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thejetstolehome: hiatus? won the Throwdown.

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thejetstolehome: hiatus?

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Whatsittoya, NO
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Cos Cob/Storrs, CT
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Who will win the National League West in 2007


Two months ago I would have said hands down its the Dodgers because not only do they have the most talent in the division, they will do what it takes down the stretch to acquire the necessary players to put them over the top. The player the Dodgers signed? David freakin Wells.(instead yawn and bacon double cheeseburger here) The Diamondbacks are going to win this division because the Dodgers and Padres arent playing consistently enough to put the big winning streaks together to overtake them. Arizona has been smokin hot, winning 21 or 28 games in a very recent stretch. The Arizona Diamondbacks are 2007 NL West champs. Yuck.


The Diamondbacks may be in first now but I think the Padres will make a charge to win the division. The fact that Arizona is being outscored by opponents will finally catch up to them (Micah Owings aside). The Padres' great pitching will overcome for a not-so-great offense but even that is getting a boost in the form of Milton Bradley.

San Diego just came off of a series win in New York and will most likely sweep the floundering Phillies and win their series against the downward spiraling Dodgers so they have some momentum going into their series against Arizona in which they will eliminate their defecit and take over first place.


The Padres? Are you kidding me jet? With a profile pic including an LA Dodger hat i thought for sure......Anyways, I dont need to educate anybody on this site about how anemic the Padres are offensively. I mean how do you explain Peavey and Young having more losses each than Brad Penny unless they are pitching for a bunch of guys who may as well be holding toothpicks up there at the plate. Examples? Gladly:
Mike Cameron .254 batting average, down power year even for him
Adrian Gonzalez .279 and he is the Padre "cleanup" hitter
Milton Bradley hit two home runs last night for a total of...7 for the SEASON
Khaliel Greene 1-6 last night dropped is average to pathetic .246
Worse? Ok their 3B Kouzmanoff went 4-5 last night to boost to .244
The catcher is Josh Freakin Bard, can you say defensive specialist?
Their regular 2B Marcus Giles is hitting a Mendosa on the right .229
Their best PH coming off the bench is Jeff Blum. Ouch. Average? .251
Padre fan might say hey best PH is Termell Sledge! ok he is @ .216
The best hitter on this team is their leadoff guy, yeah LEADOFF guy Brian Giles at .301, and he has more power than 80% of the guys hitting less than leadoff. Go Padres


Yes they're offense is bad. However, I wouldn't sleep on Bradley becuase he's been absolutely raking since being picked up by San Diego. Also, they've got some momentum and have been scoring a lot of runs lately. Like I said, they just came off a series win against the Mets in New York and are playing a decimated Phillies team which will only give them more steam for the upcoming series with Arizona.

Arizona's offense is even weaker than San Diego's. They've been outscored on the season and how they're in first is beyond me. Anyway, San Diego's ridiculous pitching (top five in just about every category) will make Arizona (again, Micah Owings aside) look even more silly in the stretch run. Behind their arms, San Diego will win the NL West. Lately in the Majors, good pitching will get you much father than good hitting (ugh, Yankees) and so will being hot (I'm looking at you, St. Louis). With their momentum, San Diego will be in first for good come the second week of August.


Bradley can rake all he wants, the problem is there are no leaves on the lawn to rake up, so to speak, as the Padres dont get on base very often and Bradley isnt going to suddely become the king of the solo homer. Momentum and 6 bucks will buy you a latte at Starbucks. Beating a Mets team in a series, beating Philly in a series, bottom line they need to be sweeping series if they plan on catching the desert on fire D'Backs. The Padres havent been making anybody look silly since April, so that prediction is based on nothing. The Arizona D'Backs just flat out get it done, not with stats or starts obviously, but with grit and the determination of youth. The Padres surging ahead and holding off anybody is laughable as like I said, they havent done that since the opening month, and their hitting isnt getting it done to keep guys like Greg Maddux, who always give you great starts at 7 innings+, from sucking up 9 losses already. When was the last time Maddux lost 9+ games for a team he pitched to a division title? Arizona D'Backs will bring their state out of the bomb shelters where they stay cool from the summer desert this October.


