Baseball Update: NL West

The NL West standings really haven't changed. As much as it pains me, the Dodgers are in first place while the Giants and Padres are in the middle of the pack. The Dodgers have the best record in the majors and are 10-0 to start the season at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers though have gotten a lucky break. They have been feeding off of weak division opponents. Next week they have to take a long road trip to the east coast to play Philadelphia, Florida, and New York. I still expect them to come back down to Earth. Their pitching staff isn't as good as the Giants staff, and the only reason why they look so good is because they have been playing weak NL west teams.

The Resurrection!: We are witnessing a resurrection of a career in San Francisco. Yes Barry Zito is finally starting to look like his old Cy Young self. In his last three games Zito has gone 23 1-3 innings giving up three runs, 13 hits, four walks, and 11 strikeouts. Zito doesn't walk as many hitters anymore, which killed him his first two years in San Francisco. Two things have helped Zito this year improve. First he has changed his delivery. The past two years Zito's delivery would release early and that would cause Zito to give up a lot of home runs. The other thing that has helped Zito is a change at catcher. Bengie Molina is methodical behind the plate. And Zito likes to work fast. So when Zito pitches, either Paublo Sandoval or Steve Holm will catch for him. Now if only the Giants would give him some run support, Zito would be able to pick up his first victory of the season.


Notes:
The Dodgers pitching is a cause for concern.

Awful offense + Barry Zito = Giants Victory.

Justin Upton is red hot after a slow start.

Padres GM Kevin Towers talks about a myriad of issues concerning San Diego.

A look at how Colorado scouts Latin countries.


If you can get the Big Unit to smile, then you know you did something right.