NL West Update, And A Blog That Never Was

I thought I had a decent idea when I decided to cover the NL West a couple of months ago. After struggling with trying to find a way to write about baseball like I wrote about college and pro basketball, I thought my idea of covering the one division that I thought would be the best race, and also a race that people on the East Coast really don't pay attention to would be solid. My computer and the Los Angeles Dodgers had other ideas. Said computer caught a virus, going on the 15 day DL which left me unable to start with my idea. Also, the Dodgers went into the tank, and at the time, the Rockies hadn't yet gone on their trademark run yet, making what is now the best divisional race not that exciting. I should have known better, so what follows is a poor attempt to sum up what has happened since then, and who is going to take the division.

I've liked the Giants all season, as I picked them to square off with the Red Sox in the World Series way back in April. Their pitching has carried them, but offensively, they aren't as bad as one would think. If you told me that Pablo Sandoval would struggle as much as he has, and that both Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito would have their share of problems, I would have said that the Rockies and Padres would be in the driver seat. Players like Andres Torres, Matt Cain, and Rookie of the Year favorite Buster Posey have more than made up for the others, and with games against my putrid Cubbies and the DBacks sandwiched in between showdowns with Colorado and San Diego, their schedule breaks nicely for them.

The Padres, much like the Rays two seasons ago, were supposed to have died by now. Like a punch drunk boxer who keeps coming back simply because they don't know any better, San Diego has continued to hang around and have a serious shot at taking either the division or the Wild Card with Teach's Braves continuing to lose. Unsung nobodies like Chris Denorfia have been put into the lineup everyday and have continued to produce. Their bullpen is the best in the game, and Clayton Richard has had a nice year as a number 2/3 behind young stud Mat Latos. Getting Chris Young back will help. They have to play Cincinnati after they finish their series with the Dodgers, making their schedule a little more daunting than San Fran's, plus that last series of the year I mentioned is in the Bay. I still think the Wild Card is a strong possibility for a team that was supposed to be planning golf outings for October by now.

The Rockies, just like the Astros and the A's in the mid 2000's, have become known for their second half Usain Boltesque sprints to the line. This season has been no different, with Carlos Gonzalez and Tulo seemingly going 3-4 with a HR and 3 RBI each day. They've gotten contributions from almost everyone on their roster, as even the ghost of Jason Giambi hit a walk-off homer last week. I don't like their pitching, but they do have decent arms with Jimenez and De La Rosa in the rotation, and Hutson Street and Rafael Betancourt in the pen. They've done it before, and I can see them sneaking in and getting the wild card in the last weekend while the Giants and Padres beat up on each other. They also get 3 games at home against the Giants this weekend, followed by closing it out with the Dodgers at home, and then in St. Louis, where the Cards will have probably packed it in as the Reds will have already clinched. I'm not betting against Colorado.

The Giants will win the division, with Colorado getting the Wild Card on the final day over the Braves. As for whom I'm rooting for in October, and who will win, you'll have to wait a couple of weeks. Guest bloggers Buster Posey, Troy Tulowitzki, and Adrian Gonzalez offer their apologies for not contributing. As a Cubs fan, I can offer you one final quote from them that I've gotten used to: "wait till next year."