First, to answer your question about Maddux, he lost 9+ games in 1996 and 1998-2003 for division winners so that argument is pretty much moot. Their offense, much like St. Louis' last year is downright medicore but they have MUCH better pitching than last year's Cardinals. If they could get a divison title, so will the Padres. Being top 5 in everything will definitely pay off for the Padres.

Arizona's offense is even worse than San Diego's and thier pitching, though good, isn't quite up to snuff with San Diego's. Though Arizona is winning the head to head matchup with San Diego this year, I don't think they'll keep it up. After all, they are young and relatively inexperienced and that may hurt them in this stretch run. Regardless of this throwdown, the upcoming series between these teams will determine the NL West Division winner. That team will be the San Diego Padres.

Comments (33)

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I actually still think the Padres. I'll wait to vote.

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just a note now, i'm going to be packing today and moving back into school tomorrow so if i'm slow with arguments, that's why.

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THE JET STOLE HOME THE JET STOLE HOME (Benny gives thumbs up here)!!!!!!

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vote to the jet because cassidy downed an experienced veteran (wells) he can still pitch hes been in the post season before he can help the younger pitchers, and experience is key in the playoffs.

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It seems dude above must be keeping most of his knowledge from us because he has a basketball member name, but that being said David Wells is not the player the Dodgers needed to sign when the reason they are losing games is obvious to everyone on earth, they have no POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR LINEUP. Jeff Kent? He is a doubles hitter at best now and Luis Gonzalez is getting slappier with each passing year so the Dodgers cant get that three run shot on one pitch that virtually every other team in the league is a threat to do on any of their rally innings.
-Cassidy

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lol my avatar is Benny the Jet Rodriguez, not me.

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Who is your fav team on the diamond jet?
-C

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Yankees.

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I dont think they will keep it up? Based on what? Arizona is winning head-to-head for a reason based on fact, not on I-dont-think-so. Being young and "inexperienced" will keep the pressure off them down the stretch because they have never learned how to lose, unlike the Padres who are always in permanent first round reject cycle every year in the playoffs. The best I will give the Padres is a wildcard, but I actually think they wont even get that for mathmatical reasons listed in my second argument.
-C

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Huh, that movie is a classic. Perhaps the best sports movie of all time (all due respect, Rudy, Pride of the Yankees, and When We Were Kings).

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dodgers wouldnt win either way who would they sign as a power hitter?

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They already picked up Craig Monroe.

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Dodgers had a shot to get Mike Lowell from the Redsox(.319, 90 RBI), Matt Holliday from Rockies (.334, 23 Bombs) as just two of many examples of players they didnt pull the trigger on when an offer was to be made. If either of those guys had signed a month ago LA could be 2-3 games closer which might make the difference in this division come late next month.
-Cassidy

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getting Lowell wouldn't have helped. dude tanks in the second half like woah.

first half splits: .281/.348/.500/.848
second half splits: .272/.337/.427/.764

as for one of my many man crushes, Matt Holliday, i think they were hesitant on him becuase many believe he'll be harder to re-sign because he's a) freaking awesome and b) is a Scott Boras client. Matt, there's always a spot for you in LF in the Bronx. ;-)

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Michah owings is the hottest hitter in the national league
he has HOMERS IN BACK TO BACK GAMES
and 7 rbis in the last 2 games i call that hot.....

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who would they have given for holliday?

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Andre Either(young stud who would flourish in Coors Field) and or youth as the Dodgers have one of the most talented minor league systems in the majors and the Rockies need young and talented pitching if they are ever going to make a SERIOUS run at going deep in the playoffs. The fact that they are two games over .500 right now means this is not going to be the year that happens.
-C

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thats sad that they wouldnt make that trade, but i think the cleveland has the best minor league system i mean mostly all of their players are from their minors.

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man, i love Holliday and Ethier.

Colorado will make a run next year. their offense has a tendency to stall out and starting pitching is always a question but i have faith in them to do real well next year.

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Last time I checked most of Arizona's young players who have them in first place are from their minor league system too. Would you make the trade if I did James Loney and a minor league pitching prospective stud from LA Triple A team, mr elf?
-C

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