As of Thursday, September 4, the Dodgers stand atop the National League West (NL), boasting the sixth-best record in all of baseball and the third-best record in the NL. The Angels, on the other hand, are second to last in the American League West, with the fifth-worst record in the AL. The Angels were once two games behind a wild-card spot, looking like the future was bright. So what happened? Why are the Dodgers the “kings” of Southern California?

There are three main reasons: batting, pitching, and fielding. Now, you may be thinking, those are just the three core parts of baseball. And yes, they are. However, they play a major role in the vast difference between records.

Batting:

The Dodgers, in comparison to the Angels, lead in every hitter-based stat besides hit by pitch. The Dodgers have a higher team batting average, higher slugging percentage, higher on-base plus slugging and fewer strikeouts.

Obviously, the Dodgers have a much more decorated batting lineup with previous All-Stars and Most Valuable Players in Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani ,and even a Home Run Derby winner in Teoscar Hernández. The Angels have some decent bats, with Jo Adell having his career year and Taylor Ward, Nolan Schanuel, and Zach Neto all having above-average years.

While the Angels are only two places behind the Dodgers in home runs, their offense is still very lacking; they are not able to execute with runners in scoring position (RISP). The Angels are sixth in left on base, a stat that measures runners who get stranded when an inning ends, while the Dodgers are 16th. The Angels are also first in batter strikeouts, whereas the Dodgers are 14th. They are unable to generate true offense and really rely on the home run ball.

Pitching:

Just off name value, the Dodgers have an entirely better pitching rotation. While the Angels have bright spots in their rotation like veteran Yusei Kikuchi and hopeful future ace José Soriano, the back end of the Dodgers’ rotation in Emmet Sheehan and Clayton Kershaw is better than those two.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation consists of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Kershaw, and a manager’s option of Sheehan or a bullpen game. They do have more starting pitchers on the injured list, but those changes will come when players are activated. The Angels’ rotation is Kikuchi, Soriano, Kyle Hendricks, Mitch Ferris, and Caden Dana.

There is a notable difference between the two. Most readers likely don’t know any pitchers in the Angels’ rotation. While neither team has a notably great bullpen, the Dodgers are by far much more reliable than the Angels. The Dodgers have more saves, a lower earned run average (ERA), more pitcher strikeouts and fewer walks.

The Angels have 31 blown saves, which is a league-leading number, 10 balks, which is also league-leading, and are also 28th in pitchers giving up home runs, the third-worst amount in Major League Baseball.

Fielding:

The Dodgers have a strong defense with multiple Gold Glove winners in Freeman, Tommy Edman, and Betts, with Gold Glove finalists in Kiké Hernández and Will Smith. The Angels have an average to below-average defense, with notable players being Neto and Adell, who were both All-Star candidates for their position but did not win.

The Dodgers make fewer errors than the Angels, turn more double plays and have a higher outs above average than the Angels.

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What can the Dodgers do to continue these practices and have success in the postseason? Although the Dodgers are slumping right now, they are a well-oiled machine that no one wants to face in October. Battling injuries and recent trends of poor fielding and lackluster hitting in clutch situations had the Dodgers dip a little, but they still maintain first place in the NL West.

I personally believe that the Dodgers are really just in an unexplainable slump, one that only athletes know of, and will eventually turn things around. They have one of the best farms (player development through minor leagues) in baseball, and will only get healthier and better before the playoffs, and are one of the teams with the most postseason experience. The reigning champs will not go down easily.

What can the Angels do? With young talent but no real direction in sight, there is a lot of speculation on the future for the Halos. Fans have mixed opinions on whether they should sell or buy every deadline and in the offseason. They have pieces to make a push or to trade away, and have been in a sort of limbo.

With the season winding down and a very small chance of making the playoffs, the Angels have already begun preparing for next season, calling up prospects to allow the seasoned and injured players to rest. Losing their manager, Arte Moreno, did not help either, as he had to step down for the season due to health concerns. They are hopeful–an improvement from last year–with much more to build upon.