Jon Heyman thinks D-backs, Dodgers are favorites to win NL West
Jun 4, 2018, 1:03 PM | Updated: 4:58 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed, right, dives in ahead of the tag of Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal on an inside-the-park home run during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 9, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
It’s been a good start to June for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman needs to see more play emulating the last two series before declaring them National League West favorites.
He said it was too early to say the D-backs have re-gained their April form on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Bickley & Marotta Monday morning.
“They’ve proven to be very streaky to this point,” Heyman said. “I think it’s a solid team, the bullpen has been excellent overall, the lineup is decent, though batting averages are a bit low.”
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After having perhaps their best month in franchise history, the D-backs went 8-19 in May and lost a lead in the NL West that, at one point, seemed to be teetering on insurmountable.
However, they closed May with a 2-1 series victory over the Cincinnati Reds and then started June by sweeping the Miami Marlins.
It was their first sweep since April 2-4.
Be careful of celebrating too quickly, though; the Reds and Marlins have the two worst records in the National League.
And while Arizona re-took the lead in the NL West, they had some help from the Colorado Rockies, who have lost their last four games and got swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Rockies are 1.5 games behind the D-backs and one game in front of the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
Heyman said he thinks the Giants’ injuries will prevent them from bouncing back from the 98-loss 2017 season, putting them in a tier below the other three teams.
As for Colorado, Heyman thinks they won’t be able to maintain first-place pace as long as the D-backs and Dodgers.
“I think the Rockies, to me, have more warts than the other two teams,” he said.
As for the remaining two, it’s a coin toss.
“I’m not sure that there’s a team to beat,” Heyman said. “You could probably say the Dodgers because they’ve been the perennial champion.”
Nevertheless, Los Angeles has its own issues: premier players including shortstop Corey Seager and pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu are injured, and others have been under-performing. Third baseman Justin Turner hasn’t found his groove after missing the first seven weeks of the season due to a fractured left wrist.
Plus, the luxury tax threshold at $197 million could prevent them from trading for a star such as third baseman Manny Machado of the Orioles.
Heyman said the D-backs pitching staff and strong bullpen can help as the lineup recovers – “it should get going,” he said, and added that the team needs to get first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hitting again.
He thinks the D-backs have a chance to remove Los Angeles from the division driver’s seat after five years of Dodgers domination.
“I think we’re looking at Dodgers-Diamondbacks, it’s a nice rivalry, probably the winner will come from one of those two teams,” Heyman said.
