Welcome back for the second edition of the NL West Report, where we take a look at the teams that have the privilege of sharing a division with the honorable Colorado Rockies.
The first two weeks of the season have provided a healthy amount of inter-division play with each team having played at least two series against NL West foes. In their two series inside the division the Rockies went an even 3-3 with quality series victory over the Dodgers and an surprising (not the good kind) series loss to the Padres. The Rockies will look to continue in their winning ways after taking game one of a four game set from the Giants last night.
The Padres this week: 4-2
Last week we declared how Padres probably wouldn’t be very good this year, so they decided to prove us wrong and take series victories from both the Giants and Rockies. After getting blasted in his opening day start Jhoulys Chacin, friend of blog, faced off against Madison Bumgarner in a pitchers duel and you’re not going to believe this but the Padres won. Chacin went 6 2⁄3 innings while scattering three hits, issuing one walk and striking out five. After spoiling the Giants home opening series, the Padres and baffled the Rockies hitters at Coors Field. Over a three game stretch (that included starts from Jared Weaver, Jarred Cosart and Zach Lee) they only gave five runs and fifteen hits. The lion share of the offense came by way of Wil Myers, who hit for the cycle in their 5-3 victory.
It’s highly unlikely that they’ll be able to continue overachieving but for now they can enjoy hovering around .500.
The Dodgers this week: 2-4
The Dodgers hit the road this last week and have had some trouble getting their offense going. Outside of a ten run outburst against the Rockies (which resulted in their only win of the series) the Dodgers haven’t scored more than two runs in any of their game this last week. In their three game set against the Cubs there were only able to steal one game thanks to six shutout innings from Brandon McCarthy and a home run from Andrew Toles. The Dodgers must have been distracted by the size of the World Series rings that were handed out the Cubs players on Wednesday.
The Diamondbacks this week: 4-2
The Diamondbacks had the good fortune of starting off the season with seven straight home games and they sure took advantage. After starting the season by taking three of four from the Giants, they swept the reigning American League champion Cleveland Indians. In the series Arizona got a decent performance out of their starters in Shelby Miller, Zach Greinke and Tyler Corbin, with each going at least five innings and giving up less than three runs. These performances are almost as impressive as Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela who went seven strong innings. They got a lot of help from the offense, specifically third baseman Jake Lamb who has started off the year strong hitting an impressive slash line of .342/.419/.632.
After the sweep of the Indians, the Diamondbacks hit the road for the first time and lost two out of three to the Giants.
The Giants this week: 3-4
It doesn’t matter if it’s just the second week into the season, it’s always good to see the Giants of San Francisco in last place. Even more delightful is the fact that ace Madison Bumgarner is 0-2 on the year, despite providing some of his own offense and sporting a decent 3.43 ERA. The Giants were able to bounce back from a 2-5 start to win two or three from the Diamondbacks but they feel in their series opener against the handsome Colorado Rockies, 3-1.
Standings as of 5/5
Team | Record | GB | Run diff |
---|---|---|---|
Team | Record | GB | Run diff |
Rockies | 18-11 | -- | -1 |
Diamondbacks | 17-13 | 1.5 | 29 |
Dodgers | 15-14 | 3 | 24 |
Padres | 12-18 | 6.5 | -36 |
Giants | 11-18 | 7 | -37 |
The week ahead
In week three we’ll be seeing more inter-division play. After finishing their four game series against the Rockies, the Giants will hit the road for a quick two game set against the Kansas City Royals followed by a three game series in Denver. The Diamondbacks will be making a swing through southern California, starting with four games against the Dodgers followed by a series with the Padres. The Dodgers will play host to the Diamondbacks, play two against the Rockies in LA and then play three more in Arizona. The Padres will have the privilege of breaking in brand-new Sun Trust Park in Atlanta, where they will play four games against the Braves.