Dodgers are most resilient team around

Say this much about the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Whenever they absolutely needed to win this season, they did.

Did you notice how they finally beat the Colorado Rockies to clinch the NL West after the Rockies came within a game of them? (This, after failing to clinch vs. lowly Pittsburgh or San Diego.)

Or did you notice how that virtually every time the Dodgers were slumping this season and somebody came within a game or two of them, the Dodgers started winning again?

Or how about supposedly being “overmatched” by St. Louis pitchers Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, only to sweep three straight from the Cardinals in the NL Divisional Series?

Now, the Philadelphia Phillies are supposed to beat the Dodgers for the second consecutive year in the NL Championship Series … or are they?

If nothing else, the Dodgers have proven to be the most resilient team around in 2009. They are hard to bet against at this point.

Another thing tough to bet against is the possibility of a Freeway Series matching the Dodgers and Anaheim Angels in the World Series.

“You kind of catch yourself rooting for the Dodgers, and I'm sure the Dodgers are rooting for us,” Torii Hunter of the Angels told the Associated Press. “It'd be kind of awesome to have a Freeway Series.”

There would be an irony in a Freeway Series in that Angels manager Mike Scioscia was the catcher on the last Dodgers team to win a World Series in 1988. Angels coaches Mickey Hatcher and Alfredo Griffin also played for the 1988 Dodgers.

Twenty-one years later, the Dodgers look like they may once again be a team of destiny.

Dodgers don't match up well in playoffs

The Los Angeles Dodgers set an all-time franchise record this season by having 22 different pitchers earn at least one win.

Good news?

Not really.

More than anything, it only confirms the fact that the Dodgers have lots of small pieces on their pitching staff … but no ace.

Never is that more evident than in the pitching match-ups for the first two games of the National League Divisional Series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.

Who would you rather have as your top two pitchers in the playoffs?

Journeyman Randy Wolf, an 11-game winner; and Clayton Kershaw, who finished with a .500 record?

Or Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, both of whom have legitimate cases for winning the NL Cy Young?

About the only thing the Dodgers have going for them in the first round of the playoffs is home field advantage against the Cardinals. But let’s face it: The Dodgers earned home field advantage with wins before the All-Star break; not in September or October.

How else do you explain them losing five of six games to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres down the stretch … when two wins during that time would have clinched the NL West division a lot earlier than Oct. 3?

The Dodgers may have the record to prove they were the best team in the league during the regular season; but that means squat come October.

It looks like a minor miracle … or Randy Wolf turning into a postseason Orel Hershiser … are the best hopes for Los Angeles in postseason 2009.

Colorado Rockies enjoying Rocky Mountain High

Don’t look now, but the Colorado Rockies are making it appear as if it’s 2007 all over again.

You remember those Rockies? The team that won 21 of 22 games to make it to the World Series, only to be swept by the Boston Red Sox?

Well, these Rockies of 2009 are looking like another miracle team.

How many people thought Colorado had a chance when it trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers by 15 ½ games on June 3?

But how many of those people now think the Rockies don’t have a chance as they are only two games behind the Dodgers in the NL West?

The Rockies have certainly made their impression with a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants and last night’s win vs. the Dodgers.

Suddenly, it appears as though they are the best team in a very competitive three-team race in the NL West.

And to think the Dodgers were supposed to be unbeatable after Manny Ramirez returned from his 50-game drug suspension July 3.

Problem is, somebody forgot to tell the suddenly resurgent Rockies!

Los Angeles Dodgers are MLB's best team

How about those Dodgers?

Not only do the Los Angeles Dodgers have MLB’s best record (56-32) at the All-Star break; second-place San Francisco in the NL West leads the wild card chase by two games.

Translated: The Dodgers are nine games in front of the competition for a berth in the 2009 playoffs.

This is a team that can be truly characterized as a “team,” since more than one individual is leading the way.

After all, the Dodgers went 29-21 when Manny Ramirez was on his 50-game drug suspension.

Can you imagine the St. Louis Cardinals going 29-21 without Albert Pujols?

Perhaps the best indication of the Dodgers’ depth is that Juan Pierre – Ramirez’s replacement during his suspension – is the team’s No. 4 outfielder. On any other team in the NL West, Pierre would probably be playing everyday and batting leadoff.

If the Dodgers have a weakness, it is their starting rotation’s inability to go deep into the game (they are second in the league in bullpen innings pitched.)

