Arbogast)

The good news for the Dodgers is that they have seven head-to-head games remaining against the second-place Giants. The bad news is that they are a dismal 3-9 against their most-hated rivals so far this season and are 0-6 at AT&T Park – where they have four games remaining. And even though the Dodgers have an outstanding record of 42-20 at Dodger Stadium this season, they are 3-3 against the Giants at The Ravine. Dodger fans can only hope – and it’s a rather pathetic hope – that the Giants continue to play worse than the Dodgers do, because the way both teams are playing right now, the 2015 NL West title will not be won by one of these two teams, it will be lost by one of them.

…but there are still 40 to go.