NL West Update

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Inside the Numbers: Willie Bloomquist has a team high 19 hits and is hitting .413 with 3 stolen bases. Ryan Roberts is hitting .500 (18/36) and leads the D-Backs with 10 runs scored. Gerardo Parra and Chris Young each have 11 runs batted in. Justin Upton, Young, Russell Branyan, and Wily Mo Pena all have 3 home runs for Arizona. Upton has been caught stealing 5 times in 6 attempts this spring. Aaron Heilman has thrown a team high 17 innings in 5 starts posting a 4.76 ERA. Barry Enright made 17 starts as a rookie in 2010 going 6-7 with a 3.91 ERA and has pitched well in 4 appearances this spring posting a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings. David Hernandez who spent the past two years in Baltimore has thrown 7 innings this spring and allowed just 1 run on 2 hits.

Of Note: J.J. Putz was projected to be the Arizona closer in 2011, but was pulled from his outing on Friday due to tightness in his back, and now there's concern that the injury may be more serious than originally believed. Putz has not been a full time closer since 2008 when he was with the Mariners spending 2009 with the Mets where he struggled, but bouncing back in 2010 with the White Sox as a setup man for Bobby Jenks. Putz's best season came in 2007 when he saved 40 games and posted a 1.38 ERA over 68 appearances. This would be a big blow to the Diamondbacks if he's forced to miss any significant amount of time.


COLORADO ROCKIES

Inside the Numbers: Willy Taveras leads the team with 5 stolen bases but has 0 walks in 44 spring at bats. Ty Wigginton has a team high 3 home runs and has driven in 9. 23 year old first base prospect Ben Paulsen leads the team with 11 runs batted in and has four triples in 24 at bats. Paulsen spent 2010 with Advanced A Modesto and hit .311 with 29 doubles 8 triples and 12 home runs while driving in 83. This spring he's hitting .458 (11/24). Jonathan Herrera has 3 triples this spring and leads the team in runs with 10 while batting .350 (14/40). Greg Reynolds leads Colorado with 19 1/3 innings this spring in 5 appearances but has a 6.05 ERA. Ubaldo Jimenez has tossed 13 1/3 innings in his 4 starts but has a 4.73 ERA with 6 walks and 6 strike outs.

Of Note: 40 year old Jason Giambi is hoping to break camp with the Rockies once again. He's in the midst of his best spring in a few years batting .348 (9/23) with a pair of doubles, two home runs and 6 runs batted in. He's also drawn 5 walks. Giambi hit .244 over 87 games last season, but hit just 6 home runs. His power numbers haven't been very good since 2008 when he hit 32 for the Yankees. Giambi will enter 2011 with 415 career home runs averaging better than 40 a year between 2000 and 2003. He's not feared by pitchers though drawing 5 intentional walks last season. And just to keep them on their toes, he also tied a career high with 2 stolen bases last year.


LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Inside the Numbers: Matt Kemp leads the Dodgers this spring in hits (13), runs batted in (10) and is tied with Hector Gimenez for the team lead in home runs with 3. Marcus Thames has a team high 5 doubles and is hitting .333 (10/30). Tony Gwynn Jr. is hitting .333 with 6 stolen bases. Jay Gibbons has just 3 hits in 26 at bats this spring. Xavier Paul has 14 strikeouts in 35 at bats but has a pair of home runs. Rafael Furcal is hitting .243 (9/37) and has no extra base hits and just one stolen base. Clayton Kershaw leads the Dodgers in innings with 17 over 4 starts and has a team 12 strikeouts to go along with a 2.65 ERA.

Of Note: Scott Elbert has allowed just 1 hit in his 5 appearances this spring but he has 9 walks in that time. So while opposing batters are hitting at just an .071 clip again him, he's allowing more than 2 baserunners an inning. Elbert's appeared briefly with LA the past 3 seasons, appearing in a total of 30 games and going 2-1 with a 6.84 ERA but he has struck out more than a batter an inning. Elbert's control problems were evident last year in AAA when he walked 34 hitters in 43 1/3 innings in 9 starts. He did however have 45 strikeouts. He did get some better results in the Arizona Fall League as a reliever appearing in 10 games for the Phoenix Desert Dogs and striking out 15 in 11 2/3 innings while walking just 4 and posting a 3.09 ERA. Odds are Elbert is headed back to AAA to work as a reliever, but if he can ever get some control over his pitches the former 1st round pick has a chance to be a decent lefty option out of the pen.


SAN DIEGO PADRES

Inside the Numbers: Aaron Cunningham leads the Padres with 13 runs scored this spring while batting .325 (13/40). My former nemesis, ex-Wheaton Lyon Chris Denorfia, is tied for the team lead in hits with 14 and is batting .400 (14/35). Jorge Cantu is hitting just .194 (6/31) but has a team high 11 runs batted in. 23 year old outfield prospect Cedric Hunter, who shares my birthday, is second behind Cantu with 10 runs batted in and is 10 for 23 (.435) with 4 doubles. Cory Luebke leads the team in innings with 16 1/3 and strike outs with 17, and is 2-0 with a 4.96 ERA. Colt Hynes has 5 1/3 scoreless innings this spring with 9 strike outs. Luke Gregerson has tossed 6 scoreless innings this spring and Luis Perdomo has allowed just 2 unearned runs in 7 innings of work.

Of Note: The Padres have high hopes for 23 year old Cameron Maybin who will play in his 5th major league season in 2011 and first for the Padres. Maybin has appeared in just 168 games over the past 4 years, but is very toolsy and has a huge upside. While his can't miss status has dimmed somewhat, he did set career highs in a number of categories with the Marlins last season including games (82), runs (46), hits (68), triples (3), home runs (8), runs batted in (28), walks (24) and steals (9). Now those certainly aren't numbers to build a resume around, but with a fresh start in a new place, and tempered expectations, Maybin has a great opportunity to make in impact out west. This spring Maybin is hitting .394 (13/33) and has a pair of home runs.


SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Inside the Numbers: The Kung-fu Panda, Pablo Sandoval, leads the Giants with 16 hits this spring. Aubrey Huff has a team high 4 home runs and 11 runs batted in. Sandoval, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey are right behind Huff with 10 runs batted in. Sandoval, Cody Ross and Posey also have 3 home runs. The speedy Darren Ford has 9 stolen bases but is hitting just .200 (4/20). Andres Torres has scored a team high 12 runs. Tim Lincecum has worked 17 2/3 innings this spring going 3-0 with 21 strike outs and a 2.55 ERA over 5 starts. Madison Bumgarner also has averaged better than a strikeout per inning with 18 in 15 innings. Jonathan Sanchez has worked 14 2/3 innings over 4 starts and struck out 14 while going 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA. Steve Edlefsen has not allowed a hit in 5 2/3 scoreless innings over 7 appearances this spring. The 25 year old had a 2.38 ERA in 49 games with AAA Fresno last year and a 1.69 ERA with Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Of Note: The Yourkin Watch - Matt has appeared in 4 games this spring logging 5 innings and giving up 7 hits and 3 runs. He was roughed up in a loss to Milwaukee on Monday giving up 3 runs on 4 hits in an inning of work. Jeremy Reed had the big blow with a 3-run homer. Matt has not pitched since. In other news, closer Brian Wilson has a strained oblique muscle and will be analyzed in Monday to determine the severity of the injury. Wilson, who saved 48 games last year for the World Champs, has a 1.80 ERA in 5 appearances this spring.