NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw has been sensational since coming up to the big leagues in 2008. He has lived up to all of the hype and should be locked up by the Dodgers to a long-term contract.

Despite less than three full years of Major League Baseball experience, Kershaw is already one of the top pitchers in all of baseball and seems to get better each start.

Dear Rockies Fan,

April 18th was very difficult. There's no two-ways about it. An 8-1 loss is tough to take, no matter who you are. 

In the midst of this hard loss, there are a some things that bear repeating.

Coming into Monday's opening game of a three-game series between the Giants and Rockies at Coors Field, the buzz around baseball was how the Colorado Rockies have surged to a 12-3 start right out of the gate in 2011.  Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki have been called the best 1-2 offensive punch in the game and the Rockies seemed to be unstoppable.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Barry Zito sprained a ligament in his foot on Saturday night and had to leave a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

A strained ligament can only be so serious, right?

Alan Johnson won't soon forget his Major League debut. However, it probably wasn't what he originally dreamed of as a kid. The righty rookie only lasted four innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out three. He threw 93 pitches in the process.

It appears that the Arizona Diamondbacks have a different lineup every game. They have players who can play multiple positions and that has given manager Kirk Gibson multiple options to put a winning lineup together.

Now it looks like Gibson has found his new double play combo with shortstop Stephen Drew and the tattoo heavy second baseman Ryan Roberts. 

Aaron Rowand has been a certified pariah since his first season in San Francisco.

His performance at the plate has not endeared him to the fans or management, and it showed with his reduced role in the latter half of the 2010 season.

Standing on the mound at 6'5" and 250 pounds, J.J. Putz is a force on the mound.

He has the prototypical look of a poster child for closers. He’s got the presence, he’s got the size, and most importantly he’s got the stuff.

When he was a closer with the Seattle Mariners from 2006 to 2008, he saved 91 games, recorded a 2.34 ERA, and struck out 242 batters in just 196 1/3 innings.

The Colorado Rockies knew going into the season that their rotation was going to be better than the experts gave them credit for.

When the San Francisco Giants called up Matt Cain in August of 2005, he made his debut as the second youngest pitcher in the major leagues.  Now in his seventh season as a big leaguer, Cain is a seasoned veteran with a laundry list of accomplishments to his credit.  He finished last year's World Championship season with a 13-11 record with a 3.14 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 177 strikeouts, 61 walks, 223 innings pitched and four complete games (including two shutouts).