N.L. West

Sporting News, The, August 16, 1999

Teams are listed alphabetically

They can't blame Kevin Brown

The Dodgers shelled out $105 million to acquire his services. In return, they expected two things from Kevin Brown: a take-charge presence on the mound and a big role in winning a division championship.

One out of two isn't bad.

Signed to the fat seven-year contract by Los Angeles last December, Brown found himself in a situation where he needed to win almost every start, lest he be accused of being vastly overpaid. Though Brown hasn't been close to perfect over the first 4 1/2 months of the season, he has given the Dodgers the production and leadership the club expected.

The righthander is 12-6 with a 3.39 ERA, allowing only 146 hits in 169 2/3 innings. In his last three starts--highlighted by a complete-game victory in Houston in which his fastball was docked at 96 mph in the ninth inning-he has recorded a 1.09 ERA. And since the All-Star break, opponents have batted .180 against him.

Still, it hasn't been enough--not nearly enough--for a team ravaged by miserable performances from starting pitchers Darren Dreifort, Chan Ho Park and Carlos Perez (recently demoted to Class AAA), disappointing offensive numbers from Raul Mondesi, Todd Hundley and Devon White and poor defensive play overall.

Instead of winning the N.L. West in 1999-as they were expected to do in most quarters-the Dodgers will be hard-pressed to avoid last place. But no one will be pointing fingers at Brown, who was on the spot after signing that huge contract eight months ago.

Arizona

62-49: 1st

Stottlemyre should give the rotation a big boost

The team picked up only one pitcher via trade (closer Matt Mantei), but help should be on the way from the D.L. RHP Todd Stottlemyre is due to return to me rotation on August 20--team officials say it's the equivalent of acquiring a top-notch starter for the stretch run. He made a solid rehab start last week with Arizona's rookie league club in Tucson, striking out five in four innings while facing a lineup of Mexican all-stars. He showed good velocity on his fastball (89-91 mph). More important, Stottlemyre threw curveballs, sliders and a few changeups into the mix with success. His quick progress is quite an achievement; a "moderately large tear" such as his often requires surgery to restore full strength. Stottlemyre will go through two more minor league outings to be ready for the big leagues again. When he comes back, the role of lefthanded starter Brian Anderson probably will change to long reliever-used as insurance on the days Stottlemyre works.

WEEKLY WARRIOR: Veteran CF Steve Finley refuses to take himself out of the lineup, no matter how much pain he goes through. Finley, who has been playing since June 4 with a bulging disc in his lower back, is set to receive a second anti-inflammatory injection within the next week or so. He is starting to feel some soreness again. Once Finley receives the injection, he'll be forced out of the lineup for three days.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: The Diamondbacks' deal to get versatile Tony Womack from the Pirates in the offseason turned out to be a steal. Arizona coaches thought Womack would improve his mediocre on-base percentage, which was around .320 the last two seasons. It's still near that mark, and his walk total and bunt attempts reflect his 1998 pace. But when he does get on, the team loves the spark he brings to the offense. He has dented the plate 79 times, scoring more than half the lime he has reached through hits or walks. Womack also hasn't lost his great speed-his 49 stolen bases ranks him second in the N.L. --Pedro Gomez

GRADING OUT

OFFENSE B

Bell's resurgence continues to draw rave reviews, no matter where Arizona is playing.

PITCHING B

Mantei has literally been a savior. Who knows where the club would be without him?

DEFENSE B

Is 3B Matt Williams making his way toward a fifth Gold Glove? All signs point to yes.

DIAMONDBACKS

                AVG     G    AB    R     H   HR   RBI

(*)Durazo( )   .364    10    22    5     8    1     3
Gonzalez( )    .340   105   424   76   144   18    74
Colbrunn       .329    44    73   10    24    3    16
Williams       .310   109   442   71   137   25    96
Gilkey         .309    64   136   23    42    7    23
Bell           .277   104   412   90   114   29    80
Womack( )      .270    99   423   79   114    3    29
Fox( )         .263    74   205   24    54    5    28
Finley( )      .262   109   412   60   108   21    74
Miller         .248    64   222   25    55    5    32
Lee( )         .241   106   357   55    86    9    50
Stinnett       .228    60   197   25    45   12    29
(*)Frias(#)    .197    38    61   10    12    0     6
(*)Powell      .154    11    13    0     2    0     1

GRAND SLAMS: Lee (2), Bell, Finley, Williams, Womack (1)

                OBP    SLG   SB    K   BB    E

(*)Durazo( )   .462   .500    0    8    4    0
Gonzalez( )    .405   .561    6   48   46    2
Colbrunn       .419   .534    0   14    9    0
Williams       .352   .545    2   62   30    7
Gilkey         .404   .529    1   26   22    3
Bell           .361   .558    5   89   55   14
Womack( )      .328   .355   49   43   38    4
Fox( )         .371   .400    3   50   28    9
Finley( )      .332   .495    6   68   42    1
Miller         .281   .383    0   62   10    6
Lee( )         .343   .373   17   44   57    3
Stinnett       .295   .442    1   60   14    4
(*)Frias(#)    .319   .246    1   10   11    2
(*)Powell      .267   .308    1    1    2    1

GRAND SLAMS: Lee (2), Bell, Finley, Williams, Womack (1)

               ERA    W-L    G      IP     H    R

Chouinard     2.08    4-2   14    21.2    17    8
Johnson( )    2.60   11-8   25   193.2   149   62
Swindell( )   2.89    1-0   40    43.2    40   15
Mantei        2.93    1-3   45    46.0    32   15
Daal( )       3.61   10-6   22   152.0   126   64
Reynoso       3.80    7-1   22   120.2   123   58
Olson         4.03    5-4   39    38.0    35   19
(*)Kim        4.32    0-2   22    25.0    19   13
Plesac( )     4.82    1-1   20    91.0    12    5
Benes         5.18   7-10   23   137.1   155   88
Anderson( )   6.17    4-2   21    84.2   116   60

              ER   HR     K   BB   SV   Avg.

Chouinard      5    2    12    9    0   .224
Johnson( )    56   20   262   51    0   .212
Swindell( )   14    5    31   13    1   .248
Mantei        15    4    64   34   18   .194
Daal( )       61   16   108   60    0   .227
Reynoso       51   11    55   45    0   .269
Olson         17    5    33   17   11   .241
(*)Kim        12    1    28   17    1   .216
Plesac( )      5    1    11    8    1   .324
Benes         79   25   105   66    0   .282
Anderson( )   58   17    52   17    1   .324