The contenders are separating from the pretenders at the moment as the 2023 Major League Baseball regular season is starting to evolve. Here are two key series that commence on July 21.
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Texas Rangers
Here we have the National League West Division leaders Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League West Division leaders Texas Rangers. The Dodgers are currently at 55 wins and 40 losses, and lead the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks by two games each. The Giants and Diamondbacks have identical records of 54 wins and 43 losses. The Rangers meanwhile, are at 58 wins and 39 losses, and lead the Houston Astros by four games.
The Dodgers are led offensively by second baseman Mookie Betts of Nashville, Tennessee and first baseman Freddie Freeman of Villa Park, California. Betts is second in the National League in home runs with 27. He is only behind Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves, who has 32 home runs. Freeman is third in the National League in hits with 121.
The Rangers are led offensively by outfielder Adolis Garcia of Ciego de Avila, Cuba and second baseman Marcus Semien of San Francisco, California. Garcia leads the Major Leagues with 80 runs batted in, and Semien is second in the American League with 111 hits.
From a pitching perspective, the Dodgers are led by starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw of Dallas, Texas, who leads the Major Leagues with a 2.55 earned run average. However, Kershaw is currently on the injured list with left shoulder soreness. The Rangers are led by starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi of Houston, Texas. Eovaldi leads the majors with 11 wins and is second in the American League in earned run average of 2.69. Only Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays has a lower earned run average of 2.56. Eovaldi will not be pitching in the series.
Atlanta Braves @ Milwaukee Brewers
The Braves have the best record in baseball at 62 wins and 33 losses. The Brewers lead the National League Central at 54 wins and 43 losses. The Cincinnati Reds are in second place in the National League Central at 52 wins and 46 losses, and two and a half games back of the Brew Crew.
From a statistical perspective, the Braves are led offensively by outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. of La Guaira, Venezuela and first baseman Matt Olson of Atlanta, Georgia. Acuna Jr. leads the Majors with 44 stolen bases, is second in the National League with 127 hits, and is second in the National League with a .332 batting average. Olson leads the Major Leagues with 80 runs batted in, and the National League with 32 home runs.
From a pitching perspective, Spencer Strider of Columbus, Ohio has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. He leads the Majors with 11 wins and 189 strikeouts, but like Eovaldi, is scheduled not to start over the next three days.
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