You can't deny the math: There are only two dozen players who can be considered truly elite in any season. Here's who will leap onto the list this year and who will drop off.
What is an ace? Well, that's complicated. So we set specific criteria and identified the pitchers who fit.
— Clayton Kershaw pitched six innings of five-hit ball to win an outstanding duel with Max Scherzer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers swept three games from the Washington Nationals with a 3-0 victory Sunday.
— Chris Taylor hit a three-run homer and Zach McKinstry made big plays with his bat and glove as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Washington Nationals 9-5 Saturday night.
— Justin Turner homered in the sixth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their World Series ring ceremony day with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday.
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner looked forward to Friday's ring ceremony, but said it couldn't fill the void left by not being able to celebrate the final out of last year's World Series on the field with his teammates due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Trevor Bauer's name surfaced in a report from The Athletic stating that baseballs from his Wednesday outing against Oakland were collected for inspection after they were found to contain visible markings and felt sticky.
Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger has been placed on the 10-day injured list after he suffered a calf injury earlier this week trying to beat out an infield single.
L.A. is the favorite to win it all in 2021. But that doesn't stop us from making the case for the biggest threats to the Dodgers' repeat dreams.
Here's how all 30 teams stack up exactly one week since Opening Day.
— Mitch Moreland hit an RBI single with one out in the 10th inning and the Oakland Athletics rallied to beat the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 Wednesday for their first win of the season.
Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger underwent tests Tuesday that showed no structural damage to his calf, but manager Dave Roberts said it's unclear whether he'll land on the injured list.
— Clayton Kershaw struck out eight in seven smooth innings to send the Athletics to their worst start in more than a century, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat winless Oakland 5-1 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory.
— Will Smith homered off the left-field foul pole, Corey Seager and Zach McKinstry each drove in three runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded the winless Oakland Athletics 10-3 on Monday night.
Out of the gate, Houston thumped the A's, the Phillies shut down the Braves, and the Red Sox ... oh, the Red Sox.
— Julio UrÃas got off to a strong start after a fine finish in last year's World Series, pitching into the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2 Sunday.
Right-hander Tony Gonsolin was put on the 10-day injured list Sunday by the Los Angeles Dodgers with right shoulder inflammation, a move retroactive to Thursday.
— Zach McKinstry hustled for a go-ahead, inside-the-park homer in the eighth inning when left fielder Raimel Tapia reached over the fence to bring the ball back, only to have it bounce out of his glove and roll away as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the...
The new Dodger lost his no-hitter -- and shutout -- in the seventh inning but finished with 10 strikeouts in L.A.'s win.
On Friday, a cat got loose at the Dodgers-Rockies game and enjoyed its time on the diamond. But it's far from the first time an animal stole the show at a sporting event.
— Trevor Bauer is pitching a no-hitter through six innings in his Los Angeles Dodgers debut against the Colorado Rockies.
Only one team will win a ring in 2021. Who has the edge? And what about 2022, 2023, 2024 ...
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Dodgers | 8 | 2 | .800 | - | W3 |
| San Diego | 8 | 3 | .727 | 0.5 | W4 |
| San Francisco | 6 | 4 | .600 | 2 | L1 |
| Arizona | 4 | 7 | .364 | 4.5 | L1 |
| Colorado | 3 | 7 | .300 | 5 | L3 |
