Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Battle For 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. Read the rest of this entry »
