National League West News Archives

How quickly the perception of a team's season can change. After another successful regular season the Dodgers ran smack dab into their nemesis - " the Phillies - " and promptly folded faster than their owners' marriage.

Colorado Rockies The Rockies are quietly becoming a burgeoning powerhouse in the wide-open NL West, despite trading off the likes of Matt Holliday and not being a big player in the free-agent market.

The Dodgers had an exceptional season, but as management so delicately put it, a below-average final week.

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp's breakout offensive season was rewarded Thursday, when Sporting News announced that he is a member of its postseason National League All-Star team.

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The San Diego Padres have introduced Jed Hoyer as their new general manager. Hoyer, who had been assistant to Boston GM Theo Epstein , was hired to replace Kevin Towers, who was fired during the last weekend of the season.

Do you think the Giants could improve their offense with internal choices? Would having Freddy Sanchez for an entire year, a healthy Edgar Renteria and a much-improved Eugenio Velez be enough to get this team into the playoffs? How would Bengie Molina fit into this idea? Some experts believe the only way to drastically improve the offense is to ...

Game 6 of the AL Championship Series between the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees was postponed because of rain Saturday.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Friday it's been business as usual running the team despite owner Frank McCourt firing his wife as CEO of the club.

Owner Frank McCourt celebrates after winning the National League West against the Colorado Rockies on October 3, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.

One pitch. One game. One series. That was all that stood in the way of baseball eminence for the San Diego Padres , Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks .

The San Diego Padres are keeping manager Bud Black's coaching staff intact for the 2010 season, handing out one-year contract extensions on Thursday to the group.

Los Angeles Dodgers players watch from the dugout as the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate winning the National League Championship baseball series Wednesday, Oct.

SIX TIMES in 7 years, a terrific lineup pushed the Cleveland Indians to the postseason.

One name rocked all of Baseball, the other merely stunned fans of the Phillies .

Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw is taken out of the game by manager Joe Torre during Game 1 of the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Oct.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Tuesday that general manager Ned Colletti, the architect of the two-time defending NL West champions, has agreed to a multi-year extension.

Jonathan Broxton got the Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink of a tying win in the NL championship series.

Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng interviewed for the vacant general manger position with the Padres, a San Diego club official has confirmed to MLB.com. Ng, who previously has interviewed for GM openings with the Dodgers and Mariners, was spotted having lunch with new Padres owner Jeff Moorad, and she was interviewed on Saturday.

Now that everyone has finished with their angst-a-thon about the Giants , the new deals for Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy, and the identity of the new hitting coach what say they make a run at Jason Bay and say they'll pay him to do both jobs?, here comes interesting news for Giants fans.

Andre Ethier drew a bases-loaded walk from J.A. Happ that capped a wacky, two-run rally in the eighth inning and sent the Dodgers over the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 Friday to even the NL championship series at one game each.

Bob Melvin thinks the Houston Astros are in better shape than the Diamondbacks were when he became their manager in November 2004.

A wise man once said that age is nothing but a number. The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly hope that is the case on Thursday evening when 21-year old Clayton Kershaw steps to the bump against the defending World Series Champions.

Phillies' Cole Hamels tossed a complete-game, five-hit shutout at Dodger Stadium on June 4. There are undoubtedly thousands of Philadelphia Phillies fans already groaning about the National League Championship Series and Brad Lidge has yet to blow a save.

In matching up against the powerful Philadelphia Phillies for the second consecutive year in the National League Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers believe they have more going for them this time around.

General manager Mark Shapiro and assistant GM Chris Antonetti, in Goodyear Ariz., for meetings, began interviewing managerial candidates by phone.

Aaron Cook wanted to rack up another win, not more frequent flier miles. The Colorado Rockies ace flew out to Philadelphia on Monday hoping to get a good night's rest for a decisive Game 5 against the Phillies on Tuesday.

Brian Sabean was named general manager after the Giants' last-place finish in 1996.

Torre says he doesn't anticipate extension with Dodgers New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, left, and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre chat during Monday's all-star workouts at Busch Stadium.

"Rocktober" wasna TMt supposed to be over before the middle of the month. The team that seemed to be carried by destiny for four months was suddenly staring at four months of offseason.

DENVER - Chase Utley ducked near second base. The rest of the Philadelphia Phillies never flinched.

Rockies helped Dodgers regain momentum LA was playing as poorly as the Cardinals as regular season wound down, but meaningful games in final weekend helped snap funk.

They wanted to love him. They really did. The Cardinal fans who showed up at Busch Stadium for Game 3 of the NLDS did so with the mission of letting know that they were willing to let bygones be bygones, to let his disappointing postseason play get lost in the Saturday night lights.

Back-to-back? The Phillies will face red-hot wild-card qualifier Colorado in their first round series.

Vicente Padilla's first playoff start was one to remember, as the right-hander gave the Dodgers seven shutout innings, and Los Angeles advanced to the National League Championship Series for the second straight year with a 5-1 victory over St.