Chad Billingsley has emerged as the ace and proven to be capable of going 7-8 innings. After him, you rarely get more than 5-6 innings out of Hiroki Kuroda, Randy Wolf or Clayton Kershaw.

The Dodgers would love to get American League All-Star starter Roy Halladay as their ace, but the asking price of Billingsley or Kershaw is too high.

So, General Manager Ned Colletti will likely fill the void by adding a relief pitcher.

How does Manager Joe Torre grade his team at this point?

“Incomplete,” he told the Associated Press after Sunday’s 7-4 win vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. “That's the only thing I can give it at this point because the back half, just like in golf the back nine, is the toughest one to play. We're going to have to go out there and continue to live up to ourselves.”

Don’t be surprised if the Dodgers have a Tiger Woods-like back nine.

San Francisco Giants: Comeback team of the year?

There’s no doubt that Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants should start for the National League in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday in St. Louis.

Not only is Lincecum the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, he also:

Leads the league in winning percentage (.833)
Is tied for the lead in wins (10)
Ranks second in ERA (2.33)

Lincecum and All-Star teammate Main Cain certainly form the league’s best 1-2 duo.

Don’t be surprised if they lead the Giants to the wild card berth (finishing behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.)

After them, San Francisco’s starting rotation isn’t that shabby.

Despite currently being on the DL, Randy Johnson has shown he still has something left at the age of 45.

Barry Zito isn’t worth anything near his $18 million annual contract for each of seven seasons, but he is pitching well enough to be a factor in the Giants’ success again.

These four could provide the Giants with a formidable rotation if/when they make the playoffs.

Considering San Francisco hasn’t finished better over the past four seasons than 75-87 in 2005, it could be called the “comeback team of the year.”

Pitching is best in NL West

You may not have noticed because of the East Coast media bias, but …

Did you see where seven of the 13 National League All-Star pitchers are from the NL West?

Without a doubt, the best overall pitching in MLB resides in the NL West.

For proof, check out the All-Star pitchers from the division:

Heath Bell, San Diego Padres: Leads the NL with 23 saves. Anybody in San Diego still think he can’t replace Trevor Hoffman?

Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers: Among four pitchers tied for second in the league with nine wins.

Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers: Leads all MLB relievers with 65 strikeouts, averaging near 15 strikeouts per nine innings.

Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants: Tied with teammate Tim Lincecum for the NL’s best winning percentage (.818) with a 9-2 record and third in the league in ERA (2.48)

Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks: His 2.16 ERA leads the league; and he’s even 8-5 with an Arizona team that is 25-44 when he doesn’t figure in the decision.

Tim Lincecum, Giants: The 2008 NL Cy Young winner is tied with teammate Cain for best NL winning percentage and is second in ERA (2.23).

Jason Marquis, Colorado Rockies: OK, how many of you actually know that Marquis is tied for the major-league lead with 10 wins?

There’s no question that pitching is best in the NL West.

Manny Being Manny? Dodgers schedule favorable without him

Manny Ramirez’s 50-game suspension brings up an interesting point for teams attempting to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

After the San Francisco Giants play a three-game series this weekend in LA, remaining NL Worst teams won’t be able to beat (or lose) to the Dodgers for quite awhile head-to-head.

The Dodgers have 12 straight games out of the division before a three-game series at Colorado, then it’s four games at the Chicago Cubs before LA comes back home to host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series.

In all, the Dodgers will play only 14 of their 50 games sans Manny vs. the NL West.

So, how’s that for scheduling? (Could be tough on the Dodgers, since they seem to play much better vs. the NL West.)

Even before the Manny situation, the MLB schedule was once again quite bizarre.

After all, the Giants play six games in LA the first five weeks of the season vs. their fierce rivals. In the final 21 weeks, the Giants only come to Dodgers Stadium once again on Sept. 11-13.

In fact, after the teams play Sept. 18-20 in San Francisco, they don’t even meet again during the final two weeks of the season. How’s that for head-to-head competition between arguably the two best teams in the NL West?

Last season, the Dodgers played nine September games against the weak San Diego Padres … winning seven.

Any wonder why the Dodgers won the NL West?

This time, western division teams will still be seeing Manny a vast majority of the time that they play the Dodgers.

And that may not be good for anybody trying to catch the runaway Dodgers without Manny until he returns July 3 in … of all places … San Diego.

Los Angeles Dodgers may be MLB's best team

One month does not a season make; but it sure makes the Los Angeles Dodgers look awfully good.

In fact, could the Dodgers be the best team in MLB right now?

