NL West Update, By Tom Brew

[edueche]

NL West Update

By Tom Brew
Inspin.com
Contributing Writer

The San Francisco Giants are finally talking about baseball and baseball trades (and not Barry Bonds' legal woes) while moving to the head of the class in the National League West.

And it’s about time.
It’s taken 98 games, but finally the Giants are in first place after taking the first two games of a three-game set against the Padres. The Giants also acted quickly to win the Shea Hillenbrand sweepstakes, sending reliever Jeremy Accardo to Toronto to add a bat that’s desperately needed.
"This team is really focused and it is built around veterans for a reason. To get something done sooner, than to have to wait in what I perceive to be a very slow market, hopefully bodes well," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. "I think the team will appreciate that we're putting this foot forward."

Sabean wasn’t thrilled about losing bullpen quality, but you have to give up something to get something and the Giants definitely need Hillenbrand’s bat. The problems he had in Toronto don’t seem to concern the Giants.

"I can't guarantee we've got the solution," Sabean said when asked about the bullpen. "We kicked this around as much as any deal we've been involved with, with Felipe (Alou), the staff and the front office. On one hand, we know it's an improvement to our offense. On the other hand, the bullpen is a work in progress, and losing Accardo certainly won't help the situation."
Giants outfielder Steve Finley, a teammate of Hillenbrand in Arizona, was one of two Giants who walked into manager Alou's office Thursday to suggest the team get Hillenbrand after the Jays designated him for assignment when he criticized the team publicly.

"We were obviously looking for someone to play first base, and he did a good job for us in Arizona," Finley said. "The guy can hit. He is very family-oriented, so I can see his reaction to how the club treated him."
Finley termed that reaction "out of character for him."

Asked if Hillenbrand really could bolster the Giants' lineup, Finley said: "Absolutely. It's tough to give up a guy like Accardo, but sometimes you've got to give up quality to get quality." Looking to bet on an NL West favorite? The Giants just jumped to the top of the list.

PEAVY A MESS FOR PADRES: Jake Peavy was supposed to be the ace who carried the San Diego Padres to a division title this year. Some even mentioned him as a leading Cy Young Award candidate when the season started.

Ouch.
Peavy got rocked again Friday night, losing 8-2 to the Giants and getting chased in the fourth inning. He’s now only 4-10 for the season and certainly can’t be relied upon to get the Padres rolling on a hot streak.
Peavy, who has two of his wins against the Giants this year, was done after four innings -- his second-shortest outing of the year behind the 3 2/3 innings he pitched June 6 at Milwaukee. The right-hander allowed nine hits and seven runs, struck out three and walked two.

"I'm going to make some good starts for us before it's all said and done," Peavy said. "I've got to. I'm running out of time."

Peavy’s ERA is over 5 now, and it’s 12.55 in his past five starts. He hasn’t won since May 28, and even in that 10-8 win against the Cardinals he gave up six runs. He had nothing Friday night.
"I wasn't comfortable on the mound," Peavy said. "It's too late in the year not to be mechanically sound. No excuses. I didn't do anything right (Friday)."

Manager Bruce Bochy is legitimately concerned.
"He's had some good starts -- tough luck at times -- and he's had games like this where he's really struggled," Bochy said. "His best pitches aren't in the [strike] zone; they're out of the zone. He was battling himself all
night.
"It doesn't matter how good you are, when you're not having success, your confidence is going to be down. It's still part of the game that's difficult to handle.

"It's something he's never gone through. He looked like he was getting on track, and he derailed. We have to get him on track. We have to have Jake. He's the type of guy who can go out and stop a streak."
Peavy agreed, emphatically.

"With the dog days of August coming, I've got to be a pick-me-up," he said. "I've got to do everything I can. I felt good (Friday), and I've thrown very well here against the Giants [he's 8-4 in his career against them]. I never
thought in a million years it would end up that way, and I'd take us out of the ballgame.

"I'll try to be more positive. I know I can go out and dominate major league ballgames with my pitches. The last two have been subpar."

DIAMONDBACKS SURGING AGAIN: Go figure in this wacky NL West that the Diamondbacks, who couldn’t buy a win in June, are suddenly hotter than blazes again and only a half a game out of first place.
"One go, we all go," Arizona second baseman Orlando Hudson said. "That's the way this crazy game is."

"I think everybody is kind of feeding off each other," left fielder Luis Gonzalez said.

The D'backs have won 10 of 12 entering Sunday. Less than two weeks ago, they were in last place, five games back.
"In our division, everything is so well paired I think it's going to be like that right down to the end," Gonzalez said. "It's going to take just the hottest team in September to run off with this thing."

.