DENVER -- On Monday, Fernando Tatis Jr. ran across the outfield at Coors Field, making it a priority to greet Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who slotted Tatis in as his leadoff hitter in the All-Star Game. Shortly after, Manny Machado ran over to talk to both Roberts and Tatis.

The trio talked about the first half of the season, particularly about the tight three-team race in the National League West between the Dodgers, Padres and Giants. It’s the best division race in baseball, one that features three of the most talented teams in the league.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun down the stretch, dude,” Roberts said. “It’s been great baseball. That’s the great thing. Every game, every series is important. That’s making you better, it’s making me better, it’s making everybody better.”

The Dodgers and Padres were expected to be in the middle of a division race. Los Angeles is the reigning World Series champion and has held a tight grip on the division over the last eight seasons. San Diego, on the other hand, made all the necessary moves over the offseason to try and dethrone the Dodgers.

Every series between the Dodgers and Padres has been must-watch television. During Spring Training, Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner said that playing the Padres would be like “playing 19 World Series games.”

But amidst all the Padres and Dodgers talk, it’s the Giants who quietly sit atop the NL West standings, holding a two-game lead over the Dodgers and a six-game lead over the Padres. San Francisco has the best record in the Majors (57-32) at the break and was one of the best first-half stories this season.

“I think we knew it would be competitive with the teams in our league,” said Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. “The Dodgers and Padres are two of the top teams in baseball. I would be lying if I said that I thought we would have the best record in baseball at the All-Star break, but we’ve played good baseball.”

The Giants have certainly played good baseball and it starts with their pitching staff. Kevin Gausman was named a first-time All-Star after a super first half, posting a 1.73 ERA in 18 starts. He’s a legitimate Cy Young Award contender after signing a one-year deal this offseason. Anthony DeSclafani is also having a career year.

Their ability to prevent runs, plus bounce-back seasons from Buster Posey, Evan Longoria and Crawford, have made the Giants legit contenders to win their first division crown since 2012.

“Really good pitching and timely hitting seems to be the key for them,” said Padres utility man Jake Cronenworth. “Credit to them, they’ve been doing a great job this season. I don’t know what their secret formula is, but whatever it is, I think some other teams want it.”

Seeing the Giants atop the division is certainly a surprise, but seeing the Dodgers chasing a team in the NL West this deep into the season might be equally as big of one.

At the start of the season, there was discussion about the ‘21 Dodgers being one of the best teams in recent memory. They added a reigning Cy Young Award winner to a core that was fresh off a World Series run.

But so far this season, the Dodgers have dealt with a lot of injuries and haven’t had their full squad on the field for more than a handful of games. Corey Seager has missed two months with a fractured hand; Cody Bellinger missed two months with multiple injuries; and Dustin May is done for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Clayton Kershaw is dealing with a forearm issue that landed him on the IL right before the break. There’s also uncertainty surrounding Trevor Bauer, who remains on administrative leave as Major League Baseball investigates sexual assault claims made against him.

Yet despite all of that adversity, the Dodgers own the second-best record in baseball and are well within striking distance in the division.

“We haven’t played anywhere near our full potential,” said Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy. “I think once we get guys back healthy and start playing our game, we’re going to take off and get some distance between some teams.”

Like the Dodgers and Giants, the Padres also feel like their best baseball is ahead of them. A shaky end to the first half has the Padres six games out in the division, but they also battled their fair share of injuries in the first half with Tatis -- and now Yu Darvish -- being the most notable.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I think it’s just keep playing our game,” Cronenworth said. “Those other two teams are really good, and we’ve played some really good games against them so far.”

Those in the race believe head-to-head matchups will ultimately decide who wins the division. San Francisco and San Diego won’t play each other until September, but they will meet seven times over the last three weeks of the season, including a three-game set at Oracle Park to finish the year.

The Giants and Dodgers play seven times in July before wrapping up their season series with a three-game set at Oracle Park in September. Los Angeles and San Diego continue their heated battles with nine games in the second half, including six in September.

“We always have teams that played us tough and this year with the Padres making all the moves they made, I think it’s good for baseball and the Giants being good is good for baseball,” Turner said. “It’s going to make for a fun last couple of months of the season.”