THOSE BEFUDDLING GIANTS COULD WELL WIN THE WEST
The West is best. Sorry, East Coast bias. There's just no way around it. The National League West is fascinating stuff this Major League Baseball season.
There's the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers (4431) with what hasn't been the expected dominant effort so far this campaign.
That said, we knew there was a chance they'd be challenged by the revamped San Diego Padres (44-32), with their go-for-broke attitude in trying to measure up to the neighbours to the north. Heading into Friday's action, they'd won seven straight games, which included a three-game sweep of the nemesis Dodgers this week. It was the Friars' first series dustoff of the Doyers since 2013.
Then what followed against the Dodgers was the seventh no-hitter of the young season, when Chicago Cubs pitchers combined for the feat in a 4-0 shutout Thursday night.
But did anybody foresee both of the star-studded Dodgers and Padres falling short of what the rag-tag San Francisco Giants (4826) are doing this year to stand atop the NL West?
Those Bay boys are befuddling with a no-name lineup, but those nobodies have collected the most wins in the majors to become somebodies with an attitude that could well — shockingly — win them the West.
But it doesn't stop there at what could realistically be a trio of post-season sides coming out of the division.
The Colorado Rockies (31-44) are at the centre of trade talks — specifically stud shortstop Trevor Story likely to be dealt after talented teammate Nolan Arenado was traded in the off-season to the St. Louis Cardinals (36-39).
And to round it out is all the unwanted noise being made by the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks (21-55), who put their historic skid away from home on the line this weekend. It was 23 losses and counting heading into San Diego — not exactly the easiest place to cure their road woes — for a three-game series that began Friday night.
A Wild West, for sure.
AROUND THE BASES
Gotta love the spot checks happening right out in the field by umpires looking for sticky substances being potentially concealed by pitchers. That's a win-win situation and a show of no-nonsense by MLB to make it a public thing rather than doing it in private in the dugout. Take that, Spider Tack
... Speaking of, um, cheaters, look who's streaking now? The Houston Astros (47-28) have won 11 straight through Thursday night in vaulting to the top of the division. Suddenly the only team with a better record in the bigs are those mystery Giants ... The AL MVP talk is taking on a life of its own between the two front-runners. It should be a no-brainer for Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero to get that award if he wins the triple crown. Trouble is L.A. Angels two-way guy Shohei Ohtani, with his 100-mph pitching and monster home-run hitting, is doing something that nobody has done in a century. His twoway play is being hailed as Babe Ruthian by betting voices such as VSIN personality Gill Alexander ... More history involving Ohtani on Wednesday saw him hit for himself as the starter, marking the first time an AL team didn't use a designated hitter for the pitcher while the NL team did with DH rules in place. Too bad Ohtani, who allowed just one run on six hits and two walks over six innings, couldn't keep the visiting Giants from scoring a whopping seven in the 13th inning of a 9-3 KO of the Angels (36-38).
EXTRA INNINGS
With all that Astros and “Shotime” talk in the AL West, the Oakland “Moneyball” Athletics could add to that West wealth with a little liberalism at the trade deadline by bringing in a few big names and going for it instead of perennially teasing us with not-quite-good-enoughto-become-champions baseball. Whaddya say, Billy Beane? No time like this year to go for it
... OK, how about a little love for the East, as the Boston Red Sox (44-31) host the New York Yankees (40-34) for a threegame set that wraps up Saturday (7:15 p.m. ET) and Sunday (1:10 p.m. ET)? History tells us they will be marathons, but entertaining ones ... That no-hitter by Cubs pitchers Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel ties a major-league record for the most in a season in the Modern Era (since 1900). There were also seven spun in 1990, 1991, 2012 and 2015. And it's still early, so expect a new no-no mark to be set. BTW: The Cubs won 4-0 over the Dodgers ... We're outta here!