Handicapper's Guide: Headed Down the Stretch in the NL West
The Rockies head into the final 24 days of the 2018 regular season in full control of their own destiny. They are in first place in the NL West, 1 1/2 games up on the second-place Dodgers, with 23 games remaining on their schedule.
Big deal?
Most Recent Division Titles
Season | Team | ||
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Astros | Indians | Red Sox |
Cubs | Dodgers | Nationals | |
2016 | Rangers | Royals | |
2015 | Mets | Blue Jays | |
Cardinals | Orioles | Tigers | |
2014 | Angels | ||
2013 | Braves | Yankees | Giants |
Giants | A's | ||
2012 | Reds | D-backs | Phillies |
2011 | Brewers | Rays | |
2010 | Twins | ||
2008 | Padres | ||
2005 | White Sox | ||
2001 | Mariners | ||
1992 | Pirates |
You bet.
They are assured of waking up Saturday morning, 140 games into the season, in first place, which will be the latest (in terms of games played) they have ever been in first place. It's a step toward the possibility of winning the first division title in franchise history.
The irony is, there are only two teams to have never won a division title -- the Rockies and their expansion cousin Marlins. The Marlins have advanced to the post-season twice (and there won't be a third time is the charm this year) but did win the World Series both times. The Rockies have claimed a wild-card spot four times, and while they did advance to the World Series in 2007, they were swept by the Red Sox.
Since the Marlins and Rockies began play in 1993, there is only one other team that has not won a division title -- the Pirates, who last won a division in 1992, which was their third in a row in a stretch in which they were eliminated in the NLDS each time.
THE ROCKIES DO control their own destiny. Their 23 remain games include six against the Dodgers, who are in second place, 1 1/2 games back, and seven the Diamondbacks, in third place, two games back.
They have six of their final 23 games against a team with a losing record -- three at San Francisco, and a season-ending three-game series against the Nationals at Coors Field.
They play 14 of their final 23 games at home, the exception being a nine-game road trip that begins next weekend with three games each at the Giants, Dodgers and D-backs.
THE DODGERS PLAY 16 of their final 22 games on the road, the exception being a six-game homestand against the Padres and Diamondbacks Sept. 21-26 before a season-ending three-game series at the Giants.
Friday they embark on a 10-game road trip to Colorado, Cincinnati and St. Louis. They do have nine games remaining with teams that have losing records, but six of those games are on the road -- three each at Cincinnati and San Francisco.
THE DIAMONDBACKS BEGAN a stretch of playing 20 of their final 23 games against teams with losing records, losing the first game of that stretch at home to the Braves 7-6 in 10 innings. They do finish the season with three at San Diego.
They have 10 games remaining with their NL West competition -- seven against the Rockies, including a four-game visit to Coors Field starting on Monday, and three against the Dodgers at home Sept. 24-26.
They do have 12 of their final 22 at home -- playing three at Colorado next week, three at Houston next weekend, and those three in San Diego to conclude the 162-game schedule.