They have already set a team record with a 10-0 start at home ... which is quite impressive considering how impressive the Dodgers have been over the past several decades.

Is there any stopping them?

Certainly not in the weak NL West. By August, the Dodgers should be setting up their playoff pitching rotation.

And that's where things could get interesting.

The Dodgers are off to their great start despite Opening Day starter Hiroki Kuroda being injured since Game 1.

Chad Billingsley, the only five-game winner in the NL, looks like a world beater. And the Dodgers will definitely go get an ace before the trading deadline.

It may not seem like much that the Dodgers just swept four games vs. the lowly San Diego Padres. But consider it was the first time LA ever swept a four-game home game series vs. the Padres, who have given the Dodgers fits over the years.

The Dodgers won easily Sunday while resting regulars Manny Ramirez, Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake and Russell Martin.

Put it this way: Any team with Blake batting No. 8 must be pretty darn good. He'd be batting No. 5 on numerous teams.

Watch out for those Dodgers!

San Diego Padres: Among the best in MLB?

Are the San Diego Padres really one of the best teams in MLB?

With a 6-2 start, you’d think so. With most “experts” picking them to finish last in the NL West (and possibly with the worst MLB record), you’d think not.

What makes this team go thus far in 2009?

Look no further than the bullpen.

Through eight games, it has been the best bullpen ERA in the majors. (Of course, San Diego started out the same way last year, only to implode on its way to a 63-99 record.)

Outside of Duaner Sanchez, Cla Meredith and Heath Bell, you’ve never heard of any of the guys in the bullpen. Bell won’t make people forget that Trevor Hoffman is the all-time saves leader; but he’s soon going to make people forget about Hoffman as the team’s closer (Bell is for real!)

The starting staff is solid at the top with Jake Peavy (until he gets traded) and Chris Young. When you consider No. 3 starter Walter Silva came to the U.S. on a tryout from Mexico last month, it tells you all that you need to know about the back end of the rotation.

Outside of cleanup-man Adrian Gonzalez, the lineup is either largely unproven or a couple of has-beens. Those has-beens, David Eckstein and Brian Giles, will make opposing pitchers rack up the pitch count … if nothing else.

Thus far, Eckstein is playing with the enthusiasm of a rookie. He can only hope that his enthusiasm spreads; along with his patience.

Nobody is petitioning yet for Bud Black to be the NL Manager of the Year.

But if he can keep this rag-tag bunch at or near .500 all year, he certainly needs to be considered.

NL West has seen worse days than now

So you think the NL West is terrible this season?

Maybe so, but it’s not as weak as it was three years ago.

Consider the standings after Sept. 1, 2008; compared to what they were in 2005:

2008
WEST
W
L
PCT
GB
Arizona
70
67
.511
-
LA Dodgers
68
70
.493
2.5
Colorado
65
74
.468
6
San Francisco
59
78
.431
11
San Diego
53
84
.387
17

2005
WEST
W
L
PCT
GB
San Diego
67
66
.504
-
LA Dodgers
61
72
.459
6
Arizona
61
74
.452
7
San Francisco
59
73
.447
7.5
Colorado
52
81
.391
15

As you can see, at least there’s a “race” to the finish this season (which is more than happened in 2005.)

But this time, the Padres aren’t going to win it. And same as last time, nobody deserves to win … but somebody has to!

(* Thanks so much to David A. West of Biola University for information used in this blog.)

Padres: Things may only get worse

Now we’re hearing rumors that the Padres may have a $40 million payroll in 2009.

Do you know what that means?

It would amount to likely the second lowest payroll in Major League Baseball. Only the Florida Marlins, at $22 million, have a payroll below $40 million in 2008.

If $40 million is the going rate for the 2009 Padres, look for another last-place finish in the Weak, Weak NL West.

Four players alone are down for $25 million from the Padres next season: Jake Peavy ($11 million), Khalil Greene ($6.5 million), Chris Young ($4.5 million) and Adrian Gonzalez ($3 million.)

Should the Padres hold true to a $40 million payroll, it would mean $15 million for the remaining players beyond Peavy, Greene, Young and Gonzalez.

Sure, the Padres will try their best to unload Greene’s salary on somebody else. But considering he had his worst season ever in 2008, it just isn’t going to happen.

If you can remember the fire sales of the early 1990s by the Padres, you have a good memory.

And that time period may also be a look into the team’s near future.

Sad.

Joe Torre, not Manny Ramirez, holds Dodgers together

If the Los Angeles Dodgers now make the playoffs with Manny Ramirez, many will say Joe Torre managed to reach the postseason again due to superior talent.

