NL West

By Dr. Jekyll,

NL West

The most exciting division in baseball, as opposed to a few years back when they toiled in mediocrity, now all teams are equally viable as top tier clubs. Top to bottom this is a good division, with only the bottom team really missing any truly noticeable pieces.

San Diego Padres: If anyone you know says they had the Padres making the playoffs, they lied. Really, no one saw this coming. As I write this I’m waiting for them to fall out of the top spot. And I still think they will by the end of the year. But that’s how you get the “us against the world” mentality that breeds Cinderella stories like this. Adrian Gonzalez deserves this team. This rotation of journeymen and young guns deserves the success. But the feel good story can’t go on, right?

San Francisco Giants: Matt Cain. Tim Lincecum. Barry Zito being a respectable number three. Aubrey Huff turning it on back like he used to with the Rays. And all this success with Kung Fu Panda slumping. The Giants are doing all they can to keep in this race, and they’ll probably be able to grab a playoff spot, be it in a wildcard showdown with their own division and the folks out east or a final over the hump push to the division crown.

Los Angeles Dodgers: This was a power hitting lineup that short circuited. Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsly need to stay strong to make the necessary run at the playoffs. This powerful outfield has been struggling a tremendous amount, and injuries to Manny Ramirez certainly don’t help that cause. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and James Loney are as solid a middle as anywhere in the league. If the pitching can stay strong til Manny gets back, they’ll make a nice playoff run.

Colorado Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez was all-time good. Like, absolute incredible for-the-ages good. And then the all-star break happened. The early year Dark Horse Cy Young emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball. But that sort of dominance, with modern day players and scouting reports, isn’t going to last a season. The Rockies are a slightly above average team with a great foundation to remain competitive over many seasons. But with the Dodgers doing so well while struggling and the unbelievable year in San Diego, Colorado looks like tough luck losers. Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Stewart are both young foundation players who will be the envy of the league a few years from now, but just not this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks: This pitching staff has the worst ERA in the bigs, and nowhere near the offense to make up for that. Dontrelle Willis proved he’s still a bust after that one year in Florida, the bullpen blows leads like they’re paid by the earned run, and Dan Haren has had a year to forget. Apart from using for former member of Oakland's "big 3" as trade bait, the desert is out of good story lines until football season.

Rounding the bases

By Dr. Jekyll,

A weekly feature on the good, the bad, and the ugly happening around the diamond.

Single: Ichiro Suzuki is the most overlooked future hall of famer in major league baseball. The most consistent hitter of our generation is once again doing just fine, thank you for noticing. He currently sports the 4^th highest batting average in baseball and leads the league in hits. Just another day at the ballpark for Ichiro.

Double: A double is what you expect off the bat of a power hitter. Consistent, nothing special, but you’re just where you thought you would be. Your 2010 Philadelphia Phillies, baseballs most average great team. They give you nothing special, and they’re a no-nonsense club that just comes in every day and delivers. No glaring holes, just great talent. This team has nothing to write about, other than run of the mill dominance. Like the late ‘90’s Yankees, this is a phenomenal club.

Triple: As in triple play. Like the one started by the New York Mets Angel Pagan (take a minute and soak in how great a name that is) against the Nationals and Livan Hernandez. Not only did he start the triple play, he also homered in the game. But his unconventional inside the park round-tripper made him the first big leaguer since 1955 to accomplish both feats in the same game. It’s nice to see someone on that team still showing up.

Home Run: The San Diego Padres were no ones pick to do well this year. With a lineup with no feared hitter besides Adrian Gonzalez, they looked like they’d be lucky to finish any higher than 3^rd in the NL West. But behind their absolute dominance of the Giants, the Pads are just a half game shy of the best record in the entire league. They’re doing all of this despite hitting an abysmal .240 as a team, thanks to their out-of-this-world 2.74 team ERA. The chances of keeping up that kind of a stat line are slim, but for now, the Padres are putting together an impressive run heading into the summer.

Strikin’ them out: Looks like Justin Verlander has gotten himself back on track in a hurry, putting together back to back wins against the Yankees and A’s, including 4-hitting the Athletics in a complete game against last week’s talk of the down Dallas Braden. The Tigers will need Verlander to keep this up if they’re going to stick with the Twins again in the AL Central.

Popping Up: Closers everywhere. Specifically, three of the biggest names in the game with Jonathan Papelbon, Mariano Rivera, and Trevor Hoffman all struggling tremendously. First an uncharacteristic grand slam given up by the Sandman himself, then Papelbon giving up four runs of his own to the tune of two two-run homers. Then Mo coming back the next night and blowing it. Meanwhile, the formerly ageless wonder Trevor Hoffman has now allowed more runs this season than he did all of last year. Yikes.

Caught Looking: Me. At Theo Epstein at a Pearl Jam show. Why worry about your .500 ballclub when you can rock out? I kid. Only a little.