NL West Round-Up: Week Three

It's been a long, hard week for everybody. Let's talk about some baseball.

Colorado Rockies

• Record: 12-4
• Previous series: SD, NYM. ARI
• Upcoming series: ATL, ARI

The Rockies have yet to lose this week (one game was snowed out) and are sitting on top of the division for the first time in approximately 900 years. The highlight was taking both ends of a doubleheader from the Mets while playing in conditions more appropriate for Arctic exploration. Game one of the doubleheader was delayed while anyone employed by the Rockies and with the ability to use a shovel, dug the field out from the snow. Even Dinger helped, though I regret to inform you they didn't shove him into a snow bank and leave him there.

The Rockies have score a hair under twice as many runs as they've given up. Jon Garland and Jhoulys Chacin turned in the strongest performances, though Chacin left last night's game with an injury. But winning games is easy when you're scoring an average of eight runs a game (warning: Coors Field). Dexter Fowler sat out the doubleheader with a bruised foot but he's fine - he's been in the lineup since and hit another home run the following game.

For a more in depth analysis of the Rockies, check out Zavada's Moustache's series preview.

San Francisco Giants

• Record: 10-7
• Previous series: CHC, MIL, SD
• Upcoming series: ARI, SD

The Giants did not play good baseball this week. They took two games from a terrible Cubs team, were then swept by the Brewers, and nearly dropped the first game of the Padres series until Angel Pagan walked it off in the bottom of the ninth. Pagan, Pablo Sandoval, and Hunter Pence lead the offense and Buster Posey is starting to bounce back. He's still hitting in the low .200s but he's tied for second-most number of walks on the team. Brandon Belt is still trying to pull it together; he had two multi-hit games this week but went oh-fer twice as well.

As for their pitching, Jeremy Affeldt went on the DL with an oblique problem and that's the good news. Barry Zito regressed hard, giving up eight runs in just under three innings. Matt Cain gave Giants fans a new verse to their "What's Wrong With [Pitcher]?" song. Cain turned in his second awful start in a row, this time giving up seven runs to the Brewers. Three Brewers homered and if ever there was a pitcher I didn't want to see good things happen to ever, it's Yovani Gallardo (press coverage of the game described Gallardo as having a bad few days - as if his basement basement flooded or some other inconvenience and not that Gallardo was arrested driving incredibly drunk). Cain didn't give up a run after the third but seven runs allowed is more than enough for another team to win a baseball game.

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Record: 7-9
• Previous series: ARI, SD, BAL
• Upcoming series: NYM, MIL

The Dodgers had even worse week than the Giants. Really, everyone had a better week than the Dodgers. Did your team win a game? Congratulations, you had a better week than the Dodgers who lost every game they played this week. The bright spot of their week was a game postponed for weather but they've already dropped the first half of today's doubleheader. Greinke's spot in the rotation was filled by Chris Capuano, a bullpen pitcher making his first start. Capuano gave up four runs in the first but injured his foot covering first base to end the second inning. He came out of the game with an injury at the top of the third. The following day, Clayton Kershaw gave up three home runs. His defense let him down - he allowed five runs but only those three home runs were earned.

The offense was nothing to write home about. The Dodgers averaged less than three runs a game this week. Hyun-Jin Ryu leads the team in batting average (SSS) but Adrian Gonzalez has been hot. He's hitting regularly but not for much power - he has seven hits this week but only two of them were for extra bases (both doubles).

San Diego Padres

• Record: 5-11
• Previous series: COL, LAD, SF
• Upcoming series: MIL, SF

The Padres were up-and-down but either they're starting to come back to life from being the divisional punching bag or the Dodgers are more terrible than we thought. They started their week getting swept by the Rockies and ended it by taking all three games from the Dodgers and losing in a walk off to San Francisco. They scored a bushel of runs - they're averaging five runs a game - all while holding their opponents to three runs or less all week. It was by far the best week of baseball they've had yet. Eric Stults had a quality start, giving up three runs over six innings but the biggest surprise was Jason Marquis, who had his best start of the year. Marquis held the Dodgers to one run over 7.2 strong innings against the Dodgers.

Chris Denorfia is hot right now. He seven hits this week, including three doubles and a home run. The Padres have 11 home runs this year, third in the division for home runs behind the Rockies and the Diamondbacks (the Giants and the Dodgers each have nine). Chase Headley was recalled April 17; he's currently hitting .286 and three RBI.

Did you hear about that guy who did that thing?

Ted Lilly initially refused his rehab assignment but with Zack Greinke's injury, a spot has opened for him the Dodger's rotation. The team managed to talk him into the rehab start and he will join the Dodger's rotation next week.