MLB Fastball 08.22.08: The Battle For The NL West Crown
Posted by Neil Borenstein on 08.22.2008
It may be considered the worst division in baseball, but the National League West is still receiving a ton of attention for its battle on top. In the latest edition of MLB Fastball, Neil Borenstein takes a look at the NL West battle for supremacy between the current leaders, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the team two games behind them, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Battle The NL West and Playoff Contention
Manny Ramirez Is batting .406 in 19 games since joining the Dodgers
The National League West may represent the worst division in all of Major League Baseball (though I'm sure a great case could be made for the American League West), but it's still garnering a ton of attention because of the two-horse race at the top. Following Thursday night's action, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers are separated by just two games and appear ready to keep the competition close in the remaining 35 games on each teams' schedule. And considering the unlikelihood of the NL Wild Card going to a team in the NL West, whatever teams comes out as the No. 1 when the season wraps up next month should be the only representative from the division.
The battle between the two clubs has been one fought both on and off the field. We're beyond the non-waiver trade deadline from three weeks ago, which saw the Dodgers add Manny Ramirez, as well as Casey Blake, for some much needed offensive support. In the waiver stage of the trade period, both Arizona and Los Angeles made impactful transactions – the Diamondbacks countering Ramirez' addition with a big bat of their own in the form of Adam Dunn and the Dodgers adding a veteran arm to the starting rotation in Greg Maddux. Though Maddux has yet to suit up for his new team and thus an assessment of the trade cannot really be made, Ramirez and Dunn have been no less than spectacular for their new clubs.
Since being acquired by the Dodgers on July 31, Ramirez has been a model player for the team. In 19 games, he is .406 at the plate with a stellar .494 on-base percentage. He's belted six balls out of the park, tallied 21 RBIs and crossed home plate 12 times. In addition to his production at the plate, Ramirez has apparently been a ball in the clubhouse, which translates into a big morale boost for his new teammates.
Dunn has been a Diamondback for 10 fewer games than Ramirez has been in LA. But in just nine games, he's batting .296 with an incredible .537 on-base percentage, two homers, eight RBIs and eight runs scored. All this considered, he's appeared much more disciplined at the plate. I'm sure as his tenure continues in Arizona, Dunn's batting average and OBP will decrease, while his power stats and strikeouts dramatically increase. But for now, he's been doing a tremendous job of adding some plate production to the Diamondbacks' game and countering the efforts made by Ramirez in Los Angeles. Plus, according to Scott Bordow of The East Valley Tribune, the rest of the Diamondbacks players are being alleviated of some of the pressure felt prior to Dunn's arrival in Arizona.
While I don't think the winner of this now 35-game battle can be determined solely by two players acquired at the non-waiver deadline or later, both Ramirez and Dunn are sure to keep their new teams well on track and in competition for the NL West division crown. They are the new leaders down the stretch in their team's attempts at making the postseason. With that considered, I have a little more faith in Ramirez to lead his team toward October baseball and have to give the edge to LA in that respect.
Two players don't tell the whole story, however. And, if anything, the strength of schedule is the biggest determining factor in the little less than one and a half months remaining in the 2008 regular season. As outlined by 411's own A.J. Stevens in his latest The Weekly MLB Rundown, the Diamondbacks and Dodgers have the following schedules for the remainder of the season:
Arizona Diamondbacks Aug. 22-24: vs. Florida Marlins (65-63) Aug. 25-27: at San Diego Padres (48-79) Aug. 29-31: vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (65-62) Sept. 1-3: vs. St. Louis Cardinals (71-58) Sept. 5-7: at Los Angeles Dodgers (65-62) Sept. 8-10: at San Francisco Giants (55-72) Sept. 12-14: vs. Cincinnati Reds (56-72) Sept. 15-18: vs. San Francisco Giants (55-72) Sept. 19-21: at Colorado Rockies (59-70) Sept. 22-25: at St. Louis Cardinals (71-85) Sept. 26-28: vs. Colorado Rockies (59-70)
Los Angeles Dodgers Aug. 22-25: at Philadelphia Phillies (68-59) Aug. 26-28: at Washington Nationals (45-83) Aug. 29-31: at Arizona Diamondbacks (67-60) Sept. 1-3: vs. San Diego Padres (48-79) Sept. 5-7: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (67-60) Sept. 8-10: at San Diego Padres (48-79) Sept. 12-14: at Colorado Rockies (59-70) Sept. 15-18: at Pittsburgh Pirates (57-70) Sept. 19-21: vs. San Francisco Giants (55-72) Sept. 23-25: vs. San Diego Padres (48-79) Sept. 27-29: at San Francisco Giants (55-72)
Adam Dunn Taking some pressure off his new teammates in Arizona
The Diamondbacks have 22 games left inside their division, where they are 34-16 on the season. The six most crucial games come against the Dodgers, and those are pretty up in the air. But the Diamondbacks should have little trouble getting a good percentage of victories in their three games against the Padres, seven games against the Giants and six games against the Rockies. The Reds also shouldn't be an issue, but the Marlins and Cardinals could give the Diamondbacks some fits in their out-of-conference matchups.
For the Dodgers, having 24 remaining inter-division games doesn't look as appealing considering they are .500 on the season against NL West foes (24-24). But it helps that nine of those games are against the only team worse than the Seattle Mariners – the Padres. Plus, while the Phillies could snag a few games from LA, the Nationals and Pirates should present little problem.
While I think the six games between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks are the most crucial and will be the determining factor, I can't help but give the Dodgers an edge when 16 of their remaining 35 contests are against teams that should be a piece of cake for this re-vamped squad (Padres, Pirates, Nationals). The Diamondbacks only play against San Diego three times and have some tougher out-of-division opposition than LA.
So, combining my higher belief in Ramirez to lead his new club down the stretch better than Dunn and the fact that I think the Dodgers have a better schedule as we dwindle down this campaign, I have to go with Los Angeles making up ground and surpassing the Diamondbacks en route to the National League West crown.
Photo Credits: Manny Ramirez – Yahoo! Sports/Getty Images; Adam Dunn – Yahoo! Sports/AP Photo
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