Not so fast. Maybe Torre reached the postseason every year with the Yankees due to great talent, but not this time in L.A.

If anything, Torre may have accomplished one of his best managing jobs ever just to keep the Dodgers in the NL West race and be in position to trade for Ramirez.

Consider the odds Torre has faced in his first year with the Dodgers:

The team’s best player, shortstop Rafael Furcal, has been injured since May 5.
Staff pitching ace Brad Penny has been sidelined since June 14.
Closer Takashi Saito has been out since July 12.
L.A.’s top three third basemen were injured when the season began.
Center fielder Andruw Jones is a $36 million bust.
Jason Schmidt may "earn" his $47 million with the Dodgers by recording one win.

Despite it all, Torre has kept the Dodgers in contention in the Weak Weak NL West.

All things considered, that may be nearly as much of an accomplishment as winning four World Series in five years with the greatest talent on earth in New York.

Kansas City Royals could win NL West

The Kansas City Royals could be the best team in the west.

Make that the NL West.

The Royals now reside in last place in the AL Central. But if they moved to the NL West, it would obviously be a different story.

It’s no coincidence the Royals are on a three-game winning streak … it’s because they are playing teams from the Weak, Weak NL West.

In fact, Kansas City is 5-2 overall against the NL West.

The Royals won two of three against both the Arizona Diamondbacks (on the road) and San Francisco Giants (at home) before Monday night’s home win against the Colorado Rockies.

Luckily for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, they don’t have to play the Mighty Royals this season.

Much of Kansas City’s success is due to closer Joakim Soria, who already has 20 saves. Yes, this is the same Soria the Padres let go to Kansas City in the Rule V draft two years ago.

As weak as the Padres’ bullpen has been, couldn’t they use somebody like Soria right about now?

As injuries get worse, Padres get better

Remember not so long ago when the Padres had the worst record in Major League Baseball?

Then starting pitchers Jake Peavy, Chris Young and Shawn Estes were injured.

Catcher Josh Bard also went down; ditto with second baseman Tadahito Iguchi.

So, with this many people sidelined, what happens?

The Padres are on a five-game winning streak, their longest of the season.

With a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers this Tuesday-Thursday, the Padres could conceivably move into a tie for second place in the NL West.

How do you explain this?

You don’t.

It seems the more Padre players have fallen; the more the Padres make their opponents fall.

When everybody finally comes back (hopefully by the All-Star break), the Padres could be in contention because of their substitutes. More likely, they could have a very difficult time when they begin 15 games of interleague play Friday against the much stronger American League.

During a 162-game season, every team gets hot at some point. It’s interesting that the Padres’ hot streak has come when you would least expect it.

Padres aren't even best of the worst

Remember back when we all thought the NL West might be Major League Baseball’s strongest division?

Come to find out, it is actually the weakest division in MLB.

Sure, the Arizona Diamondbacks got off to a great start; but that was only because they were playing fellow NL West teams.

As the season has progressed, the division could just as well change its name to the NL Worst.

That being said, consider the records of each NL West team going into this weekend in games played outside of the division:

Arizona 10-16
Los Angeles 15-18
San Francisco 10-22
Colorado 13-12
Padres 13-19

Overall, that’s a cumulative record of just 61-87 in games outside of the NL West.

This is such a reminder of 2005, when the Padres won the West with an 82-80 record. They lost 12 of 13 games at one point that season but hardly lost any ground because everybody else in the division was losing, too. Ditto the Diamondbacks in 2008.

May the best of the worst win the division!

Interleague play benefits Padres

When it comes to interleague play, which begins Friday night, the Padres have it much easier than their two California rivals in the NL West.

The Padres get to play Seattle each year as their “natural rival.” The Los Angeles Dodgers must face the Anaheim Angels; while the San Francisco Giants are matched up against the Oakland Athletics.

Think about it for a minute. The Padres play a Seattle team that traditionally battles Texas for last place. The Dodgers and Giants are playing the year-in and year-out top two teams in the AL West.

What’s interesting is how this all breaks down. The Padres have a winning record against Seattle and losing record against the rest of the AL. The Dodgers and Giants have losing records vs. their “natural rivals,” but winning records against the remainder of the AL.

So we can’t feel too sorry for the Padres having to play the New York Yankees, Cleveland, Detroit and Minnesota this year.

It could be worse: They could be playing the Angels or Athletics every year in interleague action.

Padres' schedule is a little too strange

If you enjoyed watching the Padres play the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on Tuesday night, get used to it.

