The Los Angeles Dodgers got off to an uncharacteristically slow start in 2023.
Entering their weekend series against the slumping St. Louis Cardinals, they sat at the .500 mark.
However, they swept the Cardinals and ultimately opened up their series with the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies with a 13-4 win on Monday.
The Dodgers are now four games above the .500 mark and have won a season-high four consecutive games.
The win also got the Dodgers back in familiar territory, as they now sit atop the National League West division, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks by a half-game.
On Twitter, Dodgers insider David Vassegh took note of the team’s recent success.
#Dodgers win a season best 4th consecutive game and are in 1st Place in NL West (17-13).
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) May 2, 2023
The Dodgers won the NL West by a healthy margin in 2022.
The team secured 111 victories and beat the San Diego Padres to the top by 22 games.
After losing the NLDS to the Padres, Los Angeles lost some key pieces in Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Trea Turner.
Still, they have proven that a few departures aren’t going to cause too much harm.
New additions David Peralta and Jason Heyward both went deep on Monday.
Mookie Betts and Will Smith also provided some fireworks at the plate.
The Dodgers appear to be finding their groove again and staking their claim atop the NL West once again.
The team has won the division in nine of the last 10 seasons, with the exception being 2021, when they won 106 games, but finished just one game behind the San Francisco Giants, who they would later defeat in the NLDS.
