July 30, 2000
Our e-mailbag is full. We answer your questions
Hello all, well D-day is almost here. The trading deadline passes at midnight tomorrow. Everyone in Dodger-land is still sitting on the edge of their seats. Will they or won't they pull the trigger on a big deal? We offer some special insight on the questions of the day
So what's the deal? Is Kerry Wood coming or not? J.S. in Peoria, AZ
Well, I wouldn't hold your breath, Dodger fans. Yes, LA is very interested in obtaining the 23-year-old right-hander - and we mean, very - but they don't seem willing to sacrifice all that Chicago wants in return. LA would likely have to package either Lo Duca or Piazza along with two or three prospects.
Kerry Wood may very well leave Chicago but not likely for Chavez Ravine...
Any other deals in the works involving LA? P.O. -- Hollywood, Calif.
One of the hottest commodities right now is Arizona 2B Andy Fox. He's having a career year (.342, 51 RBIs) for a bad team (43-60). The 29-year-old has polished defensive skills and could be a nice fit for a team like LA.
But again, what to give in return? Arizona has basically said any trade with the Dodgers, a division rival, must involve Paul Lo Duca. From what our sources have told us, the Dodgers offered up a ton of names, but only one kept shooting back in counter offers, Paul Lo Duca, who has family that lives in the Sedona area.
Again, wouldn't hold your breath on this one.
Bottom line, frankly we see Los Angeles standing pat as the calendar rolls into Aug. 1. They're only three games behind San Diego, so it's not like they have to make up the moon to surpass them...
Which leads to our next question?
How did the Padres get so good this year? I saw the Dodgers running away with the division but yet we're chasing? -- Steve in LA
First, for the record. Here are the standings in the NL West:
Code:
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
San Diego 60 43 .583 - 59-44 1 30-22 30-21 9-4 23-16 57 L1 5-5
Los Angeles 57 46 .553 3.0 55-48 2 32-17 25-29 4-2 16-15 - L2 3-7
San Francisco 53 50 .515 7.0 54-49 -1 28-25 25-25 9-7 18-18 - L1 5-5
Arizona 43 60 .417 17.0 47-56 -4 20-30 23-30 2-7 10-24 - L1 5-5
Colorado 42 61 .408 18.0 41-62 1 21-30 21-31 6-6 11-14 - W1 5-5
You're right, the Pads have been a big surprise. The interesting part -- look at their hitting stats. They’re 29th in the Majors in batting average, 25th in home runs and 22nd in runs scored. But the team can pitch the heck out of the ball, from the first inning till the ninth. Rob Nenn has 20 saves. Relievers Stan Spencer and Jose Mesa have 15 wins between them. David Weathers is 10-5 with an ERA just over 2.00. Kevin Brown has another 10 wins.
They are proving the old adage about defense and pitching winning championships, or at least division titles. LA may need one more bat (or perhaps better pitching and defense?) to catch them.
How is Andrew Zarzour progressing down on the farm? Jared - Cottonwood, AZ
Quite well since the concussion incident. He doesn’t have the flashiest of W-L records for Albuquerque (8-7) but his ERA (3.33) is way down over last year’s stint in Triple A (5.90 in 1999).
Zarzour already has 218 strikeouts against 32 walks in 146 innings of work. That surely has the attention of the top brass. He does have a tendency to give up the long ball but strikeout pitchers will do that. Look for him to be on LA’s September call-up list. Or it could be sooner.
Thanks for stopping by... Until next time...