MLB: Predicting who will win each division

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

The Giants and Dodgers have fought hand-to-hand since the late 19th century. Theirs is a feud spanning 120 years, 2,700 miles and innumerable wars for the pennant. Right here, in 2014, they’re at it again, oscillating positions atop a Western division otherwise condemned to mediocre play.

Somewhat surprisingly, San Francisco launched to a fantastic start this year, blowing teams away, marching to a handsome division lead, and looking very bit the model franchise. Then, a disastrous 10-16 June, which featured a stretch whereby the Giants won just one of ten games, gave rise to a truly unprecedented collapse. In barely a fortnight, San Fran surrendered a ten-game loss column lead, as the Dodgers gathered momentum from a typically lacklustre start.

Now, LA, propelled by the intimidating axis of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu, holds a five-game lead and, with star players like Matt Kemp busting out, is threatening to run away with the flag.

At this point, even though the Dodgers are struggling to gain production from Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and AJ Ellis, Bruce Bochy has more questions to answer than Don Mattingly. Every day seems like a struggle for San Francisco to score runs, a sorry state of affairs compounded by poor defense and uncertainty over the performance of deadline acquisition Jake Peavy. It feels like the Giants are perhaps a couple of elite players short of reaching the mountain peak.

PREDICTED DIVISION WINNER: LA Dodgers

At times, this season, like many at Chavez Ravine, has devolved into a soap opera. Be it Matt Kemp demanding to play centre field, Don Mattingly abrasively putting him in right, or Hanley Ramirez suffering injuries at an eye-watering rate, the Dodgers are rarely boring.

Despite all the turmoil, all the tempestuous personalities, all the exorbitant expectations, this team always seems to steer itself back on course at the vital moment. The legendary Kershaw is a major part of Los Angeles’ success, and Yasiel Puig, perhaps the club’s only consistent elite bat, has carried the offense for large spells, but the Dodgers always seem to have a veteran step up and prove the doubters wrong when it most counts. Josh Beckett (2.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a no-hitter) is a prime example.

Los Angeles will take comfort from the way they performed down the stretch last year, when a second half resurgence saw the Dodgers overcome the largest deficit in franchise history to win a twelfth division crown.

Number thirteen doesn’t seem so far away.