NL West

Starting the season off with a 4-8 record is probably not what Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson had in mind.

The team began 1-7, marking it the worst start in franchise history, with one more loss in the first eight games than the club’s inaugural season in 1998. And after finishing the past two seasons with an 81-81 finish, winning one game in eight tries is going to start raising concerns.

The rivalry between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers is the "new kid on the block" among some of the more notable ones in baseball. But it sure has picked up steam in a hurry over the past few years.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are off to one of the club’s worst starts in franchise history, starting 2-7 for the first time since 2003.

After having an off-day on April 7, the D’Backs begin a three-game series at the San Francisco Giants on April 8. The Giants have already beaten the D’Backs three times after playing a four-game series last week.

Off to a 4-1 start, the Detroit Tigers should feel a sense of urgency this season after the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals proved in 2013 that they were quickly closing the gap in the AL Central.

Are you familiar with the popular baseball phrase "small sample size?" Well, that's what we're dealing with here. I won't sugarcoat it. One week and eight games of baseball is not nearly enough to measure who is "slumping" or "surging."

But every game truly does count, so the quicker the Dodgers who are struggling can snap out of it, the sooner they can distance themselves from the rest of the NL West.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have to be growing tired of Madison Bumgarner, don’t you think?

The news of the day in Dodgers Land was shaping up to be Matt Kemp's activation from the disabled list for the team's home opener against the division rival San Francisco Giants.

It didn't take long for Yasiel Puig to overshadow that news, though. In fact, he made it completely irrelevant.

Los Angeles Dodgers star center fielder Matt Kemp is back in the lineup for Friday's home opener against the San Francisco Giants after recovering from a potentially career-threatening left ankle injury.

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Brian Wilson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a nerve irritation in his right (pitching) elbow, the team announced following Tuesday's 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres.

With Opening Day finally in the books, the Los Angeles Dodgers have officially begun their NL West title defense. Whether or not they will be successful is obviously the big question of the season. As we look forward six months, there are certainly plenty of reasons to be hopeful.