Injuries are reshaping NL West race
Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija and Mark Melancon and Johnny Cueto and Hunter Pence and Mac Williamson and Joe Panik and Johnny Cueto again. One by one, key players were knocked off the Giants’ roster due to injuries.
Thanks to the unpredictability and weirdness of baseball, the Giants are seven games better than last year at this point (19-17 vs. 12-24), and the thought of reaching the playoffs isn’t totally unreasonable, which normally would sound odd considering the absences of these players in the wake of a 98-loss season.
Until realizing the Dodgers are in worse shape.
When the Dodgers arrived in San Francisco on April 28 for the start of a three-city trip, Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig all were active. Now all are on the disabled list, joining team leader Justin Turner.
The Dodgers anticipated winning their sixth straight National League West title, but they’re a shell of their pennant-winning selves and far closer to the cellar than first place. They went 23-10 when Kershaw was lost to a back injury last season, but that’s when they got more from Cody Bellinger, who’s still seeking his 2017 swing, and Kenley Jansen, who’s still seeking his 2017 fastball.
It’s not just the Giants and Dodgers. The Diamondbacks, who lead the division (and league) despite J.D. Martinez free-agenting his way to Boston, are missing Robbie Ray, Taijuan Walker and Jake Lamb due to injuries, and the mighty Paul Goldschmidt has been in a funk all season.
It’s not a recipe for success, but that’s the absurd state of the division, which suddenly is up for grabs. Perhaps the healthiest team wins, and the healthiest so far has been the Rockies; DJ LeMahieu was back from the DL Tuesday.
Not to be left out, the lastplace Padres are without Wil Myers, but this could turn into a four-team race with injuries to significant players determining the division’s outcome. No team can use injuries as an excuse because sick bay is overflowing everywhere.
The champion could be the team with the depth and resolve to overcome the injuries and take advantage once those who are hurt return the field. Until further notice, the Dodgers’ streak of consecutive division titles is jeopardy.