Dodgers favoured to win NL West

LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw was lost for 10 weeks in the second half of the season, they had a record 28 players go on the disabled list, and the Los Angeles Dodgers still won 91 games and their fourth consecutive NL West title last season.

Dave Roberts survived plenty of adversity in his first year as manager while having his optimism regularly tested.

With likely better health this season, the Dodgers have to be considered favourites to repeat as division champions. Their farm system is deep — witness Corey Seager’s rise to prominence — and they have enough veteran talent to withstand the ups and downs.

The team re-signed closer Kenley Jansen as the bullpen anchor, kept third baseman Justin Turner as a leader in the clubhouse and re-signed lefty Rich Hill as No. 2 in the rotation.

Here are some things to watch for this season:

New look

The Dodgers fulfilled a need at second base to upgrade their hitting against left-handed pitching by acquiring Logan Forsythe from Tampa Bay in exchange for pitcher Jose De Leon. Forsythe hit .264 with 20 homers, 52 RBIs and 76 runs scored last season for the Rays. Leading off the Dodgers’ lineup, he has potential to score 90 runs despite having three injections in his arthritic right knee during spring training.

Healthy rotation

Kershaw is set to make his seventh consecutive opening day start against San Diego on April 3. The left-hander is healthy after missing 2 1/2 months last year with a herniated disk. That’s welcome news to a team that endured a parade of pitchers on the disabled list last season. Kershaw was 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 149 innings, the best ERA of his nineyear career. Rich Hill will have his first full season in the Dodgers’ rotation as the No. 2 starter with Kenta Maeda slotted in at No. 3. The fourth and fifth spots will be up for grabs among Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Alex Wood and Hyun-Jin Ryu, all of whom were injured last year.