NL West: Padres running away with division

Baseball Betting Lines

08/25/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Only a monumental collapse or some gypsy curse over the next few weeks can derail the San Diego Padres in their quest for a third division title since 2005.

The Padres won the NL West five years ago and shared the title with Los Angeles the following season. The 2006 campaign was also the last time they reached the playoffs.

Great pitching can be attributed to San Diego's surprising success this year. A little help too from All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has the division leaders sitting 5 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco.

Will Venable became the latest star at the plate on Tuesday and clubbed a two- run homer in a 5-0 win over rival Arizona.

"[Heading into the] end of August and coming into September, it's time to grind it out and there can't be any letdowns," Venable told MLB.com after San Diego matched last season's win total at 75.

San Diego (75-49) clinched a seventh straight month of winning baseball with last night's win. Including this current series with the Diamondbacks, the Padres will face division opponents eight times until the end of the regular season.

On a bullpen note, Padres closer Heath Bell has converted each of his last 24 save chances and is first in the National League with 37 on the season. San Diego's bullpen has the best ERA in the majors at 2.82.

WILL MANNY STAY OR WILL HE GO?

Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez has played two games since returning from the disabled list, but are his days in Dodger blue over?

Ramirez is rumored to be placed on waivers sometime this week, and both the White Sox and Rays are allegedly interested in his services.

"I don't think it's anything different than [what] goes on in July with all the rumors that fly around in July about trade possibilities," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said on the team's site. "I don't see any concern."

Ramirez hasn't been much of a contributor this season as evidenced by his eight homers and 39 runs batted in. He is, however, batting .306, but it hasn't been enough to keep the ballclub within striking distance of a playoff spot. Los Angeles is 6 1/2 games off the wild card lead and 12 games behind San Diego in the NL West.

LA (64-62) has alternated wins and losses over its last eight games and will face a tough stretch after this current series in Milwaukee. Torre's club will visit Colorado before hosting the Phillies and Giants, while the Padres are scheduled to welcome the Dodgers to Petco Park from Sept. 6-8.

In other team news for Los Angeles, starting pitcher Chad Billingsley has been pushed back until Saturday at the Rockies because of a mild calf injury. According to Torre on the club's website, the right-hander probably could take the hill on Thursday in Milwaukee, but needs the extra rest.

SLUG LINE: GIANTS HOPE BATS STAY HOT BY THE BAY

The additions of Pat Burrell and Jose Guillen were excellent, but they didn't come into focus in San Francisco's 16-5 win over Cincinnati last night.

Instead rookie Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Juan Uribe and Freddy Sanchez each played longball for a club that has outscored the Reds, 27-7, so far over the first two portions of a three-game series. Sandoval has hit safely in 12 of the last 17 games, batting .313 with five homers and 12 RBI in that span.

"Panda's back," Giants outfielder Andres Torres said of his teammate. "You've seen how his swing is, and that's the Panda that I know. He's amazing. He hits the ball really hard, that's how he hits the ball. And not just him, the team, it's been everybody. It's been fun."

The power display enabled the Giants to pull even with Philadelphia atop the National League Wild Card standings, while St. Louis is a game behind. San Diego won as well last night and still leads the NL West by 5 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco, which is embroiled in an easy homestand versus the Reds, Diamondbacks and Rockies.

San Francisco (71-56) must not overlook its opponents on this residency because it will hit the road for 10 games against the Dodgers, D'Backs and Padres. Meanwhile, Cody Ross earned his first start as a Giant Tuesday, finishing with two hits, a pair of runs scored and an RBI. Ross was acquired from Florida and joins a jumbled, but talented, outfield by the Bay.

"They're all going to play and if they're not starting they're probably going to be in there," Giants skipper Bruce Bochy said of the outfielders.

ROCKIES' PLAYOFF HOPES ON LIFE SUPPORT

The playoff fate of the Colorado Rockies could be decided within the next week in matchups against the Dodgers, Giants, Phillies and Padres.

At five games off the final postseason berth in the National League, Colorado (65-60) must get solid pitching out of its starters, most notably Cy Young candidate Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez has lost two of his last three starts and is only 2-3 with a 4.04 earned run average in his last seven outings.

Jimenez is tied with CC Sabathia (Yankees) and Adam Wainwright (Cardinals) for the league lead in wins with 17, and was denied his 18th victory of the season last Saturday in a 3-1 loss to the lowly Diamondbacks.

"I made a lot of mistakes in the whole game and they just made me pay in those two pitches," said Jimenez, who is trying to become the first Rockies pitcher in team history with 18 wins in a season. "I was trying to be there for my team, throw strikes and get hitters out. I wish every time I go out there I can throw a shutout but it's not like that."

The hard-throwing right-hander isn't scheduled to pitch again until August 27 against the Dodgers. Jason Hammel is next on the team in wins with an 8-7 mark, while NL MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez just became the seventh player in team history with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in a season.

Colorado has won three in a row and will shoot for a three-game sweep of the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves Wednesday at Coors Field.

D'BACKS READY TO END DISAPPOINTING CAMPAIGN

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been in existence since 1998 and suffered through their worst season in 2004, when the club ended 51-111.

Arizona is headed for another downtrodden season in 2010 and currently sports a dismal 49-77 record. It has lost two straight and six of its last eight games, including the opener of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday from Petco Park.

Young prospect Ryan Roberts was recalled from Triple-A Reno this week and did not impress last night, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.

"He went down to Reno and did a good job. It's his time. It's his job to go out and prove he belongs on the 2011 roster," Arizona interim general manager Jerry Dipoto said on the team's site before Roberts went hitless in San Diego.

Justin Upton had a hit and three walks for Arizona last night and has reached base via a hit or walk in six straight games, batting .381 over that stretch. Adam LaRoche struck out three times in four at-bats, however, after entering the game batting .304 over his last 12 contests.

Arizona will visit rival San Francisco over the weekend.