MLB Betting: The Dodgers May Run Away With the NL West

Of all divisions in Major League Baseball, the National League West has been one of the more surprising circuits in 2023.

Entering the current season, the NL West was largely thought to be a two-team race between the hyper-talented Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The Friars -- who boast the third-highest payroll in MLB -- have certainly spent the money to build a winner, but they have had issues putting it all together.

Perhaps just as shocking as the Padres' underwhelming campaign is the Arizona Diamondbacks' climb to the top. A team that won only 52 games in 2021, Arizona has amassed exactly that amount of wins before the 2023 All-Star break.

Of course, there is still the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies. The Giants have turned heads at certain points of the year while Colorado has mostly dwelled in the league cellar throughout 2023.

Let's have a look at the NL West standings at the All-Star break and break down each team.

All MLB odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

1. Los Angeles Dodgers -340

The Boys in Blue have won the NL West in 9 of the past 10 seasons. If it weren't for a record-breaking campaign by the rival-Giants in 2021, the Dodgers would have won the division crown in all years from 2013 to 2022. Los Angeles is right back atop the hunt in 2023, and by the betting odds, they're the clear favorite.

After a shaky month of June that featured a 12-12 record, the Dodgers have begun to hit the ball like they usually do. At .785, the Dodgers have the third-best team OPS in the Majors. Superstars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw are all producing stellar seasons. Additionally, Los Angeles has been without several of their key contributors at various points this season. Once they get closer to full health, look out.

The returns of Julio Urias and Chris Taylor should give LA an added lift. The Dodgers are currently tied with the D-Backs for the division lead, but LA is capable of pulling away in the second half.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks +460

Genuinely, I think most around the MLB community would have acknowledged that the Diamondbacks were on the rise coming into this year. Still, I did not have them as full-fledged contenders so soon. Remember: Arizona won 52 games in 2021 while notching 74 wins in 2022. They are again on pace to raise the bar.

As I just said, the Snakes are currently tied for the NL West lead with Los Angeles. But the difference in the NL West divisional title odds between these two sides is staggering -- you can still get Arizona at +460, compared to the Dodgers at -340.

The D-Backs have been powered by quality pitching from Merrill Kelly, Tommy Henry and ace Zac Gallen -- the latter of whom holds a 3.53 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) in 2023.

On offense, Ketel Marte and rookie sensation Corbin Carroll have led the way for Arizona. Carroll seemed to re-aggravate a shoulder injury in the final week before the break. Will that hamper Carroll's productivity (18 homers and 26 stolen bases on the season) down the stretch? If so, it'll be a big blow for Arizona.

3. San Francisco Giants +850 (2.5 GB)

The Giants' most recent offseason was riddled with fake-outs. Despite missing out on star players Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, San Francisco has rallied around their youth, bullpen and timely hitting.

San Francisco turned on the juice in June. With the longest win streak in the division this year, the Giants notched 10 consecutive Ws from June 11 through the first day of summer (June 21).

Logan Webb -- who leads MLB with 126 innings pitched -- and Alex Cobb have anchored a respectable starting rotation. On the back end, Camilo Doval has been one of the best closers in the game this year; his 26 saves have him in a three-way tie for the MLB lead at the break.

Offensively, veteran infielders J.D. Davis and Thairo Estrada have kept the line moving. Estrada is now working back from a broken left hand with an uncertain return timetable, so the Giants will need to keep picking up the slack.

4. San Diego Padres +3400 (8.5 GB)

Among this season's biggest disappointments across baseball is the Padres. With the largest payroll in the division -- an accolade the Dodgers previously held for what felt like forever -- the Padres have actually seen their play get worse rather than improve.

You know the players in their lineup, as they are some of the trendiest names in the game -- Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts are responsible for powering the offense. But the Padres are a middling 15th in weighted on-base average (wOBA). However, there is some bad luck at play as San Diego has the NL's third-worst batting average on balls in-play (BABIP).

At 8.5 games back prior to the Midsummer Classic, the Padres are definitely not 100% out of it. Still, the Friars have yet to win more than three consecutive games in 2023. Pitchers Michael Wacha and Joe Musgrove have been solid this year, and there is enough talent to turn this ship around.

Even with their deficit, San Diego has enough talent to come back and win the division at 34/1 odds right now if everything clicks.

5. Colorado Rockies +25000 (18 GB)

Not much has gone right for the Rockies in 2023, and their odds to win the NL West reflect that. They are 18.0 games behind the Dodgers/D-Backs heading into the second half.

The Rockies are moving toward back-to-back seasons with last-place finishes. Additionally, Colorado has not had a winning record since 2018. Perhaps they can hang their hat on Kris Bryant finally starting to appear in the lineup consistently.

There is no turnaround in sight for Colorado. At the moment, the Rockies yield the second-highest team ERA in the game (5.72). We'll cut them a little slack in that department since half of Colorado's games are played at Coors Field, but something has got to give in the coming years.

For reference, the last time the Rockies won the NL West was ... never.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.