2 weeks Ago
The San Diego Padres lead the NL West with a 17-8 record, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are just a game behind the Friars. More news: Padres Top Prospect Hits For Cycle in Impressive Display . The two teams won't face off until June, but MLB insider Bob Nightengale believes the defending champions are still the favorite to win the division.
“I still think the Dodgers are the clear-cut favorite," Nightengale told Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain on Dodgers Dougout Live . "I still think it’s probably more of a two-team race. I’m not gonna dismiss the Diamondbacks.
I don’t see the Giants hanging around. But I do think all four teams have a chance to make the playoffs.” While the NL West is considered baseball's best division, the Padres' league-leading performance thus far is beyond impressive given the slew of injuries to star players.
Yu Darvish, Jake Cronenworth, Jackson Merrill, and Luis Arraez are all on the injured list just one month into the season. Despite the injuries, the Padres have continued to roll through the season almost seamlessly with a strong showing from their depth players. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have endured some setbacks with their pitching staff, but have a relatively healthy lineup.
The defending champions have not shown much offensive firepower, with many of their hitters struggling at the plate. As for whether the Padres are concerned about the Dodgers, manager Mike Shildt recently answered. “We only take care of what we can control.
We think about the Dodgers — you brought it up — we respect it, we compete against them, we compete against everybody. We have 162 games. They’re on the schedule.
It’s really about how we compete, how we play and how we carry ourselves and how we take care of our business,” Shildt said. “We do that and play the game the right way — regardless of opponent we’ll feel good about shaking hands a lot of the times. I don’t want to spend any mental energy on any other club.
We’re gonna respect them. We’re gonna prepare like heck for them. "But as far as really thinking about what they’re doing, I have no control over it.
You know, clearly a well-run organization, World Series champions and we look forward to the competition.” More news: When Will Luis Arraez Return to Padres Following Scary Head Injury? For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI ..
