After MLB’s opening weekend, only four teams are undefeated and two of them reside in the National League West. We already know that the Dodgers are 5-0, but the Padres are right behind them at 4-0.
While the Dodgers swept the Tigers this weekend after winning twice against the Cubs in Japan, San Diego throttled the Braves in a long weekend series at Petco Park, allowing only seven runs in four games.
The last two Padres-Braves games were shutouts, including Randy Vasquez tossing six scoreless innings on Saturday and Nick Pivetta blaking Atlanta for seven innings on only one hit on Sunday night.
The other two undefeated teams in MLB are the Yankees and Cardinals, both 3-0 after sweeping the Brewers and Twins, respectively.
The Giants took two of three over the Reds in Cincinnati while the Diamondbacks split four games at home over the Cubs. The wildest game of the weekend might have been Sunday, when Chicago led 6-2 before Arizona scored eight runs in the eighth inning to split the series.
The top four teams in the division have positive run differentials in the early going, while the Rockies were outscored by two runs in losing two of three while playing the Rays in a minor league stadium in Tampa. Runs were so hard to come by in that series — Tampa Bay scored 10, Colorado eight — that Antonio Senzatela had the craziest line score of the weekend on Saturday:
- Senzatela: 4⅓ IP, 9 hits, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts, 0 runs allowed
Two runners were thrown out at home, and there was another double play. But allowing 11 of 21 batters to reach but strand them all is quite impressive.
NL West standings
through March 30
Dodgers 5-0
Padres 4-0, ½ GB
Giants, 2-1, 2 GB
D-backs, 2-2, 2½ GB
Rockies 1-2, 3 GB
