Trent Reinsmith
Three teams in Major League Baseball had 100 or more wins during the 2021 MLB season. Two of those teams came from the National League West. Those teams, The San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers were the best regular-season teams in the majors.
The Giants led the league in 2021 with a 107-55 record, which equaled a .660 winning percentage. Los Angeles was very close behind with a 106-56 record and a winning percentage of .654. As fate would have it, the Giants and Dodgers met in the American League Divisional Series during the 2021 MLB Playoffs. The Dodgers won that series 3-2 before falling to the eventual World Series champs, the Atlanta Braves, in the ALCS.
The three teams that trailed the Giants and the Dodgers last season, the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Arizona Diamondbacks all finished the 2021 season with losing records.
Things look a bit different in the NL West during the 2022 MLB season. With 70 games played, the Dodgers are in the first place (44-26). However, the club only has a one-game lead over the second-place Padres (45-29). The Giants are the other team with a winning record in the division at 39-32. The Diamondbacks (32-41) and Rockies (31-41) are both off the pace for winning the division this year.
Before we look at how the National League West will play out in 2022, check out our guide on World Series Betting, as well as the best sites for betting on MLB in 2022.
2022 National League West picks
| To Win 2022 National League West |  |  |  |  |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | -210 | -210 | -255 | -255 |
| San Diego Padres | +200 | +225 | +265 | +265 |
| San Francisco Giants | +800 | +750 | +930 | +930 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +25000 | +100000 | +90000 | +90000 |
| Colorado Rockies | +50000 | +100000 | +95000 | +95000 |
Los Angeles Dodgers
Trae Turner is having a great year for the Los Angeles Dodgers at the plate. Turner joined the Dodgers from the Washington Nationals in 2021. Turner was traded with Max Scherzer for Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray, Gerardo Carrillo, and Donovan Casey. The Dodgers got him under contract for 2022 with a $21 million deal for one year. One of the best shortstops in the game, Turner looks like he could earn an enormous payday at the end of this season. Right now, Turner is fourth in the National League in batting average at .320, tied for fourth in RBIs with 52, second in hits with 89, and fourth in stolen bases at 14.
As for pitching, Los Angeles has two of the winningest pitchers in the NL. Those pitchers are Tony Gonsolin (9) and Tyler Anderson (8). The Dodgers also have Julio Urias in the rotation and he is fourth in the NL in ERA at 2.48.
The Dodgers lead the National League in run differential at plus 130. They have scored 359 runs and allowed 229. The only team with a better differential is the Yankees at plus 141 (361 RS, 220 RA).
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are having a fantastic 2022. After finishing the 2021 season under 500, San Diego is one game behind the Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West. The Padres have been without Fernando Tatis Jr. all season, but that has not hurt the team overall. With Manny Machado playing well and Jurickson Profar and Jake Cronenworth having good years, San Diego looks like they might give the Dodgers some issues.
San Diego’s pitching looks good this year, with Joe Musgrave leading the way with eight wins and an ERA of 2.12, both of which put him in the No. 2 spot in the National League. The Padres also have the best reliever in the NL, Taylor Rogers, who has 22 saves to go with an ERA of 2.70.
If the Padres can remain healthy, they will pose some problems in the NL West.
San Franciso Giants
The Giants are 5.5 games behind the Dodgers for the lead in the National League West, so they are still in the mix, but with the Padres in front of the Giants, things do not look great in San Francisco. The Giants are behind San Diego, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Milwaukee in the race for a Wild Card spot and Philadelphia is right behind the Giants.
The bright spot for the Giants is Luis Gonzalez. A waiver signing from the White Sox. Gonzalez leads the team in batting average at .302. The bad news for the Giants is that Gonzalez was put on the 10-day injured reserve last week for a low back strain.
Our pick
The Dodgers are the team to beat right now and I expect that they will be active at the trade deadline and look to make their team stronger. With the Padres putting heat on the Dodgers, Los Angeles management is going to do everything it can to secure a playoff spot and go into the postseason with a strong club.
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