Did you attend this game? If so, start chronicling your sports memories today with ESPN's Sports Passport.

Cliff Lee took a shutout into the ninth inning in his first career postseason start and Raul Ibanez collected two hits and knocked in two runs as the Philadelphia Phillies downed the Colorado Rockies, 5-1, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series from Citizens Bank Park.

But, believe it or not, laughter is allowed. hit what will go down as the most hilarious home run in Rockies history.

The San Francisco Giants hope to continue their tear at season's end, as they resume a three-game set Saturday night against the NL West-rival San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

The Philadelphia Phillies start their quest toward a second consecutive World Series championship this afternoon, when they open the best- of-five National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies in a matchup between the league's last two pennant winners.

They strike fear into every network TV executive whose job depends on ratings. They are a team of unfamiliar faces and unknown names recognizable only to fantasy-league fanatics.

When plastic bags and hot dog wrappers swirled around him like a scene from "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth realized he was about to go where no outfielder in Citizens Bank Park had ever gone.

As the manager of the Colorado Rockies in 2007, Clint Hurdle led a 21-1 run to the World Series.

The "K" in Clayton Kershaw's name might be more synonymous with kid than strikeout, but the Dodgers need Kershaw to pitch well beyond his years today.

The Oakland Athletics squashed speculation that assistant general manager David Forst is in the mix to become the next general manager of the San Diego Padres The A's said in a statement e-mailed exclusively to The Associated Press on Wednesday that Forst has not interviewed for the job, nor has anyone asked for permission to interview him.

Although it's technically the regular season, TBS will throw out the first pitch on Major League Baseball's playoffs tomorrow in Minnesota.TBS will cover the Tuesday, Oct.

USA TODAY breaks down three facets of the Colorado Rockies-Philadelphia Phillies series: Starting pitching: Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has a dilemma - who to include in his first-round playoff rotation.

It finally happened. The Los Angeles Dodgers , after a futile week spent in Pittsburgh, Washington, and San Diego, finally clinched the NL West at home tonight with a 5-0 victory.

Be it Carlos Ruiz or David Price, every postseason seems to produce an unlikely star.

A look at the best-of-five National League division series between the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies: Schedule: Game 1, Wednesday, at Philadelphia ; Game 2, Thursday, at Philadelphia ; Game 3, Saturday, at Denver ; x-Game 5, Tuesday, Oct.

Major League Baseball released the starting times for the first two National League Division Series games, but the New York Yankees have the choice which day they will start their first-round playoff set.

Joe Torre wears his Dodgers cap high on his head, revealing a vast expanse of forehead with fewer worry lines than expected for a manager who spent 12 years working for George Steinbrenner.

Just like they did in 2007, the Colorado Rockies open the playoffs in Philadelphia as the hottest team in the National League.

Upon entering the Dodgers' clubhouse Sunday, there were visible signs pointing to the aftermath of a champagne-filled celebration the previous night.

SAN DIEGO - The San Francisco Giants learned something about themselves every day in an encouraging season.

Pablo Sandoval went 2-for-4 and smacked the game-winning homer in the top of the 10th inning to lift the San Francisco Giants over the San Diego Padres, 4-3, in the season finale for both clubs.

Detroit Tigers: The Tigers can win the AL Central by beating Minnesota in Tuesday's playoff game.

SAN DIEGO Brian Sabean officially became the longest tenured general manager in the major leagues Saturday.

Ryan Braun hit a two-run home run as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4, in the second of three games at Busch Stadium.

The Rockies close out the regular season with a three-game series starting tonight in LA against the Dodgers.

A pair of National League West members aiming for a strong finish to the 2009 campaign begin a season-ending three-game series tonight at San Diego's Petco Park, where the hometown Padres will battle the San Francisco Giants.

Joe Torre laughs at your fantasies. Laughs! Yeah, the San Francisco Giants' wild-card aspirations can no longer be aspirated , and the Atlanta Braves' quest for the playoffs will wind up on the slab, too, if the Rockies drain the Brewers this afternoon.

A person familiar with the decision says Kevin Towers, the longest-tenured general manager in the major leagues, is being fired by the San Diego Padres.

Eric Byrnes had his first multihomer game in more than two years and drove in five runs, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Chicago Cubs 12-3 Friday in the opener of the final series of disappointing seasons for both teams.

Clayton Richard limited Los Angeles to a hit in seven innings Wednesday and San Diego prevented the Dodgers from winning a division title with a 5-0 victory.

A day after wrapping up their third straight National League East title, the Phillies turned their focus toward earning home-field advantage.

The San Francisco Giants are close to finalizing new deals for general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy hopes Lincecum gets consideration for a second straight NL Cy Young Award despite a relatively low win total.

The Dodgers continued their can't-clinch tour across America on Tuesday night with a 3-1 loss to the Padres, failing for the third consecutive game in two different time zones to wrap up the National League West title.

Lastings Milledge has a tip for Pirates' fans already looking ahead to 2010: Start saving your money to buy playoff tickets.