NL West

To say it’s been a bumpy road for the Dodgers this season would be a vast understatement. It’s been an oil-slicked road filled with gaping potholes and fallen power lines.

Just over a quarter of the way into the season, the Blue Crew is a pitiful 19-26, has been marred by injuries to key players and has been dealing with undermining questions from the media about manager Don Mattingly.

Stop me if you have heard this one before, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are spending a lot of money in 2013 and not seeing expected results. This is, unfortunately, an obvious and frustrating reality for fans in the City of Angels.

After the most recent road trip, when the San Francisco Giants went 1-5 against the Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies, fans are starting to run around like Chicken Little, proclaiming that the sky is falling. And while it was undoubtedly a disastrous week in terms of pitching and defense, there is reason to be optimistic about how the rest of the season will unfold for the Giants.

After Ryan Vogelsong fractured his pitching hand on Monday night, the San Francisco Giants are faced with the decision of who will replace him in the starting rotation.

Despite the suddenness of the injury, it is likely that the leading candidates to fill Vogelsong’s spot have already been placed under the microscope.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke is 15-0 with a 2.89 ERA in 24 games at Miller Park, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Tuesday as he prepares to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.

Even though the San Francisco Giants sit near the top of the National League West, they have been presented with some unpleasant surprises to begin the 2013 season.

The starting pitching has been among the worst in the league.

The defense has been porous, committing 35 errors (second-most in the league) through 45 games.

Still, mostly because of an impressive offense and a spectacular bullpen, the club has held its own in a tough division.

The 2002 World Series Loss Still Stings

Winning World Series titles in 2010 and 2012 should have pushed any lingering pain of the San Francisco Giants 2002 World Series loss far into the stratosphere—especially since I was among the million at the purely joyous 2010 parade.

Buster Posey is the reigning NL MVP after completing a season where he helped lead the San Francisco Giants to their second World Series title in three seasons.

In 2012, Posey hit .336 with 24 home runs and 103 RBI. Posey also led the Giants with an OPS of .957.

The San Francisco Giants have a reputation for winning with pitching and defense.