The Road to the NL West Title
Date | Rockies | Dodgers | Diamondbacks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Friday | vs. Dodgers | at Rockies | vs. Braves | ||
Saturday | vs. Dodgers | at Rockies | vs. Braves | ||
Sunday | vs. Dodgers | at Rockies | vs. Braves | ||
Monday | vs. D-backs | at Reds | at Rockies | ||
Tuesday | vs. D-backs | at Reds | at Rockies | ||
Wednesday | vs. D-backs | at Reds | at Rockies | ||
Thursday | vs. D-backs | at Cardinals | at Rockies | ||
Sept. 14 | at Giants | at Cardinals | at Astros | ||
Sept. 15 | at Giants | at Cardinals | at Astros | ||
Sept. 16 | at Giants | at Cardinals | at Astros | ||
Sept. 17 | at Dodgers | vs. Rockies | vs. Cubs | ||
Spet. 18 | at Dodgers | vs. Rockies | vs. Cubs | ||
Sept. 19 | at Dodgers | vs. Rockies | vs. Cubs | ||
Sept. 20 | Off | Off | Off | ||
Sept. 21 | at D-backs | vs. Padres | vs. Rockies | ||
Sept. 22 | at D-backs | vs. Padres | vs. Rockies | ||
Sept. 23 | at D-backs | vs. Padres | vs. Rockies | ||
Sept. 24 | vs. Phillies | at D-backs | vs. Dodgers | ||
Sept. 25 | vs. Phillies | at D-backs | vs. Dodgers | ||
Sept. 26 | vs. Phillies | at D-backs | vs. Dodgers | ||
Sept. 27 | vs. Phillies | Off | Off | ||
Sept. 28 | vs. Nationals | at Giants | at Padres | ||
Sept. 29 | vs. Nationals | at Giants | at Padres | ||
Sept. 30 | vs. Nationals | at Giants | at Padres |
A factor in the Rockies favor is they play 17 of those final 23 games at home. They did struggle at Coors Field early in the season, but their season began to turn around on June 28, when after falling eight games below .500 and into fourth place in the NL West, they won at San Francisco and then took two of three at Dodger Stadium.
They reutrned home on July 2 and regained that home-field advantage. Dating back to that afternoon at AT&T Park against the Giants, the Rockies have the best home-field record in the National League.
Home, Sweet Home (Finally)
Season | Since June 28 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | Pct | Team | W | L | Pct | |
Cubs | 44 | 24 | 0.647 | Rockies | 39 | 20 | 0.661 | |
Phillies | 43 | 26 | 0.623 | Cubs | 40 | 22 | 0.645 | |
Brewers | 42 | 27 | 0.609 | Cardinals | 36 | 25 | 0.59 | |
Dodgers | 39 | 36 | 0.52 | Dodgers | 33 | 28 | 0.541 | |
Giants | 39 | 30 | 0.565 | Brewers | 33 | 29 | 0.532 | |
Pirates | 38 | 34 | 0.528 | Braves | 32 | 29 | 0.525 | |
Braves | 37 | 34 | 0.521 | Pirates | 31 | 29 | 0.517 | |
Rockies | 37 | 30 | 0.552 | Mets | 31 | 30 | 0.508 | |
Cardinals | 37 | 31 | 0.544 | Phillies | 31 | 30 | 0.508 | |
D-backs | 36 | 33 | 0.522 | D-backs | 29 | 31 | 0.483 | |
Nationals | 35 | 36 | 0.493 | Nationals | 28 | 35 | 0.444 | |
Marlins | 34 | 41 | 0.453 | Giants | 26 | 34 | 0.433 | |
Reds | 32 | 38 | 0.457 | Reds | 25 | 36 | 0.41 | |
Mets | 28 | 40 | 0.412 | Marlins | 24 | 35 | 0.407 | |
Padres | 27 | 45 | 0.375 | Padres | 20 | 39 | 0.339 |
The Diamondbacks are in third place, but based off the success they have had this season against their remaining opponents, they cannot be overlooked. While they are 33-22 against the teams remaining on their schedule, the Rockies are 26-23, and the Dodgers, in addition to facing the challenge of the road, are 33-35 against their remaining opponents.
Rockies vs. | W-L | Dodgers | W-L | D-Backs | W-L | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dodgers | 6-7 | Rockies | 7-6 | Braves | 2-2 | ||
D-backs | 5-7 | Reds | 0-4 | Rockies | 7-5 | ||
Giants | 11-5 | Cardinals | 0-3 | Astros | 2-1 | ||
Phillies | 1-2 | Padres | 12-4 | Cubs | 2-2 | ||
Nationals | 3-1 | D-backs | 7-9 | Dodgers | 9-7 | ||
Total | 26-23 | Giants | 7-9 | Padres | 11-5 | ||
Total | 33-35 | Total | 33-22 |