A recap of what happened between September 15-21 in the National League West.
The second to last week of the 2014 season featured one team clinching a playoff spot and the rest losing ground in the standings.
Team Recaps
Diamondbacks (1-6): It was a rough week for Arizona that started out on one positive note. The Dbacks began with a 6-2 win over the Giants. But Arizona then lost its next six straight, which included two at home against San Francisco and four on the road in Colorado.
Padres (6-1): San Diego had nearly the exact opposite week of Arizona. The Padres won straight against the Phillies to start off before losing the third game of a four game set. But San Diego bounced back and won game four against Philadelphia. The Padres then hosted the Giants and swept them right out of Petco Park.
Rockies (6-1): The third and fourth place teams in the division enjoyed similar weeks. Colorado lost their first game of the week 11-3 to Los Angeles before winning the next two games by scores of 10-4 and 16-2. The Rockies continued their offensive outburst over the week and swept the Diamondbacks in a four game series at Coors Field.
Giants (2-4): San Francisco started off with a 6-2 loss to Arizona before winning the final two games of the three game series. But it went downhill from their after Thursday's off day. The Giants traveled to San Diego and were swept in a three game set by the Padres.
Dodgers (4-3): It was a very interesting week offensively for Los Angeles. The Dodgers lost two of three to the Rockies before winning three of four against the Cubs. In each of the seven games, the winning team scored eight runs or more. Four times, the winning team scored more than 10 runs.
The week ahead
Diamondbacks: Three on the road against the Twins, day off, and three at home against the Cardinals.
Padres: Three at home against the Rockies and four on the road against the Giants.
Rockies: Three on the road against the Padres, day off, and three on the road against the Dodgers.
Giants: Three on the road against the Dodgers and four at home against the Padres.
Dodgers: Three at home against the Giants, day off, and three at home against the Rockies.
Player of the week
Dodgers' outfielder Yasiel Puig. There were multiple players this could have gone too, but in the end it was Puig who took it home. The outfielder finished the week with an incredible stat line: .419 avg, .471 OBP, .710 SLG, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, 12 runs scored. Rafael Ynoa nearly took this one with his .478 average, but in the end his zero homers and one run scored hurt him.
Best Individual Performance
Dodgers' catcher A.J. Ellis. During the Dodgers' 14-5 win over the Padres on September 19th, Ellis had quite the day. He went 2-4 with 3 R, 2 HR, and 4 RBI. The outbreak increased his 2014 home run total from one to three in one day.
Team of the Week
The Colorado Rockies. This nearly went to the Dodgers because they clinched at least a Wild Card spot, but the Rockies were too good to pass up. Colorado went 6-1 thanks to an incredible 9.14 runs per game. Colorado scored double digit runs three times including 16 on Wednesday the 17th and 15 two days later on Friday the 19th.
Worst Individual Performance
Dodgers' pitcher Carlos Frias. When the Dodgers lost to the Rockies 16-2 on September 17, Frias had the worst outing of his short career. The righty started and finished with this line: 0.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, and 0 Ks.