Posted by QuickReadAbout.com Staff in There’s been quite a shakeup in the NL West over the past month, as a couple of teams have caught fire and others have really suffered. The Rockies were in first place just a month ago, and now they’re looking up at the rest of the division. Although the teams are still relatively close to each other in the standings, we could be seeing form taking hold.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Currently:
The Diamondbacks have taken the lead in the NL West due to their strong month, posting a 17-9 record in the last 30 days. The team’s offense continues to produce runs, and their pitching staff is having a good year as well, boasting a team ERA under 4.00
Outlook:
The Diamondbacks have the tools – powerful offense, strong pitching and stingy defense. If they can maintain their consistency, they could emerge as the team to beat in the division.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Currently:
No team in baseball was hotter than the Dodgers over the past 30 days, as the team has gone 20-9 in its past 29 games. This includes two winning streaks of five and seven games. The Dodgers have done it with all the right ingredients – timely and consistent hitting and strong pitching and defense. The Dodgers are on a roll, and they could keep it that way if their stars continue to produce.
Outlook:
The team appears to have all the ingredients, and recently got a potentially enormous boost with the return of Eric Gagne, one of the best closers of his era when he’s healthy. If he rounds into form, look out – this team could challenge for the World Series.
San Diego Padres
Currently:
The Padres started to put it together last month, as they won 13 of their first 14 games to open May. Overall, they’ve won 2/3 of their games since May 1st, and although they’re still in third place, they are keeping pace with the surging Diamondbacks and Dodgers. The Padres have done it in every possible way, winning slugfests and pitchers’ duels along the way. Khalil Greene and Brian Giles are off to great starts this season, and Trevor Hoffman has been his nearly-untouchable self.
Outlook:
The Padres are winning with a relatively young team, and if Giles and Greene keep up their pace, this team will be in the thick of things come October.
San Francisco Giants
Currently:
Although the Giants were barely over .500 in the past month, they did manage to rid themselves of a major distraction when Barry Bonds finally hit his 715th career home run. Finally, the Giants can just relax and play baseball. They’re still well within striking distance, and Omar Vizquel has a chance for a career offensive season.
Outlook:
The team’s pitching needs to come around, even with Jason Schmidt having a strong year. If the Giants can get hot, they could sneak up on the teams in front of them in the standings.
Colorado Rockies
Currently:
The bottom has fallen out a bit on the Rockies, who have plummeted from first to last place inside of a month. Going 11-17 overall in the past month has been bad enough, but the Rockies also suffered through a streak where they lost 5 of 6 games and are currently mired in a 6-game losing streak. If there’s one common denominator that’s responsible for their fall, it’s their pitching, which has been pounded of late.
Outlook:
If Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe can stay hot, and their pitching staff can get it together, the Rockies can climb back into the race. They need to do it soon, however, or they’ll never catch up to the hot teams above them in the standings.