The teams will play six times at Petco Park this season, before they ever meet in Colorado.

Advantage, Rockies; if it comes down to the end of the season between these two teams.

For some reason, the Major League Baseball schedule is more quirky than ever this season … especially for the Padres.

They play the Los Angeles Dodgers nine times in September, the first time one can ever recall teams meeting in three series during the same month.

And playing the Rockies nine times in Colorado from June 30 on is not a picnic for the Padres.

With the Padres already being in a five-team division in the NL West, somebody always is going to be playing outside of the division. In fact, six of San Diego’s last nine games are against the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

But playing the Rockies six times in San Diego through May 11, then not visiting Colorado until June 30?

That’s a little too strange.

How about those Dodgers?

To quote Mr. Ed, the famous television talking horse of the 1960s: “How about those Dodgers?”

The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been dead for years, look like they could be very alive in 2008.

Certainly, one week does not a six-month season make, but this team has improved itself immensely and should be gaining on the NL West.

Two additions in particular make the Dodgers a better team this season:

Andruw Jones may still not be hitting, but he’s already winning games with his spectacular defense in center field.

Hiroki Kuroda, the Japanese import pitcher, can throw strikes. He started off 10 straight Padres batters with strikes at one point Friday night; a statistic virtually unheard of in today’s world of pitchers falling behind hitters.

The Dodgers already had fine young players in the likes of catcher Russell Martin, first baseman James Loney and outfielders Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp.

Rafael Furcal is solid at shortstop. Jeff Kent is getting older at second base, but Chin Iung-Hu is already proving to be a man who can spell Kent late in games (and occasionally the starting lineup) to keep Kent fresh. The black hole is still third base; we’ll see what happens when Nomar Garciaparra returns from the disabled list.

The Dodgers have a solid top-four pitching rotation with Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley and Kuroda. And it certainly appears Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito have surpassed San Diego’s Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman as a late-inning relief combination.

Add Manager Joe Torre to the mix and we have a clue for you: Watch out for the Dodgers in 2008!

Padres: Moneyball or Cheapball?

Too bad the local television stations have fallen for what “great ticket deals” the Padres have going in 2008.

If they did their research, they would discover that is not the case at all.

According to Team Marketing Report, the Padres have the 12th highest average ticket price among 30 Major League Baseball teams this season.

San Diego is also 11th in Fan Cost Index (the price of four average tickets, two small beers, four small sodas, four hot dogs, parking for one car, two game programs and two adult-sized caps.)

Last season, the Padres ranked 15th and 14th in these respective categories, so they jumped up three spots in both ticket prices and Fan Cost Index.

Looking around the NL West, the Padres are second among five teams in both categories. Not surprisingly, the Los Angeles Dodgers are first (sixth and ninth, respectively.)

San Francisco is 18th and 17th, Colorado is 22nd and 23rd, and Arizona is 30th (last) and 22nd.

Also, one must consider that the Padres are only 19th out of 30 in team payroll. Los Angeles is seventh; San Francisco 17th; Colorado 20th and Arizona 23rd.

Based on these statistics, four out of five teams in the NL West have a team payroll that parallels their ticket prices and Fan Cost Index.

The exception, of course, is San Diego; whose ticket prices and Fan Cost Index both rank much higher than the payroll.

What are the Padres playing here; Moneyball or Cheapball?

Padres to finish third again?

The Padres finished third in the NL West last season, but it really wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

They finished one game behind first-place Arizona and came within a hand of (not) touching home plate vs. Colorado to determine the National League’s final playoff team.

This season?

Don’t be surprised if the Padres finished third again; yet do be surprised if they come within one game of first place.

This is a team with three strong starting pitchers (Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Greg Maddux) and a solid bullpen. But from there, the team has more question marks than Hillary Clinton’s memory of events from when she was First Lady.

The outfield has more holes than a golf course; the bench is average. The infield is solid, the catching is adequate; but the power is missing. Here’s a look at predicted 2008 standings:

NL West
Arizona
Los Angeles
San Diego
Colorado
San Francisco

NL Central
Chicago
Milwaukee
Houston
St. Louis
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh

NL East
Philadelphia
Atlanta
New York
Washington
Florida

AL West
California
Seattle
Oakland
Texas

AL Central
Detroit
Cleveland
Minnesota
Chicago
Kansas City

AL East
Boston
New York
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Baltimore

NL Wildcard: Los Angeles

AL Wildcard: New York

World Series: California over Arizona