NL West

Coming off two World Series wins in three years and bringing back most of their major contributors, the San Francisco Giants have to live up to lofty expectations.

With the return of all five members of the rotation, several key bullpen members and All-Stars Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, the Giants were expected to make a run at the West. 

The San Francisco Giants have lost all four of Matt Cain's starts this season, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Tuesday, as they continue a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park.

The San Francisco Giants' starting rotation—which has been the foundation of the team's run toward two World Series titles in the last three years—is struggling to open 2013.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a solid 6-4 record this season, largely due to hot starts from a few key players. With four of the five NL West teams posting winning records through the first 10 games of the 2013 season, those Dodgers must continue to produce if Los Angeles is going to emerge as division champs.

Matt Kemp's sluggish start is suddenly the least of the Los Angeles Dodgers' concerns.

Let’s face it, the San Diego Padres haven’t been off to a great start. With a measly 2-8 record, a slew of injuries and a plethora of problems, things aren’t looking good for the Padres.

But not everything is bleak, as some players have been performing quite well.

Spoiler Alert: the Padres would fail high school.

Joe Garagiola Jr., senior vice president of standards and on-field operations for Major League Baseball, announced the punishments for both Carlos Quentin and Jerry Hairston Jr. today for their participation in Thursday night's bench-clearing brawl in San Diego that left Dodger co-ace Zack Greinke with a broken collarbone. 

Clayton Kershaw has picked a great time to enter into contract re-negotiations with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

at Los Angeles Dodgers

One week into the season, the Dodgers sit in third place in the NL West, one game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. 

So far, the team has allowed just 10 runs in six games, demonstrating the strength of its pitching staff.  It has certainly been an impressive start, but there are some things to watch for as the season progresses.

Here are the six best early-season storylines.

Begin Slideshow