For the second straight season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the cream of the crop in the National League West. With ace Clayton Kershaw starring on the hill, in the field and even with the bat, Los Angeles clinched the division title with a 9-1 victory over second-place San Francisco on Wednesday night.
Like 2013, the Dodgers overcame a slow start and an early deficit to reach the top. On June 7, they were 32-31 and a season-high 9 1/2 games behind San Francisco. However, by July 1 they shaved nine games off the lead. By August, they held a two-game lead, and from that point on managed to keep San Francisco in their rear view mirror. *
It wasn't always easy, but it wasn't quite as dramatic as their almost season-long chase of the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, which culminated with an epic clincher Chase Field. There was no pool to celebrate in once their ticket was officially punched this time around, but they did have bubbles.
Most importantly, though, they've played themselves into another opportunity to complete their mission of winning a World Series championship. With that in mind, here's a look at five big reasons why the Dodgers emerged as the best in the West. *
Clayton Kershaw got healthy and dominated
The only thing that slowed down Clayton Kershaw this season may have been the team's flights to and from Australia in March. Kershaw started and won the Dodgers opener, but ended up missing five weeks with a back injury after the team returned stateside.
When he returned on May 6, he was slow to get back on track, finishing the month with three wins and a 3.57 ERA. However, from June 2 on — which coincides perfectly with the Dodgers surge*—*he was easily the best pitcher in baseball, and perhaps the NL's most valuable player. Over an eight-start stretch, Kershaw won all eight decisions and posted a ridiculous 0.74 ERA over that time. His season ERA never rose above 2.00 again, and he's gone on to win 21 games. All of that for a staff that lost Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu for extended stretches, not to mention Josh Beckett for the season.
Kershaw was needed more than ever to be an ace and an anchor, and he delivered at a higher level.
Matt Kemp's second-half surge
At times this season it felt like Kemp was headed for a permanent backup role and perhaps even a fresh start with a new team. Now, he's among the hottest hitters in baseball, having slashed .304/.362/.590 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs in 62 games since the All-Star break.
Kemp, who turned 30 on Sept. 23, is not the same all around player he was in his near 40-40 season in 2011. Injuries have taken their toll, particularly on his lower body. He doesn't run nearly as much, and he's no longer viewed as the answer in center field. But as long as he's mashing baseballs, the Dodgers are a far more dangerous team. Along with Adrian Gonzalez, who currently leads MLB with 112 RBIs, the middle of Don Mattingly's lineup looks locked in.
Road Warriors
The Dodgers are still playing for home-field advantage in the NL, but they've shown all season that they're just as dangerous away from Dodger Stadium. In fact, they've actually had greater success on the road this season, posting MLB's best road mark at 49-32 as opposed to 42-36 at home. Washington (45-36) and San Francisco (43-37) are the only other NL teams to post winning road records, which shows how difficult winning on the road can be. That the Dodgers essentially dominated on the road, proved to be a critical difference in the division standings.
They survived the Yasiel Puig experience, for the most part
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There's no way to stop Yasiel Puig from being who he is. It's knowing when to speak up and when to back off that becomes the trick. Though the Dodgers certainly haven't mastered it, it seems they've found a way to contain or at least manage his Puigness, which manager Don Mattingly seemed to show following a bench-clearing altercation in Tuesday's game.
Sure, Puig has his moments, and rest assured, we hear about all of them. He will always be spotlighted, for better or worse, because he's an elite talent with a propensity to exhilarate and/or frustrate at a moment's notice, and sometimes even both at the same time. It's not always endearing to his teammates or Dodgers opponents, but so far the good continues to outweigh the bad by a considerable margin, which means the Dodgers are far better off.
Role players played like stars

The Dodgers have stars in abundance. But we've seen over the past few seasons that it's the teams with greater depth and more productive role players who often emerge from the pack. In that regard, the Dodgers are well-stocked with players who fit the description.
Among them is veteran Juan Uribe, who we've seen play hero in postseasons past. They also have catcher A.J. Ellis, who has the trust of his pitching staff and a knack for big hits. Scott Van Slyke's play is part of the reason why both Kemp and Andre Ethier were mentioned in numerous trade rumors. Then there's infielder Justin Turner, who signed a one-year, $1 million deal in February. He earned his roser spot in spring training and by season's end carved out a significant role by posting a .879 OPS in 315 plate appearances.*
We didn't even touch on veterans like Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford, or even Dee Gordon. The Dodgers are loaded, and at this point might be the odds on favorite in the National League.*
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813