The best thing the Dodgers have going for them is playing in a lousy division, in an unimpressive league

I’ve come up with an indisputable reason why the Dodgers actually have a chance to return to the playoffs for a third consecutive year:

They play in the National League West.

Or maybe I should just say, they play in the National League.

The Dodgers have been relatively unimpressive this season. Hit well in April, pitched well in May.

But they don’t do anything exceptionally well, at least not consistently. At least not so far.

Yet here they are, one game back of the Padres in the NL West. This is where I should point out the Padres have the best record in the National League.

Does anything else really have to be said about the overall strength of the National League that the mediocre Padres are currently its best team?

The Phillies had been the league’s top team the last two years, but have inexplicably come back to the pack. Right now there not only isn’t one great team in the National League, there isn’t even one that’s close.

Now this could all change as teams get healthy (Rockies?) or new stars emerge (Mike Stanton?) or key trades are made (Cliff Lee?) or young teams simply mature, but right now it’s hard to be particularly impressed by any team in the National League.

Is there one NL team right now that’s better than any of the top three teams in the American League East -- Tampa Bay, New York or Boston?

The Dodgers only have to beat the overachieving Padres, hold off the offensively challenged Giants and hope the Rockies never really get healthy and rolling, and they’re back in the playoffs.

How good do they really need to be for that?

-- Steve Dilbeck

Comments

[Zen]

McCourt and Colletti are of the same mind.

There are no special prizes for running away from the field, winning the division by a furlong, when a nose will do.

Who knowses: This year's NLCS might be played against the Cardinals.

[These Dodgers Suck!]

Are you a Vulcan?
Seriously! we've got this mind-meld thing going here ....

b/c you're right, while you cant discount the Rockies doing what it is they do,,,
the rest of the season is likely to be just a matter of the dodgers waiting on the rest of the division to fade into the background.

after that comes the short season and if they draw another "by" to play the team that has peaked and is fading fast again, then anthing could happen.

[Hollywood Dodger Mark]

Steve is right. Just look at the names on the NL All-Star ballot compared to the AL.

[Mike]

Not so fast, Dilbeck! First, you just make statements like "this team is better than that team" without any backup info. We have to assume the Yanks are the best, with the best record and being the current champs. But you need more than your personal bias to convince the rest of us peons that Boston and Tampa Bay are better than any NL team.

If you look at overall stats, using the All Star game you'd have to give it to the AL, but I consider the All Star game a popularity contest. Looking at the best of the best, the NL has won half the World series in the last 4 years and 4 of the last nine.

In interleague play this year, the NL and AL are exactly tied at 42-42. And the NL west has the highest overall winning percentage (.530), the best interdivision record (41-37 vs NL East, 47-37 vs NL Central), and also the best record against the AL (.593), even after the Angels sweep over the Dodgers.

So what you have is a couple of elite teams in the AL (as usual), accompanied by mediocrity everywhere else, and lots of parity in the NL, where every game is a battle. I'll take the NL, and let's see who prevails in October.

[KoufaxFan]

Parity is bliss. If the Dodgers had any kind of a decent owner LA would dominate the NL. How can they be 17th in MLB payroll!? McCreep is looking for tealeaves & tarots when they needed an ace pitcher for the past five years. The upcoming schedule is brutal & we will see just how mediocore the Dodgers really are.

[Jim McVeigh]

The fans know how bad this team, this division and this league is and yet the bum got over 50k per game. He ain`t dumb but we know who is, and the bum laughs all the way to the bank of PT BARNUM. You want a decent winning team that can compete stay away from Dodger Stadium. Thats the only thing the bum will listen to.....

[Otter Kahn]

How about justifying your premise with...facts? As of now, the NL West is a combined 88-74 versus the NL East and Central.

[Wilbur Post]

Hey Dilbeck - San Diego sports talk loves you! They railed on the "pixie dust" comments before the Dodger series in San Diego and now you give them this. Keep up the good work!

