September is right around the corner, and there is still no clear frontrunner for the National League West title.
The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the San Diego Padres in their recent home series. But then, the Padres responded by winning back-to-back games in their home series against the Dodgers the following weekend.
More news: Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Pitched on Shorter Rest for Ohtani, Yamamoto and Still Dominated
The Dodgers managed to make it out of the two weekends still on top of the division, despite losing the second series.
Los Angeles also went on to sweep the Cincinnati Reds this week, while San Diego lost two games to the Seattle Mariners. That pushed the Dodgers ahead in the division race by two games.
But the Padres are not out of the running for the division title. In fact, several insiders have predicted San Diego will be crowned division champions.
Outfielder Michael Conforto told MLB's Sonja Chen that the team is locked in for the final stretch of the season. He said manager Dave Roberts has emphasized the importance of winning games and ultimately winning the division.
"I think everybody has bought into that at this point," Conforto said to Chen. "In Dave's words, we're in a sprint right now. We're in a race for the division, and it's all about being the first-place team at the end of this and just winning games, winning every game we can."
More news: Dodgers' Dave Roberts Sets High Expectations for Shohei Ohtani's Final Start of August
The Dodgers will not see the Padres again in the regular season, but the outcome of every game will matter for the rest of the year.
Los Angeles is getting back some reinforcements who will help through the final stretch of the season. Utility man Kiké Hernández returned to the field on Tuesday after sitting on the sidelines since the beginning of July.
The Dodgers expect third baseman Max Muncy and reliever Michael Kopech to return from the IL next week. Meanwhile, utilities Hyeseong Kim and Tommy Edman and starting pitcher Roki Sasaki should be healthy in early September.
More news: Dodgers' Freddie Freeman Has New Injury, Out of Lineup on Wednesday
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images