Dodgers notes: Midseason grades, power rankings, Jason Heyward

As the Dodgers prepare for the second half of the season, it seems appropriate to evaluate how the team has performed so far. Although they’ve been sent through the wringer when it comes to injuries and underperformance, the Dodgers have managed to prevail and remain contenders in a division that has been fiercely competitive.

Expectations varied for the team at the conclusion of the offseason, as the Dodgers lost several key players apart of their 111-win team from the previous season such as Trea Turner, Justin Turner, and Cody Bellinger. The team decided to expand outward and within to grab seasoned veterans while allowing their younger prospects to get more experience. At season’s start, the Dodgers went from the juggernauts of the National League to an underdog within their own division.

From seeing their starting rotation change drastically since the beginning of the season to witnessing major winning streaks in May followed by a subpar month of June, the Dodgers are 10 games above .500 and continue to have a grasp on a Wild Card spot.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report provides a grading system for how every team has performed thus far into the season, handing the Dodgers a grade of C- for how they’ve done:

“In early May, it looked like they had figured things out, winning 14 out of 16 games before ending May 15 in first place in the NL. But since then, they’ve endured more three-game losing streaks (two) than three-game winning streaks (one) as the starting rotation (aside from Clayton Kershaw) has fallen apart.”

Links

• The Athletic released their newest power rankings list, putting the Dodgers as the number five team in all of baseball. Stephen Nesbitt also gives a bold prediction as to which milestone the Dodgers will be a part of:

“Clayton Kershaw will get to 3,000 strikeouts this season... He’ll get the 3,000th strikeout in his last start of the season, at Coors Field in late September.”

• Jason Heyward looks to be receiving more opportunities in center field over rookie James Outman with his ever increasing offensive numbers, reports J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register.
• Houston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times breaks down how the Dodgers have fared against teams that are in playoff contention as well as how they’ve done against teams that carry a record of under .500 in the latest edition of Dodgers Dugout.