Cody Bellinger, Clayton Kershaw Make Los Angeles Dodgers 2017 World Series Favorites In NL

With the 2017 All-Star break just a few short weeks away, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking like the best team in baseball. Big numbers by Cody Bellinger and Clayton Kershaw have given L.A. a 10-game win streak and the best record in the National League, making them the World Series favorite in the NL.

Going 51-26 to start the season, the Dodgers are tied with the Chicago Cubs with +600 betting odds to win the championship, via Bovada.lv. Los Angeles has been much more impressive than the defending champs, and only the Houston Astros are given a better chance to win the Fall Classic at +500.

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Houston is one game ahead of Los Angeles in the MLB standings, but the Dodgers might be the better team. They lead baseball with a +138 run differential, having outscored their opponents by 51 runs during their winning streak.

The Dodgers’ pitching staff has been the best in MLB with almost half of the season completed, leading all teams with a 3.30 ERA. Kershaw has been his usual dominant self. He leads the NL with 11 victories, and only Max Scherzer has put up better numbers than his 2.47 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.

Alex Wood has actually been better than Kershaw, going 8-0 with a 1.86 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP, though he’s only made 11 starts and doesn’t yet qualify to be among the league leaders. Kenley Jansen has 17 saves and is in the midst of his best season yet.

It’s the Dodgers’ offense, however, that’s been the most surprising, led by Bellinger’s historic start. The 21-year-old rookie has nearly twice as many home runs as anyone else on the team, and he’s on pace to set multiple records.

Bellinger is easily the fastest player in MLB history to have six multi-home run games, having done so in just 57 contests. Along with New York Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Judge, the left fielder is on pace to break Mark McGwire’s rookie record of 49 homers in a season. His 24 homers are the best in the NL, and his .679 slugging percentage is also the tops in the league.

Throughout the lineup, Los Angeles’ young hitters are getting the job done. Corey Seager is batting .298 with an on-base percentage north of .400 and a slugging percentage above .500. Chris Taylor is playing better than most second basemen in MLB, and catcher Austin Barnes continues to impress as the season moves along. Add in Justin Turner and his .393 batting average and the Dodgers have one of the best offenses in all of baseball.

The biggest impediment to the Dodgers winning their first World Series in three decades might be the league in which they play. The National League is home to most of the best teams in baseball, and reaching the Fall Classic won’t prove to be easy.

Houston has MLB’s best record, but they are the only AL team with a winning percentage of .550 or better. L.A. is one of four NL teams that has a .600 winning percentage or better.

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Despite the struggles of the San Francisco Giants, the NL West has been MLB’s best division. With surprisingly strong starts from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers won’t have an easy time pulling away and avoiding the NL Wild-Card Game.

L.A. has been as consistent as any team in recent years, posting just one losing season in the last 11 years and winning more than 90 games in four straight years. This year, however, might be their best chance to finally realize their potential and win the pennant at the very least.