NL West Weekly Recap
The wild NL West consists of five teams either sitting around or pushing towards a .500 record.
With the No. 1 spot having the chance to exchange hands each day, here’s a breakdown of the latest from the NL West.
Los Angeles Dodgers (13-11)
The Dodgers find themselves riding a three-game win streak, and are aiming to build up the win column in a season that’s alternated between wins and losses so far.
Los Angeles faced a 13-0 loss on Friday against the Chicago Cubs but were able to snatch three out of four in the series.
The Dodgers ended the Pittsburgh Pirates’ seven-game win streak Tuesday night, as Chris Taylor’s go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth frame completed the 8-7 win in a game that Pittsburgh led in by five runs.
Max Muncy is now off the paternity list, but Brusdar Graterol is still listed on it.
All-star pitcher Tony Gonsolin is starting against Pittsburgh on Wednesday night for his first appearance of the 2023 season.
Arizona Diamondbacks (13-12)
The Diamondbacks are half a game behind the Dodgers for the division lead.
Arizona has gone 5-5 in its last 10, and has slowed down a bit after a good start to the season.
The Diamondbacks had a 9-0 victory against the San Diego Padres on Friday, but ended up dropping the rest in a four-game series.
Against the Kansas City Royals, Arizona won the first game 5-4 on Monday but lost 5-4 on Tuesday while stranding runners on second and third in the ninth inning.
San Diego Padres (12-13)
The Padres have been playing average ball as of late, and are elated to have Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the lineup.
San Diego took three games from the Diamondbacks in a four-game series but got blanked by the Cubs on Tuesday night.
Xander Bogaerts has been a great addition to the roster, but the team's production as a whole has been lackluster.
With Tatis Jr. back, and the hope that starting pitchers Blake Snell and Michael Wacha figure things out, the Padres could get something cooking in May.
San Francisco Giants (10-13)
The Giants may be fourth in the division, but a four-game win streak is leaving some promise in the Bay Area.
San Francisco split a series with the New York Mets and won the first two of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Catcher Blake Sabol connected for a two-run homer to walk it off with a 5-4 win on Tuesday night.
With Anthony DeSclafani on the mound Wednesday night, the Giants have a good shot at extending their win streak.
Colorado Rockies (8-17)
Things haven’t quite gone according to plan for the Rockies so far.
An eight-game losing streak in mid-April, and three losses in four games to the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend has left Colorado last in the NL West.
On the bright side, the Rockies defeated the Cleveland Guardians on Monday and Tuesday for the series win. Colorado’s pitching only gave up one run in the two contests.
Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant have been producing lately with the bats, as this production meshed with continued pitching excellence could spell success for the Rockies moving forward.
Jake Irwin is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jpi5089@psu.edu.
