Gavin Lux’s sizzling bat has helped Dodgers stay atop NL West

LOS ANGELES — The home run wasn’t a thing of beauty and was hardly a difference-maker, but it definitely marked the start of a trend.

Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux reached out for a four-seam fastball from Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola on July 11 and lifted an opposite-field fly ball that slid just inside the left field foul pole and barely cleared the fence.

Lux came into that game batting ninth and lugging a .207 batting average, and his third homer of the season...