[Dallas]

I have been saying this for years, Steve, thanks. There's a reason the East & Central's record what it is - simply put, they are playing against each other!
The Dodgers, w/ their Big Market & low payroll,should be running away with the NL Worst, yet due to the ignorance of ownership, in not realizing their G(eneral) M(oron), Dread has done 1 good transaction & that was a no brainer - Head Case Bradley for Andre - duh! Other than that, he has pi$$ed away some 170 Mil & has nothing, absolutely NOTHING to show for it!
ManSham - 45 Mil; A 50 game suspension for banned substances & not been the same since & he should not even be here, but for Dread being backed into his comfortable position, the corner, & letting ManSHam & Scott Boras dictate to him & not the other way around, re: this 2nd year of his contract!
Andrew Jones - 36 Mil; he got a few innings out of Jones for a fat, lazy, out of shape tub of goo OF who the year before batted .222 & had virtually no power!
Jason Schmit - 47 Mil; & the year before, on Dread's then team, the Giants, lost 4-5 MPH off his heater yet the, ahem, "GM" doesn't see that!
Juan Pierre - 42 Mil; now, I like this guy as he's hard working, never complains, first to get on the field, last to leave, etc. but when they then needed a slugger & Dread couldn't get it done, he is forced into a 42 Mil deal for an OF with no arm or power!
Now, look at all the stiffs he has rolled thru the Bullpen for a 1-2 year deal & the accumulative $$ for all them & it's close to some 200 Mil & where are all they now & what does Dread, McDork & us fans have to show for it ?! Nothing & Dread couldn't even do the right, obvious thing & at least offer Wolf a 1 year, knowing he would not accept it, but at least getting 2 high picks in return - really Dread, you didn't know that ? Either way, you're an idiot as 1, you should have known that & 2, you probably did but for some ridiculous reason, only known to you, you chose not to do so!
Dread, have ya seen what Halladay has done in Philly, have ya ?! A workhorse of a starter with 8 Wins, 5 Complete Games & 3 Shutouts, an ERA of 1.96, a Strikeout to Walk ratio of 85/14 & has allowed but 3 Home Runs all season! His Complete Games saves the Bullpen & provides stability, & I can only imagine how he would have done here, in a Pitcher's park! But nah, we don't need a player like him - not much we don't! And we have 2 kids starting & one had never even pitched above AA & we had to settle for Padilla as our opening day Starter!

A bunch of moronic moves by Dread & one big one not made, by Century 21 Frank in not canning him !

Such a shame it has been 22, going on 23 years for all us fans, who deserve better considering the history & market.

[Dan Alexander]

The National league west has the best overall record in the "lousy" National league. Also, the senior circuit has a plus two game advantage, head to head, over the "superior" junior circuit. You are right about no National league team being better than the big three in the American league east, but the rest of your argument comes across as a weak rant, that simply ignores the facts. Though not great, the West is showing to be a pretty strong division.

Dan Alexander,
Charlotte, N.C.

[KoufaxFan]

When listing No Head Ned's deal debacles everyone always forgets the Bill Meuller $15 mill no return on investment mess.

[Wil]

This post wouldn't even exist had the Dodgers not just been swept by the Angels. Anything can happen in a 3 game series. Let's wait until the end of the season before crowning the AL vastly superior and banishing the NL West into inferiority. This feels like a knee jerk reaction post you'd read in the Dodgers Official Message Board. Not saying the points are wrong, but it just seems to have some bitter overtones. I don't think things are as gloomy and predictable as this is making it out to be. Just my opinion.

[allen gillespie]

Fortunately in baseball only blowhards argue about which team is best. That's what they play the games for. Look at the standings and that's the answer, period. The NL west rules.

[Dallas]

Thanks #32 Fan & yes, another huge loss of money & for absolutely, nothing!

I am guessing Schmit(sp?) & Mueller have never heard of Lyman Bostock; wish they had....

[Mac]

You are way off! This idea that the National League West is soft is absolutely way off base. Do you remember who had the top record in the National League last year and what division the Wild Card came from? This year, the Nat West holds the tightest race and 3/4 of the teams are within a game of first. That argument does not work anymore. Do not forget that the Padres have excellent pitching and a team taht is finally created to play at Petco...fast and hits for doubles. Also Bud Black learned how to manage from Sciosca who learned from Lasorda...hit and run, steal bases, etc. oh and pitching pitching pitching.