Every week we'll take a look at our division rivals in the National League West, see who's playing well, who's struggling, and what fans are talking about around the division...
Record: 10-10
Looking Good: Carlos Gonzalez (.385/.484/.731) - The man they call CarGo has been a general force of terror in the Rockies lineup for the past few seasons, and he's definitely carrying that into spring training this year. Five of his ten hits have been for extra bases, and when you add on his five walks, he's a threat every time he steps up to the plate.
Time to Worry?: Michael Cuddyer (.138/.219/.172) - Looking elsewhere in the Rockies outfield, though, the same can't be said of Michael Cuddyer's spring numbers. For his part, Cuddyer says he's not concerned- he's just focused on his health, and that's feeling good. But he says he's not concerned and he'll produce better during the season.
Storyline of the Week: Jhoulys Chacin's Delayed Return - Chacin was shut down last month for shoulder strain. Original plans were to have him back in early April, but Bill Geivett, the assistant GM, said Wednesday that the ETA now is early May for Chacin. The Rockies are seeing good results from their other starters this spring, but you know how Coors Field plays, and they can never have too many starters.
Record: 6-10
Looking Good: Dan Haren (1.80 ERA) - One of the off-season signings for the Dodgers, Haren has been looking pretty strong in his outings so far, only allowing two runs. He's giving up a fair number of hits, but they haven't been coming around to score yet.
Time to Worry?: Yasiel Puig (.122/.136/.195) - Only five hits for Puig so far this spring, and he was restricted in throwing due to some shoulder inflammation back around when players were reporting. However, his arm seems to be fine at the moment- he made some good throws in the exhibition game against Australia today.
Storyline of the Week: Dodgers Down Under- Los Angeles is dealing with the same relocation issues for the opening series of the season as the Diamondbacks are, and there's been a few more cracks in the PR face than we've seen from Arizona. Andre Ethier (did you know he went to ASU?) in particular is tired of questions, apparently. This has led some DBacks fans to post #FakeDodgerComplaints on Twitter...
Record: 6-11
Looking Good: Tommy Medica (.396/.420/.646, 2 home runs) - Medica doesn't have a gauranteed spot on the Padres roster this season, as he's fighting for a bench position. But if his numbers in spring training mean anything (spoiler: they might not) then the team is going to have a hard time justifying a choice to send him back down to the minors. Though Medica is turning 26 next month and first made it past single A ball last season, he hit a respectable .290 with a .829 OPS for San Diego in his 19 appearances in a Padres uniform.
Time to Worry?: Will Venable (.188/.212/.188) - There's a number of uninspiring offensive performances coming out of the Padres this spring, but Will Venable and his complete lack of power has to have them a little concerned. The sluggish spring has left him with more strike outs than total bases, and a few stolen bases doesn't mean much if he isn't getting on often to start with.
Storyline of the Week: Chase Headley's Back- Headley strained his right calf in practice back in February, and hasn't appeared in a game yet. He played in a Triple-A and a Double-A game yesterday, though, and is expected to make a start for the Padres today. Having his bat back in the lineup couldn't hurt for the struggling Padres.
Record: 11-9
Looking Good: Madison Bumgarner (2-0, 0.00 ERA in 3 starts) - Bumgarner did miss a start last week for the Giants, but he's been lights out otherwise. He's only allowed five hits and one walk over his ten innings of pitching this spring, so once he gets back to his usual start lengths again, I'm sure he'll be looking forward to games that count.
Time to Worry?: Ryan Vogelsong (1-1, 9.00 ERA in 3 starts) - On the other end of the spectrum, there's Ryan Vogelsong, who has given up an impressive 18 runs (15 earned) in his three starts this Spring Training. The bulk of the damage came in a 2.2 ining appearance against the Indians on Tuesday, where he allowed nine runs, only one unearned. But he also had a fairly disastrous outing against the Mariners earlier in the month. He's obviously working on something new- apparently he was trying a new windup in the Seattle start- but for a team that'll need to rely on good pitching, it has to make fans nervous.
Storyline of the Week: Timmeh? Speaking of pitching, can Tim Lincecum remake himself into a new pitcher? He's certainly not the guy who won those Cy Young Awards and terrorized the NL West (offer not valid for Paul Goldschmidt). He's only struck out four batters in four starts, and early reports don't sound good about his stamina on the mound, so he'll definitely need some work.