"How far back we are in the standings is going to be the last thing anybody in this clubhouse is going to be thinking about going into this weekend", reliever George Kontos said. "That's what you expect when we match up together".

So - are you exhausted of winning yet? Perhaps Magic hit it on the nose when he said the Dodgers need to focus on getting healthy (Kershaw and Gonzalez) and the talent will separate itself from the competition as they already have 102 games into the season. "Talk to me in late October, early November". When pitchers are on top of their game, I thought he was pretty good today, didn't have his best stuff, but he had pretty good stuff.

It is just about the best place any team could be in as July winds down. Heck, they're playing almost.575 baseball and trail the Dodgers by 13 games. They also suppress home runs better than any team in the NL - a handy skill this summer, when the ball might as well be decorated with a dimple pattern.

"It's been insane how well we've been playing the past couple months", said rookie Cody Bellinger who pretty much knows nothing else in this major-league career.

The outfielder, whom the Dodgers stole from the Mariners for pitcher Zach Lee, is hitting.320 with 12 homers and a.929 OPS that is higher than Buster Posey's.

At least Giants starter Ty Blach has given the Dodgers someone to think about on the flip side. That will be the kind of baseball they'll have to fight against in order to win it all.

But the team really excels when it comes to pitching.

"He's going to continue to ramp up", Roberts said.

The defense is tougher to identify unless you dig deep. The hit touched off a wild celebration at first base and Gardner was doused during his on-field interview by Aaron Judge, who chipped a tooth celebrating Gardner's 11th-inning homer Thursday. Pitchers like Rich Hill and Brandon McCarthy - valued lower than many veteran counterparts, but clearly offering something - have been major contributors, albeit both have dealt with injury issues.

Hall of Fame outfielder Lou Brock says he is free of cancer more than three months after the 78-year-old St. Louis Cardinals great announced he had been diagnosed with a type of blood cancer.

And though he has struggled to match his excellent production from 2013 and 2014, Yasiel Puig was signed to a seven-year, $42 million deal out of Cuba and has given the Dodgers a strong return on their investment.

Troy Scribner (1-0) allowed three hits and two runs in three innings to earn the win in his major league debut.

It all seems so, well, simple now. During those five games, four of them saw the Dodgers score 6 runs. "You go out there and do what you're obligated and responsible to do, which is give it your best". Dodgers fans can boast their superiority right now. "You just put your head down and keep moving forward". Chicago and Washington are both leading the other NL divisions, but they are 18 and 11 games behind Los Angeles in the win column, respectively. It is the only team to not yet allow 100 home runs on the season. Joc Pederson walked and broke for second when Wood pulled back after squaring to bunt and hit a hard grounder to shortstop, scoring Barnes from third.

"Fastball command wasn't great". Hill said after the game that he is dealing with a respiratory ailment. "But it's having that relentless attack on the hitters". "We're relentless every single day". In the lineup. On the mound. "It's been a lot of fun". And in the field.