With a season spanning over six months and games lasting upwards of three hours, the entertainment in baseball is most of the time stretched out over days, weeks or even months. And while some may see this as drawn out compared to other sports like football or basketball, one of the most exciting races for a division title in recent memory is happening and has been happening for the past two months in the National League.
Ever since the end of the All-Star Break, the NL West has been in a state of constant upheaval between the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. All three teams have remained close in the standings with each other, never falling farther than a few games back behind and immediately catching back up should the others slip.
Up until last week, the Diamondbacks were seemed to be the favored over Colorado to fight out the Dodgers for the division spot, until a nasty 7-13 slide. These last 20 games ultimately knocked them out of the running. Led by the dominant season of Paul Goldschmidt as well as the stability of pitchers Robbie Ray and Zach Greinke, the Diamondbacks had put up a fight for well over a month, until they were finally knocked out of contention on the 23rd. While they were knocked out, they have not made it any easier for the other two, taking two of three games from the Dodgers and putting them just behind Colorado.
The Rockies, on the other hand, have largely been successful since the All-Star Break, with several rough patches in between. They went 14-14 through August, and the offense didn’t seem to be 100 percent until early September, outscoring opponents 130-78 since the 1st of the month. Nolan Arenado has been on fire at the plate this season, leading the team in batting average, home runs, RBI, and on-base percentage. Colorado has also had a considerably better record this month, going 16-8 as of Sept. 26th, slightly edging out the Dodgers at 16-10, and blowing out the Diamondbacks who are at a measly 7-17. Should the bats keep coming, the Rockies may end up clinching the division.
While the Rockies are hot right now, the Dodgers still have them in the crosshairs. Only half a game back, Los Angeles’ next series is up against the struggling San Francisco Giants, while the Rockies face a slightly better off Nationals next. Clayton Kershaw’s pitching is as solid as ever, boasting a season ERA of 2.53, among the best in the National League. Manny Machado, while initially in a small slump after his trade from Baltimore, is nearly back in his groove, hitting .292 in his last seven games with two doubles and two home runs. So while the Rockies have just now found their offense, the Dodgers have had theirs as well as solid pitching to boot.
As of September 26th, Colorado has four games left to play, and Los Angeles only has three. The distance between either team and the NL West Pennant is only half of a game in the standings. Both Colorado and Los Angeles are setting up for success, while Arizona put them both in this showdown in the first place. With less than a week to go, the NL West race will be the most exciting division to watch in the remaining days of the MLB’s regular season.
Jack Gleckler is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jack by tweeting him at @thejackgleckler.
