The race for the National League West will soon be over.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have staked out a 19-game lead over the San Diego Padres and have surpassed 90 wins before even losing 50 games.
They’re on pace to win 111 games this season and with last night’s 5-0 loss by the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the NL West has shrunk down to eight.
This means that the division race could be over as soon as potentially this weekend if all continues to go according to plan for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers are 92-42 and are closing in on what will be their ninth NL West title over the last decade.
The San Francisco Giants won the division last year, with Los Angeles being designated with a Wild Card spot.
The #Padres lose. 5-0, to the #Dbacks.
The #Dodgers magic number is now 8.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 6, 2022
Dodgers Close To Clinching
This race has essentially already been over for quite some time.
The Dodgers have taken off and have not looked back.
The Padres have played well this season, but their August slide officially took them out of the race for the division.
But that’s mainly credit to the Dodgers, who have taken care of business all season long.
To be this close to winning their division this early in the month is impressive, and as good as the Dodgers are, few would have expected them to wrap it up so soon, especially after the Giants’ surprise run to 107 wins last year.
But San Francisco has performed below expectations this year and the Padres, while having a stacked ballclub, are nowhere near the Dodgers in the standings.
This is Los Angeles’ division for the taking, and it’s only a matter of time before they wrap it up and clinch.
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