Now that we're almost halfway through the season's third month, what is a notable trend for each National League West club that has had a significant impact on its performance so far? With the help of each beat writer in the division, here's a look at a key trend for each NL West team:

D-backs: 19 straight road losses
On April 25, the D-backs completed a doubleheader sweep of the Braves in Atlanta. It was a day of dominance with Zac Gallen allowing one hit in the first game and Madison Bumgarner holding the Braves hitless in Game 2. It capped a 7-3 road trip to Washington, Cincinnati and Atlanta and it looked like the D-backs were headed in the right direction.

They haven't won on the road since.

The 19-game road losing streak, which has included losses in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Colorado, Milwaukee and Oakland, is the longest in franchise history. The inability to win on the road was a big reason the D-backs finished May with a 5-24 record and it has torpedoed their season. -- Steve Gilbert

Dodgers: 3.01 starter ERA
The Dodgers lead the NL in runs scored, but the offense has been inconsistent at times. That’s not the case for the starting rotation. Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer, Walker Buehler and Julio Urías form one of the best starting staffs in the Majors and they haven’t disappointed this season. Kershaw has been steady, Bauer has been dominant more often than not, Urías continues to develop and Buehler hasn’t lost a decision in 21 consecutive starts.

Dustin May also played a big role for the Dodgers, but he was lost for the season on May 1. The Dodgers, however, did get Tony Gonsolin back, which should help moving forward despite his shaky season debut on Wednesday against the Pirates. The Dodgers believe they can repeat. Their starting rotation is a big reason why. -- Juan Toribio

Giants: Pinch-hitting prowess
Giants pinch-hitters are tied with the Braves for the most home runs in the Majors (seven) and rank first in RBIs (21) this season, an indication of the depth and versatility of San Francisco’s bench. Under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler, the Giants have embraced more platoons as a way to create more favorable matchups and try to gain an edge on offense. Against a right-handed starter, the Giants will often stack their lineup with left-handed bats such as Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Alex Dickerson, Steven Duggar and Mike Tauchman. Once a left-handed reliever appears, Kapler won’t hesitate to roll out a hockey style “line change,” sending right-handed bats such as Austin Slater, Mauricio Dubón and Wilmer Flores to the plate to reclaim the platoon advantage. 

Injuries have tested the Giants’ depth recently, but they’ve adopted a next-man-up mentality and haven’t missed a beat thanks to key contributions from newcomers like Jason Vosler and LaMonte Wade Jr. -- Maria Guardado

Padres: The bullpen stepping up
The Padres’ pitching staff has been solid this season despite the fact that entering play Tuesday night, San Diego pitchers had thrown more innings than any other team in the Major Leagues. That’s a trend they’d very much like to reverse. Does that mean adding a starter at the Deadline? Or does it mean asking starters like Blake Snell and Chris Paddack to work deeper into games?

Ultimately, it might mean both. The Padres will scour the trade market for starting pitching. But they’ve also begun to push arms like Snell, Paddack and Dinelson Lamet a bit deeper. In the meantime, the San Diego bullpen has picked up every bit of the slack. Entering play Tuesday night, its 2.51 ERA was the best relief ERA in baseball.

“We have a great group of guys down there,” said Padres right-hander Austin Adams, who hasn’t allowed an earned run since April 16. “Everyone really understands what they’re good at. Everyone understands what their role is. We’re just really close.” -- AJ Cassavell

Rockies: The oddness of a team playing opposite its tradition
The 2021 Rockies generally pitch, and often struggle to hit. But that has taken a new twist. In the beginning of the season, the bullpen was a major part of the problem. Lately, much like the 2017 and 2018 teams that qualified for the postseason, manager Bud Black has found a set of relievers to ride in close games.

In 13 games since May 5, closer Daniel Bard has a 0.56 ERA, a .196 batting average against and 24 strikeouts to six walks. Setup man Carlos Estévez has 13 strikeouts and no walks in 11 1/3 innings since April 15 (he missed four weeks with a finger injury in May). Mychal Givens has posted a .226 average against in 10 games since May 12. Tyler Kinley has a .139 average against in 11 games since May 15. If the team were in a pennant race, the Rockies would need more. Now they have to decide which, if any, of the hot relievers make good trade pieces to build for the future. -- Thomas Harding