Paint By Numbers: Diamondbacks travel to L.A.

Make no mistake about it. The Los Angeles Dodgers are running away with the National League West.

It’s June 1st, and the Dodgers have built an 8.5 game lead over their nearest competition, the San Francisco Giants. Los Angeles sits at 35-17 to this point, have the biggest run differential of any team in big league baseball, and are enjoying the biggest lead of any division leader. Oh, and their best player, Manny Ramirez, is in the midst of a 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s substance abuse policy. The Dodgers are rolling.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, on the other hand, are floundering. After their most recent 9-game road trip, on which they went 6-3, the D-Backs showed signs of life for the first time. Another lackluster homestand has quelled much of the enthusiasm.

Tonight, the Diamondbacks start a 7-game roadie to SoCal with a 3-game series at Chavez Ravine with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have won 4 out of 5 games played between the two teams this season.

Here, we paint the picture of what to look for in this 3-game series, by the numbers of course.

8.5

The Dodgers’ lead in the National League West, the largest of any current division leader in baseball.

12.5

The Diamondbacks’ current deficit. It’s the furthest they’ve been out of first place since finishing the 2004 season 42 games behind the Dodgers.

5

Before this season, the number of days the Diamondbacks have been 10 or more games out of first place since the end of the 2004 season.

4.50

The career ERA of Monday’s starter for the Dodgers, Hiroki Kuroda, vs. the Diamondbacks.

11.81

The career ERA of Monday’s starter for the Diamondbacks, Billy Buckner, vs. the Dodgers.

Several thousand

The number of times Buckner has uttered this phrase, “no, I’m not related to the guy who let the ball go through his legs in the ‘86 Series.”

50

The number of games Manny Ramirez is serving on his current suspension for, well, umm, cheating.

14-9

The Dodgers’ record through the first 23 games of Manny’s suspension.

$23,854,494

Manny’s 2009 salary.

$7.3 million

The approximate amount Manny is sacrificing during his suspension.

.373

Justin Upton’s batting average in the month of May.

30,020

The attendance at Chase Field during Sunday’s 9-3 loss to the Braves.

30,020

The number of people at Chase Field who were wondering “why the hell would you not play your best player?” in a 9-3 loss to the Braves.

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