Baseball Update: NL West

The Baseball Update is a look at the happenings around the world of Major League Baseball.

Folks, the NL West is really bad. And that doesn't even begin to explain how bad this division is.

In the last ten games, no team in the NL West has a record better than 5-5 and each team couldn't win a road game to save their lives. The Dodgers are the only team in the division that has a winning road record. And that is not saying much because they are only two games above .500 on the road. And only the Dodgers are a plus run differential. The Padres actually swept Cincinnati over the weekend, but that isn't saying much. This division sucks and hopefully it will be swept out to sea the next time an Earthquake hits California.

You need more proof about how bad this division is. Let Family Guy explain.



The Roller Coaster: Watching the San Francisco Giants is like taking a ride on a roller coaster. The Giants take you on a trip that is up-and-down and has a few twists until it takes you right back to where you started. In four straight loses, the Giants eclipse their season average of 3 runs a game but the usually sturdy Giants pitching staff couldn't hold onto the leads. And when the Giants won yesterday they won their customary way with pitching and defense beating the Mets 2-0.

Like I said a roller coaster that brings you right back to where you started. They have to be one of the most inconsistent team in the Majors. And they start a 3-game series with San Diego on Tuesday so I expect more 2-0, 3-1 type of games.

So was it worth it?: That is the question the Arizona Diamondbacks have to be asking themselves after firing manager Bob Melvin. Because this whole A.J. Hinch situation is getting really ugly.

Diamondbacks GM Josh Brynes fired Melvin last week and named Hinch as the new manager. Hinch is 34-year-old whiz kid who played at Stanford and was one of the hottest names for a manager's position. So naturally Brynes named him the Diamondbacks manager after firing Melvin. The move though has not worked out like Arizona wanted it to. The snakes have gone 3-7 since Hinch's hiring and the team is already starting to revolt. Diamondbacks former pitching coach Bob Prince isn't too pleased with the hiring.

“The hiring of A.J., I thought, was a poor decision…A.J. has worked hard to get his credibility in the business in that (player development) side of the game, but he doesn’t have any credibility between the lines as a manager.”

Then Hinch got into a much talked about argument with pitcher Doug Davis. Davis was upset that Hinch pulled him from the game after he only threw 80 pitches. But the ultimate death blow for the coach is the meeting the team had without him.

Hinch though isn't without complete blame though. The team is dead last in almost every offensive category in the league. And the Brandon Webb injury hasn't exactly helped.

This situation can't end well.

Look Ahead: Who cares! I'd rather get one of these instead of watching another NL West game again.