NL West Report: Giants running away with division

The San Francisco Giants have taken a 7.5 game lead in the NL West and have baseball's best record through 65 games, thanks to strong pitching and timely hitting. San Francisco went 19-9 in May and is 6-3 so far in June, moving their overall record to 42-23.

The catalyst behind the Giants surge has inexplicably been 38-year-old Tim Hudson, who has a 1.97 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in his first starts. By methods I can only attribute to sorcery, he has walked just 11 batters in 82 1/3 innings and has stranded more than 81 percent of runners he has put on base. As for how the rest of the division has fared, here's a look:

Arizona Diamondbacks (29-38, 14 GB)

The Week that Was: The Diamondbacks swept the Rockies in Colorado before returning to Chase Field for a five-game homestand that saw them take two of three from the Braves and split a pair of games with the Astros.

The Week to Come: Arizona now heads out on the road for five games, two at Minute Maid Park in Houston and then three against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The D'Backs then return home to take on the Brewers, the beginning of a nine-game homestand.

Disabled List: 3B Eric Chavez (15-day, knee), LHP Matt Reynolds (15-day, torn UCL), RHP Daniel Hudson (15-day, torn UCL), RHP David Hernandez (60-day, torn UCL), LHP Patrick Corbin (60-day, torn UCL), OF Mark Trumbo (15-day, foot), SS Cliff Pennington (15-day, thumb), CF A.J. Pollock (15-day, hand)

Player of the Week: 1B Paul Goldschmidt
This just in, Paul Goldschmidt is really, really good. In the last week he has hit .400/.531/.880 with three home runs and ten RBIs in 25 at bats. He currently sports a .930 OPS with 13 home runs on the season.

Colorado Rockies (29-35, 12.5 GB)

The Week that Was: The Rockies dropped seven of the first eight games on their current 10-game homestand, suffering a sweep at the hands of Arizona, losing two of three against the Dodgers and  dropping a pair of games to the Braves.

The Week to Come: Colorado has two more games at Coors Field against Atlanta before hitting the road for a six-game trip that will take them  to San Francisco and Los Angeles to face the Dodgers.

Disabled List: LHP Brett Anderson (60-day, finger), 3B Nolan Arenado (15-day, finger), RHP Eddie Butler (15-day, shoulder), RHP Tyler Chatwood (60-day, elbow), OF Michael Cuddyer (15-day, shoulder), OF Carlos Gonzalez (15-day, finger), LHP Boone Logan (15-day, elbow), RHP Jordan Lyles (15-day, hand)

Player of the Week: SS Troy Tulowitzki
Through all of the Rockies struggles and injuries, Tulowitzki has been the bright spot. In the past week, he has hit .321 in 28 at bats with a pair of home runs and a pair of doubles. Tulowitzki is hitting .349 with an 1.108 OPS so far in 2014.

Los Angeles Dodgers (35-31, 7.5 GB)

The Week that Was: The Dodgers dropped two of three to the White Sox at home before hitting the road for a seven-game trip. They started by taking two of three from the Rockies before moving on to Cincinnati, winning a pair of games against the Reds.

The Week to Come: The Dodgers close their road trip with two more in Cincinnati before returning to Dodger Stadium for a six-game homestand, starting with three against Arizona and concluding with a trio of games against Colorado.

Disabled List: RHP Chad Billingsley (15-day, torn UCL), OF Carl Crawford (15-day, ankle), LHP Scott Elbert (60-day, torn UCL), C A.J. Ellis (15-day, ankle), 3B Juan Uribe (15-day, hamstring), RHP Chris Withrow (60-day, torn UCL)

Player of the Week: 2B Dee Gordon
Gordon was 7-for-16 in five games this week with a pair of doubles, triples and stolen bases to his credit as well. Gordon has been much improved offensively this season with a .728 OPS and leads the league with 36 stolen bases.

San Diego Padres (28-36, 13.5 GB)

The Week that Was: San Diego lost four of six on its homestand this week, taking just a single game from the Pirates and Nationals at Petco Park. They then traveled cross-country to take on the Phillies, dropping the first game of the series at Citizens Bank Park.

The Week to Come: The Padres have two more games against the Phillies before continuing their road trip with the Mets in New York and a pair of interleague contests in Seattle against the Mariners.

Disabled List: LHP Robbie Erlin (15-day, elbow), 2B Jedd Gyorko (15-day, foot), RHP Josh Johnson (15-day, forearm), RHP Casey Kelly (15-day, torn UCL), LHP Cory Luebke (60-day, torn UCL), RHP Joe Wieland (15-day, elbow)

Player of the Week: RHP Andrew Cashner
The Padres' ace returned from the disabled list to toss six shutout innings against the Nationals, allowing just a pair of hits and a walk while striking out five in a 4-3 win for San Diego. He dropped his ERA to 2.13 on the season in 63 1/3 innings.

San Francisco Giants (42-23, 0 GB)

The Week that Was: The Giants took two of three from the Reds at Great American Ballpark before returning home and sweeping a three-game series against the Mets. However, the Nationals have taken the first two games from San Francisco at AT&T Park.

The Week to Come: San Francisco has two more games against the Nationals before closing their homestand with a three-game set against the Rockies. They will then travel to the south side of Chicago for a pair of games against the White Sox.

Disabled List: 1B Brandon Belt (15-day, thumb), RHP Santiago Casilla (15-day, hamstring), 2B Marco Scutaro (60-day, back)

Player of the Week: SS Brandon Crawford
Crawford went 9-for-20 in six games this week with a trio of extra-base hits, a double, a triple and a home run. He also drove in seven and scored five times. The much-improved Crawford has posted a .778 OPS this season and has emerged as a key component of the Giants offense.