National League West News

MAY 13: Justin Upton #8 and his brother BJ Upton #2 of the Atlanta Braves wait for their turn in the batting cage during pregame against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 13, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona.

The San Francisco Giants currently hold a one-game lead in the National League West.

Carlos Quentin was not in the lineup for Thursday's game against Washington because he was at the hospital for the birth of his first son, Clark.

Jay Howell pitched 4a...' scoreless innings this week, and has nine scoreless appearances in 10 games this year.

Whether you agree or disagree with who was included on that list and where they were ranked, it serves as a good third-party reference when looking at who the top players in the game were entering the season.

The Dodgers entered the most recent home stand after getting swept courtesy of their bitter rivals, the San Francisco Giants.

The downward spiral that is Stephen Strasburg takes center stage Thursday, as he looks to put a halt on his current winless streak when the Washington Nationals open a three-game series with the San Diego Padres.

The difference is breathtaking. For the past two seasons, the Giants have been Xbox, the Rockies Atari.

The Atlanta Braves have a legitimate chance at closing their lengthy road trip on a positive note with Tim Hudson slated to take the mound Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game series at Chase Field.

J.P. Arencibia and Adam Lind each hit two-run home runs, Ramon Ortiz won for the first time since 2011 and the surging Blue Jays won their season-high fourth straight game Wednesday night, beating the San Francisco Giants 11-3. The last-place Blue Jays came in with the fewest runs of any AL East team but have 33 runs and 41 hits in their past three ... (more)

The last-place Dodgers have been in desperate need of a spark for quite some time now, and they might just get it in Wednesday night's series finale against Washington.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that the club will be returning ace starting pitcher, Zach Grienke, to the team's roster to face the Washington Nationals tonight, May 15, 2013.

Alex Brandon/AP The Nats rotation, led by Stephen Strasburg, left, and Gio Gonzalez, haven't had a pitcher miss a turn because of injury since 2011.

May 11, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus high fives right fielder Jose Bautista after scoring a run during the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Before his team played the San Diego Padres for the first-game of a quick come-and-go two-game interleague series at Camden Yards , Orioles manager Buck Showalter said facing teams from the National League West is always a challenge.

R.A. Dickey snapped a four-start winless streak, Melky Cabrera had four hits against his former team and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the San Francisco Giants 10-6 on Tuesday night.

"If the Rockies can win seven or eight of their next 12, or just break even, they'll still be alive," says Patrick Saunders.

Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since August 2005.

Those are just some of the reasons the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays are off to extremely slow starts this season.

Patrick Corbin, not former All-Star Ian Kennedy, leads the Arizona Diamondbacks in wins.