NL West Report: San Francisco Giants pitcher Chris Heston threw the first no-hitter of the season

Whatever the San Francisco Giants do with their pitchers, it seems to be working. When starters Matt Cain and Jake Peavy landed on the disabled list earlier this season, the club turned to 27-year old rookie Chris Heston to be a key member of the rotation. Heston, who was drafted in the 12th round out of East Carolina University in 2009, had decent minor league numbers in his career, but they were certainly nothing to write home about. It appeared that the Giants rotation was going to be in at least some trouble. Instead, Heston has given the club exactly what they needed, culminating in his no-hitter on June 9 against the New York Mets.

As all no-hitters are, Heston's performance on that day was outstanding. On the season, he now has a 3.77 ERA across 12 starts that have encompassed 74 innings, and his peripherals are even better. He has struck out 8.03 batters per nine innings and walked just 2.19 and holds a 3.31 FIP, 3.20 xFIP, and 3.19 SIERA, so we could see Heston get even better moving forward.

As a 12th round pick who was never highly touted, having this kind of success in the big leagues is a testament to both Heston's work ethic as well as the Giants development system. No matter how much of it was or was not aided by luck, franchises that win three championships in five years can't do so without consistently developing good players to put on the field. Heston is just the latest in a long line of Giants players who have been able to step in and be successful at just the place their team needed them. Now, let's take a look at the rest of the NL West this week.

Arizona Diamondbacks (27-32, 7½ GB)

The week that was: Arizona split four games on the road against the Mets, then headed across the country and were swept in three games by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Upcoming schedule: The Diamondbacks will stay in California this week, playing three in San Francisco against the Giants and four against the Los Angeles Angels. The first two against the Angels are on the road, the second two are at home.

Disabled list: RHP Bronson Arroyo (60-day, Tommy John surgery), RHP Archie Bradley (15-day, shoulder), RHP Enrique Burgos (15-day, shoulder), LHP Patrick Corbin (60-day, Tommy John surgery), C Tuffy Gosewisch (15-day, torn ACL), C Oscar Hernandez (15-day, hand), C Gerald Laird (60-day, back), RHP Matthew Stites (15-day, arm soreness)

Player of the week: Paul Goldschmidt

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Goldschmidt is once again the player of the week as he continues to rake. This week it was to the tune of .348/.464/.652 in 28 PA, a 190 wRC+. He also hit two more home runs and even stole a base.

Colorado Rockies (27-31, 7 GB)

The week that was: The Rockies split six at home this week, dropping two of three against the Miami Marlins before winning two of three against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Upcoming schedule: Up next, the Rockies head out on a six-game road trip. They'll play four more against the Marlins, then take on the Houston Astros for four more. The first two games of the series will be played in Houston, the second two in Colorado.

Disabled list: RHP Tyler Chatwood (60-day, Tommy John surgery), OF Corey Dickerson (15-day, plantar fasciitis), RHP LaTroy Hawkins (15-day, biceps), RHP Jordan Lyles (15-day, toe surgery), 1B Justin Morneau (15-day, concussion), RHP Adam Ottavino (60-day, Tommy John surgery), LHP Ken Roberts (15-day, elbow)

Player of the week: Carlos Gonzalez

After a very slow start, Gonzalez's bat is starting to come alive. This week, he hit .435/.462/.783 with two doubles and two home runs in 26 PA, a 216 wRC+.

Los Angeles Dodgers (35-25, 0 GB)

The week that was: The Dodgers just managed to hang on to their division lead this week. They dropped three out of four at hone against the Cardinals, then hosted the Diamondbacks for what would be a three-game sweep.

Upcoming schedule: Los Angeles now heads to San Diego for a three game set with the Padres, then plays four with the Texas Rangers. The first two are in Texas, the second two are in Los Angeles.

Disabled list: RHP Pedro Baez (15-day, pectoral strain), RHP Brandon Beachy (60-day, Tommy John surgery), OF Carl Crawford (60-day, oblique), RHP Brandon League (60-day, shoulder), RHP Brandon McCarthy (60-day, Tommy John surgery), RHP Joel Peralta (15-day, neck), LHP Paco Rodriguez (15-day, elbow), OF Scott Van Slyke (15-day, back)

Player of the week: Clayton Kershaw

The reigning NL MVP and Cy Young winner was dominant in his lone start of the week against the Cardinals. Kershaw threw eight shutout innings in which he allowed just one hit to go with two walks and 11 strikeouts.

San Diego Padres (30-31, 5½ GB)

The week that was: As they've done all season, the Padres continue to hover around .500.  The club took two of three in Cincinnati against the Reds before heading to Atlanta where they lost two of the first three in a four-game set with the Braves.

Upcoming schedule: Now, the Padres will finish up their series in Atlanta and come home to host the Dodgers for three and the Oakland Athletics for two. After that, they'll travel to Oakland for two more with the A's.

Disabled list: C Tim Federowicz (60-day, back), RHP Josh Johnson (15-day, Tommy John surgery), LHP Cory Luebke (60-day, Tommy John surgery), RHP Brandon Morrow (15-day, shoulder), OF Wil Myers (15-day, wrist)

Player of the week: Yonder Alonso

It was a solid week for Alonso. He had a slash line of .348/.423/.565 in 26 PA, a 178 wRC+. He also added two doubles and a home run as he raised his wRC+ for the season to an impressive 157.

San Francisco Giants (34-26, 1 GB)

The week that was: It was a strong week for the Giants. They took two of three on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies, then won the first two in another three game set on the road against the New York Mets. Oh, there was also a notable pitching performance that you may have heard about.

Upcoming schedule: The Giants finish up their series in New York before coming home to face the Diamondbacks for three game. After that, they, too, have a weird four-game series with two home games and two away games. Theirs is against the Seattle Mariners.

Disabled list: OF Gregor Blanco (7-day, concussion), RHP Matt Cain (15-day, flexor tendon), RHP Jean Machi (15-day, groin), RHP Jake Peavy (15-day, back)

Player of the week: Chris Heston

Want to know a sure fire way to be the player of the week? Throw a no-hitter! There isn't much else that needs to be said here, it was a great week for Heston.