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PADRES HANGING AROUND IN THE NL W(OR)ST by Jason Martinez posted 6/18/08 Before the season started, many believed that the NL West would be one of the strongest divisions in baseball. With the defending NL Champion Colorado Rockies and the Division Champion Arizona Diamondbacks returning with a wealth of young talent in place, there was no reason for anybody to think the Padres would be just 6.5 games out of first place on June 18th with a 31-41 record. But here they are, just one more hot streak from making a serious run at division-leading Arizona. So what has happened here? Let's take a look at why the D-Backs, Dodgers, Rockies, and Padres are underachieving and who has the best chance of taking control of the division. Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries - They've had just two players miss significant time because of injury. While they didn't miss Doug Davis, while he was out recovering from cancer surgery, they have gone 7-13 without Eric Byrnes, who has been out with an injured hamstring since May 27th. Byrnes wasn't exactly crushing the ball this season but he offers a ton of energy and leadership to this young team Disappointments - Chris Young, CF (.229 BA, .305 OBP 73 K); Eric Byrnes, LF (219 BA, .285 OBP); Pinch hitters (.194 BA, .296 OBP); Micah Owings, SP (5.18 ERA); Enrique Gonzalez (1-3, 6.13 ERA, .307 BAA) OUTLOOK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON: Byrnes is due to come off of the DL soon. If he can start hitting, this team is still one the most talented teams in baseball. He is the only player who was significantly underperforming his expectations. However, they'll need the back of the rotation (Owings, Davis, Randy Johnson) to step up down the stretch or else they could lose ground quickly. Colorado Rockies Injuries - Troy Tulowitzki has been on the DL since April 29th; Clint Barmes has been on the DL since May 24th; Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe each had stints on the 15-day DL; Disappointments - Brad Hawpe, RF (.250 BA, 8 HR); Wily Taveras, CF (.240 BA, .296 OBP, 43 K's); Ian Stewart, IF (.204 BA, 3 HR, 3 BB, 28 K); Troy Tulowitzki, SS (.152 BA, HR); Jayson Nix, 2B (.111 BA; 5-for-45); Ubaldo Jimenez, SP (1-7, 4.85 ERA); Jeff Francis, SP (2-6, 5.49 ERA); Greg Reynolds, SP (5.98 ERA in 8 starts), Manny Corpas, RP (6.37 ERA, 4 Sv); Franklin Morales, SP (1-2, 6.39 ERA) OUTLOOK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON: Believe it or not, the Rockies are only 8.5 games out despite having the biggest group of disappointments in all of baseball. With star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki nearing a return from the DL and everyone else on the roster relatively healthy, it is not unrealistic to think they can get back in this thing really quick. The World Series hangover could be wearing off and they could be waking up. They've won 9 of their last 13 games. Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries - Rafael Furcal has been on the DL since May 13th; 3B candidates Nomar Garciaparra and Tony Abreu are both on the 60-day DL; Andy Laroche was just activated; Andruw Jones has been on the DL since May 25th; Brad Penny was placed on the DL yesterday; Jason Schmidt has yet to pitch this season Disappointments -Andruw Jones, CF (.165 BA, 2 HR, 45 K's); Chin-lung Hu, SS (.159 BA); Mark Sweeney, PH (.115 BA; 6-for-52); Scott Proctor, RP (5.64 ERA); Brad Penny, SP (5-9, 5.88 ERA); Derek Lowe, SP (4-6, 4.03 ERA); Hiroki Kuroda (3-6, 4.04 ERA) OUTLOOK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON: 23 year-old Chad Billingsley has been the best starter on the team, while the rest of the staff has not met expectations. Young phenom Clayton Kershaw is probably a year away from having a serious impact. The young hitting start are putting up decent numbers but they are missing one impact bat in the middle of the lineup. If Jones can return to the lineup and start hitting like he did a few years ago, they could have a chance. San Diego Padres Injuries - Josh Bard and Chris Young have been on the DL since May 22nd; Jake Peavy had a stint on the DL; Michael Barrett was on the DL for 1.5 months; Shawn Estes has been on the DL since May 31st; Tadahito Iguchi has been on the DL since June 7th; Disappointments - Khalil Greene, SS (.226 BA, .271 OBP, 69 K's); Josh Bard, C (.200 BA, 0 HR); Michael Barrett, C (.183 BA, HR); Chris Young, SP (4-4, 4.50 ERA); Trevor Hoffman, RP (1-4, 4.50 ERA, 3 blown saves); Cla Meredith, RP (0-2, 4.86 ERA); Joe Thatcher, RP (0-4, 7.40 ERA); Jim Edmonds, OF (.178 BA, HR) OUTLOOK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON: They've finally started playing up to expectations but are still facing some injury problems. Scott Hairston, Brian Giles, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Paul McAnulty have all missed time due to injury. Chris Young, Tadahito Iguchi, and Josh Bard could still be out for an extended period of time. Jake Peavy made it through one start since coming off of the DL but some question whether he can stay healthy. Still, they have a red-hot trio in Jody Gerut, Brian Giles, and Adrian Gonzalez, to go along with a very good pitching staff. With Chase Headley joining the everyday lineup, they should be even better once they can get everyone healthy. |