NL West Report: It's time for a break

It was a mediocre week for every team in the NL West as the first-half is officially over and the All-Star Break is about to begin.

TEAM RECAP:

Diamondbacks (3-3 this week): Arizona won its first game of the week 9-1 over Miami before dropping game two by a score of 2-1. But the Diamondbacks didn’t let the loss hurt them as they won the finale 4-3 the next day. Arizona then had Thursday off before it lost the first game of a three-game stretch against San Francisco. The Diamondbacks won the second game of the series the next day before losing the finale.

Padres (2-5): San Diego started off its week with a 6-1 over Colorado before dropping the second game in Denver 2-1. The Padres then lost the finale of the three-game series on Wednesday before dropping the first of a four-game series with the Dodgers on Thursday. But San Diego bounced back and won game two before losing the final two games 1-0.

Rockies (3-3): Colorado lost its first game of the week 6-1 to San Diego before bouncing back and winning the final two games of its three-game series. The Rockies had Thursday off before winning the first contest of a three-game series against the Twins at home. But Colorado lost the next two games and entered the All-Star Break on a two game losing streak.

Giants (3-4): San Francisco’s week started off with a 5-0 loss to cross-town rival Oakland. The Giants didn’t fair well against the Athletics and lost two of the final three games of their four-game series. San Fran then hosted Arizona and won the first game 5-0 before dropping the second game 2-0. But the Giants managed to enter the break on a high note and won the finale.

Dodgers (3-3): Los Angeles had Monday off before a miserable game in Detroit. The Dodgers took a 5-0 lead over the Tigers before the defending AL-Central champions scored 14 unanswered runs to win 14-5. LA lost the next night as well and left Detroit for home after getting swept in a two-game series. The Dodgers hosted the Padres for a four-game series and won game one before dropping game two. But the Boys in Blue faired well in the final two games and won both of them by a score of 1-0.

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR THESE TEAMS NEXT WEEK:

Diamondbacks: Three games at home against the Cubs.

Padres: Three games at home against the Mets

Rockies: Three games on the road against the Pirates

Giants: Three games on the road against the Marlins

Dodgers: Three games on the road against the Cardinals

OVERALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Rockies' outfielder Charlie Blackmon. The All-Star finished Colorado's six games this week with a triple slash line of .500/.500/.792. Over the six, he hit two homers and knocked in five runs. The only bad parts of his week were his seven strikeouts in his 24 at-bats.

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:

Dodgers' starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw. The lefty ended his scoreless inning streak on Thursday July 10 against the Padres, but still managed to dominate San Diego's lineup. Kershaw pitched a complete game and won 2-1. He gave up one run on a Chase Headley homer that ended his streak. The lefty gave up three hits, walked one, and struck out 11.

BEST TEAM OF THE WEEK:

The Los Angeles Dodgers. LA, Arizona, and Colorado all finished at 3-3 this week while San Diego and San Francisco were under .500 this week. The only real reason why the Dodgers won it over the Diamondbacks and the Rockies is because the boys in blue ended the week with a one-game lead over the Giants in the division race. Los Angeles also finished the week with two strong back-to-back pitching performances as it beat San Diego 1-0 in back-to-back games.

WORST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:

Dodgers' starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. The lefty didn't do well against the Tigers on Tuesday July 8th. Ryu lasted just two and a third innings as he gave up seven runs (all earned) on ten hits. The Dodgers ultimately lost that game 14-5 after taking a 5-0 lead in the top of the first.