Both the Giants and Dodgers are officially in the postseason. San Francisco punched their ticket on Monday and Dodgers did the following day.
Before the season, we all expected an all-out war between the Dodgers and the Padres, not the Giants. Heck, ESPN ranked the Giants 23rd in their pre-season power rankings and projected them to finish 75-87.
But baseball is not that simple. Lo and behold, we’ve got a battle between the Giants and Dodgers, adding yet another chapter to their storied rivalry. The Padres are in free fall mode, and San Francisco and Los Angeles aren’t just fighting for the NL West crown, but for the best record in baseball.
The Giants lead the division with a 95-51 record and are a game and a half ahead of the Dodgers. San Francisco’s bid to win their tenth straight game was stopped last night, but they’re still red-hot, as are the Dodgers, who have won six straight.
So who comes out on top in the West? Below, we make a case for both the Giants and Dodgers to win the division, and what will potentially lead each team to the promise land.
The Case for the Giants
They’ve got magic this year. Farman Zaidi’s savvy offseason moves have paid off. They can hurt you in so many different ways. They can mix and match like no other team in baseball. Facing a lefty? Simply plug in Wilmer Flores, Austin Slater, Darin Ruf, and Thairo Estrada. Facing a righty? Use Steven Duggar, LaMonte Wade Jr, and Tommy La Stella.
They may not be the most stacked team in all of baseball, but they are one of the deepest teams in baseball. You’ve also got a solid top three in your rotation with Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, and Logan Webb. And it shouldn’t be too long before Alex Wood comes off the COVID list. Johnny Cueto is also getting closer.
The Case for the Dodgers
The Dodgers are the better team on paper, with a rotation that consists of Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and Julio Urias. They’re the deepest team in all of baseball.
The defending champions are hell bent on another ring. They’re so deep that they have Trea Turner playing second instead of his natural shortstop. They, like the Giants, are able to mix and match quite well. When you’re facing a lefty, you can simply plug in Albert Pujols, who mashes left-handed pitching. Max Muncy is having another strong season as well.
Their bullpen is one of the deeper ones as well, featuring Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, Brusdar Graterol, Shane Greene, Corey Knebel, and Blake Treinen.
They may not be in first now, but they could be before long. So watch out.
We’ll see what happens down the stretch, but we certainly have an exciting race on our hands here. It might just come down to the last day of the regular season, or even a tiebreaker game.
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