The NL West

The NL West has a reputation for being one of the more competetive divisions year in and year out and this season is no exception; except for the fact that only one team has a record above .500, and that team had just come off of a 8 game losing streak, during which no one gained a large amount of ground. So now I'm going to analyze all the teams contending in this division (basically everyone but the Rockies) and talk about their chances of winning it.


1. Padres (51-50, .505): The Padres are 30-19 at home, and practically the polar opposite on the road, going 21-31. On top of their sub-par road record, they've suffered through injuries to important everyday players.

Key Injuries to the Padres:

• Coming off of a stellar rookie campaign, shortstop Khalil Greene has been injured for a good part of the season.
• After a career year last season, second-baseman Mark Loretta went down with an injury early and although he's back now, the Padres suffered greatly without him.
• Catcher Ramon Hernandez was having a fine year offensively; that is until he made a trip to the DL, where he currently is now. Hernandez is a team leader, and handles the pitching staff well, so not having that sort of presence behind the plate --oh and his 18 home runs are nice to have too-- has severely hurt the Friars.
• Starting pitcher Adam Eaton was finally starting to live up to his potential, going 9-2 with a 3.42 ERA, until he hurt his finger, and now he could be out for the season. This comes as a huge blow to the Padres, who currently are doing bad enough as it is.

What Needs to Happen for Them to Contend: The Padres took a blow when Nevin nixed the trade that would have brought starting pitcher Sidney Ponson over. The Pads need a quality starting pitcher right now. When healthy, they are a very good team with a solid starting rotation and bullpen, and a good offense. For them to win this division they need to acquire a starting pitcher to replace Eaton, and they need Ramon Hernandez back.


2. Diamondbacks (49-54, .476):The D-Backs problems haven't laid in an abundance of injuries, with their team staying relatively healthy. Their main issue is their underachieving pitching staff. They thought they were set before the season began, with Javier Vazquez and Russ Ortiz topping their rotation, but Ortiz has been terrible, and is currently in the DL, while Vazquez has proved to everyone that he really is just an average pitcher with good stuff, and that his underachieving in New York wasn't because of the pressure of being a Yankee. Their bullpen is a mess, with no closer presence at the end of a game, and no quality middle relief to speak of. The only thing that's kept them afloat up until now is their offense.

Diamondbacks Pitching Staff: How it ranks in the National League

• 4th to Last in ERA (13th): 4.73
• 4th in Home Runs Surrendered: 119
• 5th in Hit Batsmen: 39
• 3rd in Highest Opponents Batting Average: .282
• 2nd in Hits Surrendered: 1020
• 3rd in Runs Allowed: 537

What Needs to Happen for Them to Contend: The Diamondbacks pitching staff is a train wreck, so it'll take more than a simple trade to fix their staff. For them to contend, their starting pitchers need to stop underachieving. They all have qualifty stuff, and have the potential to shut down teams on a regular basis but their bullpen needs to improve. At the deadline they need to get a quality relief pitcher.


3. Dodgers (46-55, .455): Nothing has gone right for the Boys in Blue this season. There have been injuries to key players, and a terrible starting rotation. So, basically their a combination of the the D-Backs and Padres problems in one package.

Overall Issues With the Dodgers:

• Season-ending injury to All-Star closer, Eric Gagne. His replacement closer, Yhency Brazoban, has an ERA of 5.66 and 4 blown saves.
• The Dodgers have only 2 starters with 20 or more games started, due to various injuries and inconsistent performances
• Injury to power-hitting outfielder, J.D. Drew. Signing Drew is always a liability, as he has only 2 injury-free seasons in his career. He had 15 homers when he went down, so the Dodgers lost a big part of their offense when he went down
• Injury to outfielder Milton Bradley. Bradley was having a career year before he went to the DL. He recently returned from the disabled list, but not having him in the lineup for a good 2 months hurt the Dodgers

What Needs to Happen for Them to Contend: The Dodgers aren't exactly a terrible team with lots of problems, rather they're a good team with 3-4 very serious problems. Their GM Paul De Podesta seems to have a knack for making big trades, so expect some fireworks on the trade front at the deadline. They need to straighten out their starting staff, but their bullpen is pretty solid, even without Gagne finishing games. Brazoban has the potential to be a dominating closer, but right now getting tossed to the lions right out of the minor leagues isn't a good way to develop him as a pitcher. They could try out Duaner Sanchez in the closer roll for a while Brazoban straightens himself out.


4. Giants (43-57, .430): The Giants have had a myriad of problems this season. The issue hasn't been lots of injuries to a few roll-players; instead its been one injury to one huge presence in the lineup. The Giants as a team are 3rd in the NL in batting average, but have had issues getting runners in lately. They set the table like no other, but then can't bring runners in clutch situations. In past seasons they have used the home run to bring runners in, but this year they are in the bottom half of the NL in round-trippers. The Giants have felt the loss of not having Bonds in the lineup this season

What the Giants Lost With the Injury to Barry Bonds

• 53 Win Shares
• 45 Home Runs *Projected Giants Leader: Feliz, 21
  
• .609 On Base-Percentage *Projected Giants Leader: Alou, .376
• 101 RBI's *Projected Giants Leader: Feliz, 90
  
• 129 Runs *Projected Giants Leader: Feliz, 74
  
• .812 Slugging Percentage *Project Giants Leader: Alou, .496
  
• 303 Total Bases *Project Giants Leader: Feliz, 248
  
• 232 Walks *Projected Giants Leader: Alou, 61

What Needs to Happen for Them to Contend: As I've said before, the Giants need another bat in their lineup and a possibly another starting pitcher. The bullpen has been shaky as of late, recording 4 blown saves in the last series against the Cubs, but they have quality arms in the bullpen so expect them to rebound. The X-Factor in the Giants contending for the NL West lies almost entirely on the return of Barry Bonds, assuming he returns this season at all. If the Giants do win the West without Bonds, they will be eaten alive in the playoffs up against a team like the Cardinals without his bat in the lineup. Closer Armando Benitez is supposed to return at some point this season, at earliest in mid-August. Tyler Walker has been an adequate replacement, but his time in the closer role will be up when Benitez comes back. I'm sure I'm not alone in this regard, but I'm still looking forward to a lineup featuring Bonds with Alou batting behind him.


The race in the NL West is going down to the wire and as of now there's no clear cut winner so buckle your seatbelts.


Projected Stats from Baseball Prospectus