LOS ANGELES -- Some had already anointed this the greatest team in franchise history, then watched as it went through one of the worst stretches the club had ever seen.

On Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers put both the good and bad behind them, clinching their fifth consecutive National League West title.

In upending the rival San Francisco Giants 4-2 in a game that better resembled their dynamic days of summer, the Dodgers looked like a group that had the weight of the world lifted from their collective shoulders.

The corks were flying, the fists were bumping and there were hugs, champagne vapors and cigar smoke all around. Yet the work is far from finished.

It won't take long to find out if the Dodgers will return to being more like the team that was 91-36 more than 4 1/2 months into the season, or the one that lost 20-of-26 before Friday's clincher. The Dodgers were coming off a lengthy road trip where they looked moderately improved, but still went 5-5.

"Obviously you have to have a short memory in this game," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Coming from that long road trip, we didn't really play that well, and right now we played a complete game (Friday). The guys got to celebrate in front of the home fans and there is nothing but positive emotions tonight."

Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer and Rich Hill pitched six innings, adding more misery on top of one of the worst seasons in Giants history.

Bellinger hit his 39th homer, setting a record for homers by a National League rookie as the Dodgers snapped a nine-game home losing streak.

"Absolutely man, it's been unbelievable and I'm just trying to enjoy this as much as I can," Bellinger said. "We've been fine. It was a tough stretch but we're having fun right now."

Hill (10-8) allowed one run on five hits with nine strikeouts

Closer Kenley Jansen closed out the victory by striking out Ryder Jones for his 40th save. It is the third time in four seasons Jansen reached at least 40 saves.

With eight games remaining, the Dodgers will now work on securing the best record in the National League and the home-field advantage through a potential National League Championship Series that comes with it. The Dodgers (98-56) hold a six-game lead on the Washington Nationals in the race for the NL's best mark.

Los Angeles owns a two-game lead over the Cleveland Indians for the best record in the majors.

It wasn't that long ago when the Dodgers appeared to be a lock for both the best record in the NL and MLB. So how much doubt crept in when the Dodgers were in the midst of an 11-game losing streak, while dropping 16-of-17 from Aug. 27-Sept. 11?

"From our standpoint, we knew we weren't going to keep up that (losing) pace," general manager Farhan Zaidi said. "Now to go the other end of the pendulum was a little unexpected, but I do think (that losing pace) was unsustainable. ... It's a natural thing that happens. The goal is to really work your way out of it and go into the postseason with some positive momentum."

Fittingly, it was Bellinger who put the Dodgers in the lead for good by homering off Jeff Samardzija (9-15). The blast broke a tie with Wally Berger (1930) and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (1956) for the NL rookie mark.

The only rookies with more home runs than Bellinger both did it in the American League. Mark McGwire had 49 home runs for the Oakland Athletics in 1987 and Aaron Judge has 46 home runs for the New York Yankees this season.

Bellinger is now one home run away from becoming just the third player in major league history to hit 40 home runs in his age-21 season or younger.

"There was a tone that (Hill) set tonight, that kind of intensity, and obviously Cody hit a homer," Roberts said. "There was the bullpen in between and Kenley with the baseball recording that last out. It was the way it was supposed to be."

The Giants took a 1-0 lead three batters into the game on a RBI single by Buster Posey.

The Dodgers tied the game on Hill's RBI double in the third.

It was just the fourth hit for Hill in 41 at-bats this season to that point. It was just his 18th career hit (167 at-bats) and only his fourth extra-base hit going back to 2005. Hill's RBI hit came three batters before Bellinger's latest homer.

Samardzija gave up four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings and Pablo Sandoval homered in the ninth before Jansen secured the game for Los Angeles.

"It was going to happen; the odds were with them," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It would be different if we were in it and we got knocked out. That's when it's tough. With our situation, we knew what we were facing here."

NOTES: Dodgers 3B Justin Turner (right thumb, stomach virus) was not in the starting lineup. Turner was hit by a pitch Thursday, as well as stomach virus. ... Dodgers SS Corey Seager returned to the starting lineup Friday after missing Thursday's game with a sore left ankle. ... The Dodgers activated RHP Brandon McCarthy (blisters) from the 60-day disabled list. ... The Giants placed RHP Pierce Johnson on the active roster, two days after claiming him off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. ... Giants RHP Jeff Samardzija reached 200 innings pitched for the fifth consecutive season.