NL West Round-Up: Scoring Lots Of Runs

Last night's game was awesome, I have a few hours until I have to leave for tonight's game, and Avengers is in the DVD player. Let's do this.

Oh, I'm adding in games behind this week. As always, the round-up is in order of division standing but this will help track progress from week-to-week as ground is gained or lost.

Colorado Rockies

• Record: 33-29
• Standing: 2.5 games behind ARI
• Previous series: LAD, CIN, SD
• Upcoming series: WAS, PHI

A good week for the Rockies as a 5-2 record since June 1 was enough to get them past the Giants in the standings, clearing second place for themselves. Taking a series from the Dodgers isn't surprising but the Rockies also took two of three from a strong Cincinnati. Their other loss came in a 12-inning game against the Padres. As for the rest of the games - and sing along if you know the words - they scored a lot of runs. Well except for getting shut out by Bronson Arroyo that one time. They averaged 6.5 runs per game. Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzales still lead the team offensively. Gonzales came out of the game last night with what could be an ankle injury. He hasn't been placed on the DL yet and it could be nothing - I haven't heard otherwise - but it's something to keep an eye on.

Rockies pitching wasn't quite as good as the hitting this week, giving up an average 4.74 runs. The roughest game of the week for the pitching came on Friday when the Rockies nearly blew a six-run lead going into the fourth inning. They were headed for extras tied at nine runs before Nolan Arenado walked it off with his fifth home run of the year. Arenado facts: He's hitting .250, strikes out three times more often than he walks, and has an abysmal OBP of .284. But good job with the home run, buddy!

San Francisco Giants

• Record: 31-29
• Standing: 3.5 games behind ARI
• Previous series: STL, TOR, ARI
• Upcoming series: PIT, ATL

The best part of the Giants week was their two off days. Otherwise, they slipped dangerously close to a .500 record overall and had a losing record for the week going 2-4, including losing both halves of a double header to St. Louis. Most of the fault lies with the hitters: they scored only eight runs in the entire week and were shut out twice for a measly 1.33 average runs per game. Giants can't score runs and I get the comforting feeling of returning to a meme I know well. They lost Angel Pagan to the DL, retroactive about a million games because they were too indecisive to buckle down and do it. Or maybe they were hoping Pagan would wake up one morning and cheerfully announce he was all better or something. But if it's been 10 days since you played the guy because of an injury, you might want to get around to putting him on the list so he stops sucking up a roster spot like a black hole with bad hamstrings. Pablo Sandoval also missed time with a strained foot.

Over on the bump, Giants pitching gave up an average of 4.16 runs per game but that total is inflated by facing the Cardinals. I could make fun of them for it but well, some things hit too close to home. Gave up a bunch of runs to St. Louis? I know that feel, bro. The most encouraging sign for the Giants was Lincecum's domination of the Blue Jays when he gave up one run on only three hits over seven innings. In cyborg!Zito news, Barry Zito allowed an RBI double to R.A. Dickey.

San Diego Padres

• Record: 28-33
• Standing: 7.0 games behind ARI
• Previous series: TOR, LAD, COL
• Upcoming series: ATL, ARI

So close to.500 this week Padres. So close. The Padres went 3-4 this week, winning one game each against the Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Rockies. The highs and the lows of the week came back-to-back: they followed a victory in extra-innings with a heartbreaker when they lost in the ninth after a six-run rally. They scored an average of 5.28 runs per game, which ain't bad so you can't look too hard at the hitting. Yonder Alonso, whose name will always sound like directions to his approximate location was directed onto the DL with hand contusion.

The trouble with the Friars is some truly average pitching. They gave up an average of 5.28 runs and should feel bad about it but that's not even what I want to talk about. Am I going to have to add cyborg!Marquis to my list? Jason Marquis no hit the Dodgers into the sixth inning. He was pulled one out later with a final line of 6.1 innings, three hits, and two earned runs with six K. He's been extremely effective all year for the Padres and the team wouldn't be doing as well as they have without him. Because he's a cyborg.

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Record: 27-33
• Standing: 7.5 games behind ARI
• Previous series: COL, SD, ATL
• Upcoming series: ARI, PIT

The Dodgers finally managed to have a week that wasn't completely embarrassing (except for the whole Jason Marquis thing - fact: that one guy from Cuba went oh-fer with two Ks that game). It was, in fact, a winning week. They went 4-3, taking two games the Padres and two from the Braves. They scored an average of four runs per game and lost Carl Crawford to the DL with a strained hamstring. In his place, they called up that one guy maybe you've heard of. The one that's been all over ESPN. They also lost A.J. Ellis to an oblique strain. And Matt Kemp to hamstrings.

One the pitching side, Dodgers hurlers gave up an average of 4.14 runs per game, a number helped by Zachk Greinke. He continued to show no problems returning from injury, shutting out the Braves for seven innings and collecting seven Ks (of course, it was Atlanta so each strike out should really only count at .750 of a K). Remove Greinke's game and the average goes up to 4.83 and Dodgers pitching gives up fewer than six runs only twice. And the pitchers weren't immune to injury either: Chris Capuano is out with a shoulder strain. I'm starting to believe there's some kind of roulette board in the Dodgers clubhouse. Spin the wheel and walk away with either a gift certificate to the Olive Garden or time on the disabled list.

Did You Hear About That Guy Who Did That Thing?

Yasiel Puig has 10 RBIs and four home runs in 19 at bats. His RBI total is the highest through five games to start a career ever. There. I talked about him.