Kennedy tries to pull Diamondbacks out of Slump

Clayton Kershaw and Ian Kennedy are both having phenomenal seasons despite the fact that they are both relatively young and inexperienced. Each pitcher has 13 wins on the year which currently ranks 2nd in the National League behind only Roy Halladay. Neither pitcher is widely recognized by the average baseball fan, but MLB handicappers and baseball experts know that they are both extremely capable starters that have the ability to be Cy Young award winners in years’ to come.

The Arizona Diamondbacks may be 8.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the National League West is actually a far closer division than it seems. The Giants lead the division with a 62-52 record, but have actually given up 9 more runs than they’ve scored. Arizona is the only team in the West that is on the plus side in terms of runs with a plus 21. However, there isn’t a single team that is horrible in this category. Timely hitting and defense could be the difference between the best and worst team in this division.

The Dodgers have a talented team, but have underachieved this season. Kershaw has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the league, but the Los Angeles rotation is very thin behind him. Hiroki Kuroda is pitching far better than his 7-13 indicates, but he hasn’t received any run support for the majority of his starts. MLB experts had this team pegged when the season started as they figured their inconsistent line-up and top-heavy pitching staff would lead to far more losses than wins.

Matt Kemp has done everything possible to not only redeem himself from a horrible 2010 campaign, but lead this team to a division title. Unfortunately only Andre Ethier and Jamey Carroll have followed his lead. The next best everyday hitter on the team is batting a miserable .251, which is why the Dodgers can seldom sustain rallies or manufacture runs. Manager Don Mattingly has already put himself on the hot-seat, but most of the attention derived from the Dodgers down-fall this season has been diverted to their negligent owner Frank McCourt.

Arizona has the same philosophy as the Colorado Rockies in that they win with offense. The difference between the two is that Colorado’s staff has lived up to baseball experts predictions, while Arizona’s has exceeded beyond expectations. Ian Kennedy has been an instrumental part to Arizona’s success this year. The D-Backs have slowly climbed their way back into the division race, and are now just a half game from taking the lead. Tune in Sunday as the Diamondbacks look to get out of their recent funk against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers with a tough road win.

 

Related posts:

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2. Yankees, Diamondbacks, Tigers Complete 7 Player Trade
3. Kershaw looks to stop Tigers Bats Monday Night
4. Angels and Dodgers Fight for Series Win Sunday
5. Vogelsong vs. Marquis in N.L. West Showdown

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