With the Dodgers playing as bad as they are right now, having lost five straight, I wanted to write about a team that has won a game in the not-so-distant past. Thus, here is a quick look around the National League West, through games of Saturday, April 16.
Colorado Rockies (11-3)
The good news is that the Rockies showed they were human by losing to the Cubs on Saturday, 8-3. The bad news is that they had won seven straight and 11 of 12 prior to that loss. Two things stand out with Colorado so far:
- Troy Tulowitzki kept his September hot streak going, and has seven home runs in the early going. Dating back to last September 3, Tulo is hitting .321/.402/.812 with 22 home runs, 52 RBI, and 41 runs in 42 games. Unreal.
- Ubaldo Jimenez has made just one start this season, and has a 7.50 ERA. The rest of the starters have combined to go 9-1 with a 3.03 ERA in 13 starts, averaging 6.15 innings per outing. That will get it done.
The latest on Purple Row: Jimenez is due back in a few days, but starting pitcher Alan Johnson will make his major league debut today.
San Francisco Giants (8-6)
After Clayton Kershaw beat the Giants 6-1 on Monday, the Giants have won four straight, to become the only other team in the division over .500. After three straight one-run wins, the Giants changed it up and beat Arizona by two on Saturday night, picking up a 5-3 win at Chase Field.
The latest on McCovey Chronicles: The Giants hit into five double plays Saturday night, yet still won. Grant examines the new inefficiency:
The rallying cry of the baseball nerd of the '90s and '00s: get on base! It's the on-base percentage, stupid.
After a game like tonight's: just swing for the fences every time up; don't work a walk because you'll just be wiped out on a double play.
San Diego Padres (6-8)
The Padres have lost seven of their last 10, including dropping two of three to the Dodgers, Cincinnati, and Houston. San Diego finishes its four-game series against the Astros today before continuing their road trip at Wrigley Field on Monday.
Recently on Gaslamp Ball: Tony Gwynn Sr. has taken to selling a bunch of his memorabilia on eBay.
Arizona Diamondbacks (5-8)
Arizona has lost three straight and five of seven. They had the misfortune of playing the murderer's row Cardinals lineup right before the Dodgers did. The D-Backs have scored 5.3 runs per game, fifth in the NL and second in the division to Colorado, but their bullpen is showing signs of last season, last in the NL with a 5.36 ERA. The problem is that D-Backs' starters have also struggled mightily, with a 5.95 ERA.
The latest on AZ Snake Pit: Remember those five double plays the Giants hit into Saturday night? Those were against Arizona, a franchise record for DPs turned by the Diamondbacks.