The NL West was said to be the worst division in the National League, with only an average of 75 wins and 87 losses last season. Now on August 10th, they are the best in the National League now an average of 57 wins and 54 losses.
That might not sound so great, but this is. The entire division the NL Central has an average of 53 wins and 57 losses, and the NL East has an average of 53 wins and 57 losses (the Nationals bring them down), but still with no huge additions.
Talent-wise, all teams have generally made some upgrades. Orlando Hudson is now a Dodger, Edgar Renteria has boosted the Giants' infield, and Jason Marquis has acted as an "ace" in Colorado thus far, helping the team win many games. More important than these new additions is the improved performance of many ordinary teammates in the midst of career years.
The most dangerous team so far in the West would be the LA Dodgers. Much of the team's success in 2009 results from its drastically improved pitching rotation. Chad Billingsley is having a great season, but so are Clayton Kershaw and Randy Wolf. Hiroki Kuroda has been serviceable as well, creating a very deep rotation in LA.
Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez, and Matt Kemp have all led a great offensive charge, helping the team to more runs per game in 2008. The offense in LA is now one of the most dangerous in baseball.
The improvement for the Giants has been its pitching, with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain at the top of their order, with 24 wins between both of them. They're pretty much unstoppable but the biggest improvement was Pablo Sandoval, with a .332 average, 17 home runs, and 68 RBIs for the Rockies.
While the Rockies lost their best hitter in Matt Holliday, key contributions from Troy Tulowitzki, Brad Hawpe, Ian Stewart, Todd Helton, and others have made Holliday's absence virtually unnoticeable. Aaron Cook and Jason Marquis have been more than reliable as starting pitchers.
With the Dodgers having the best record in the NL and Giants and Rockies both at top of the wild card chase, the league had better watch out for them in the playoffs .
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