NL West Notes: Carlos Quentin, Anthony Bass, Dodgers, Daniel Hudson

While the N.L. West feels down, there are two-to-three legitimate contenders in the division.  The Diamondbacks will need to step it up, but the Dodgers and the Giants are proving to be the clear favorites.  The bad teams in the division, though, are BAD.  Here are your N.L. West notes:

Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle

thinks the Dodgers may pursue an inter-division trade.

The team is lacking star power in his opinion, and Carlos Quentin could help in that regard.  Obviously Matt Kemp is a star, but he won’t be back until after the All-Star break.  Andre Ethieris solid, but outside of Los Angeles he may not be thought of as a star.  Los Angeles could use an extra bat, and Quentin’s numbers since returning from the DL make him worthy of star treatment.”The Dodgers desperately need another hitter, and some of the more attractive targets are likely to be Carlos Quentin, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau, Kevin Youkilis and Alfonso Soriano.”

  • According to the AP, the Padres are hoping Anthony Bass isn’t the next pitcher to end up on the DL.  Bass left after just four innings with what the team considered shoulder inflammation.  The Padres, who have had more than their fair share of injuries to the pitching staff, are hoping Bass doesn’t have to going the collection of pitchers to hit the DL.  The team has had five starters placed on the DL so far this year.
  • The Diamondbacks are confident in Daniel Hudson.  At least his teammates are.  Nick Piecoro of the Tucson Citizen says Ian Kennedy understands Hudson’s struggles and believes he will figure it out.  “You never want any of your teammates to struggle like that,” Kennedy said. “He’s one of my friends, so it’s even tougher to see him struggle like tonight. But there was his last outing. So you know he still can pitch really good.”