What a difference a month makes!

[Pared]

D-Back in first place, Cubs a game and a half out, Seattle only 3.5 out, Mets lead down to 2.5...

Baseball sure is getting good! Can't wait for the next month and half!

[GBrushTWood]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

I think Seattle has gotta be the top 2007 candidate for the 2006 Detroit Tigers memorial "team that came out of nowhere" award.

I mean, did anybody see Seattle as a threat at the start of this season? I know I didn't. They should be considered dangerous from here on out, they are playing with house money at this point.

I don't even know how they are doing it. They have Jeff Weaver and Jarrod Washburn as 2/5 of their rotation. Their manager quit on them halfway into the season. I just don't get it.

As for Arizona, that entire division is rubbish, so some team has to take it in the end. That club has done the best job of integrating younger talent, so it makes sense that they are the front runners right now.

[Coug00]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

I mean, did anybody see Seattle as a threat at the start of this season? I know I didn't. They should be considered dangerous from here on out, they are playing with house money at this point.

I don't even know how they are doing it.

Make that two of us. They're a bad defensive team thanks to Ibanez/Guillen/Sexson, lack an ace, have a below average starting rotation, now have the worst manager in baseball, have a slap hitting turtle of a DH, and 2 of their big hitters are done (Ibanez and Sexson).

What the M's have going for them is probably the best bullpen in baseball and their 6-9's in the order are one of the best in baseball. With the exception of Sexson there isn't a single easy out in the lineup (although Lopez is having his traditional 2nd half slump).

The scary thing is that this team can be much better. If they would just dump Horacio Ramirez and put ANYONE in his place, start Adam Jones in LF, and use Ben Broussard against righties at 1B. Unfortunately, John McLaren has absolutely zero understanding of how to use his team properly and the entire organization lacks the fundamental understanding that saving a run on defense is just as good as producing a run with your offense. Running Raul Ibanez out to LF every night is killing this team. His defense is quickly becoming the equivalent of Manny, but without the offensive production.

The M's only shot at the playoffs is the West Division. Although the Yanks have been feeding off of the easiest schedule in baseball over the last 3 weeks, I can't see the M's holding them off from the Wild Card. The M's have to get hot and the Angels have to keep treading water to win the West.

[dust247]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

To bring the Twins into discussion, nothing has changed for them over the last month. We couldn't score in July and we can't score in August. Funny thing is, our front office doesn't seem to care anymore. It looks like they just want to make money and could careless about making a playoff run.

[cjonesfan921]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

D-Back in first place, Cubs a game and a half out, Seattle only 3.5 out, Mets lead down to 2.5...

Baseball sure is getting good! Can't wait for the next month and half!

You should be scared to death right now.

[Pared]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

You should be scared to death right now.

That false hope you have is hilarious!

[erich20012001]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

I think Seattle has gotta be the top 2007 candidate for the 2006 Detroit Tigers memorial "team that came out of nowhere" award.

I mean, did anybody see Seattle as a threat at the start of this season? I know I didn't. They should be considered dangerous from here on out, they are playing with house money at this point.

I don't even know how they are doing it. They have Jeff Weaver and Jarrod Washburn as 2/5 of their rotation. Their manager quit on them halfway into the season. I just don't get it.

As for Arizona, that entire division is rubbish, so some team has to take it in the end. That club has done the best job of integrating younger talent, so it makes sense that they are the front runners right now.

So true, but what I don't get is that most baseball analysts say the NL West is one of the toughest divisions...

[Chip Douglass]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

As for Arizona, that entire division is rubbish, so some team has to take it in the end.

It's amazing how you can destroy your credibility in just one sentence.

The NL West is rubbish? Enlighten me. It's one of the best divisions in baseball.

[erich20012001]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

It's amazing how you can destroy your credibility in just one sentence.

The NL West is rubbish? Enlighten me. It's one of the best divisions in baseball.

Well from my view (a Giants fan), the division does suck, we always get beat!

[cjonesfan921]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

That false hope you have is hilarious!

To be serious, i'm pumped. Nothing like the stretch run, especially when your team is in a tight division race. Good luck to the Mets. And as I say that, Alou hits a HR. Mets up 5-4.

[Pared]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

Ha! I'm watching it as I post. 14 big games left... and if anyone is going to make the most impact on who wins the NL East, it's Florida.

[cjonesfan921]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

Ha! I'm watching it as I post. 14 big games left... and if anyone is going to make the most impact on who wins the NL East, it's Florida.

Yup. Florida took 2 out of the 3 from the Mets. This game is over. Delgado 2 run HR.

[GBrushTWood]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

It's amazing how you can destroy your credibility in just one sentence.

The NL West is rubbish? Enlighten me. It's one of the best divisions in baseball.

Sure. The teams in this division can prevent runs from scoring, but they can't create runs. Tough to be a good division if only one of the constituents can swing the bat (Colorado).

4 of the 5 teams in the division in the bottom third of MLB in runs scored:

- San Francisco Giants (491 runs, 28th in MLB)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (496 runs, 26th in MLB)
- San Diego Padres (497 runs, 25th in MLB)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (514 runs, 23rd in MLB)

Then there's the Colorado Rockies making up for the rest of these noodle bat teams, 595 runs and 5th in MLB (but only in 3rd place because their pitching ain't so hot).

I'm all for pitching and defense and all those salty dog aphorisms, but at the end of the day, you need to outscore your opponents. Admittedly, the NL West has pretty strong pitching (especially San Diego). However, we've seen in the last couple of post seasons that the NL West representatives in the playoffs have been simply unable to score enough runs to make an impact.

[BatsareBugs]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

I'm all for pitching and defense and all those salty dog aphorisms, but at the end of the day, you need to outscore your opponents. Admittedly, the NL West has pretty strong pitching (especially San Diego). However, we've seen in the last couple of post seasons that the NL West representatives in the playoffs have been simply unable to score enough runs to make an impact.

And that's why the NL West is the worst division when the NL Central's best team would be third in this division? Right.

It's not so much inconsistent hitting or bad pitching in the playoffs. The Cardinals were abysmal but they caught fire at the right time.

[Chip Douglass]

Re: What a difference a month makes!

Sure. The teams in this division can prevent runs from scoring, but they can't create runs. Tough to be a good division if only one of the constituents can swing the bat (Colorado).

So you would argue that the NL Central and NL East are better divisions than the NL West from top to bottom?

Is reading boxscores and stat sheets your major argument against this division?