by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

LOS ANGELES–Don Mattingly,. the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers will have his job on the line, after the All Star Break. There is no doubt, no team in the National League West has more talent that the Los Angeles Dodgers. The San Francisco Giants collapse during the month of June (losing a 9 1/2 game lead over the Dodgers in 21 days) are up to some changes on their roster, but even before the collapse, most people inside the baseball world predicted they were the team to beat.

Many went as far as picking the Dodgers to win the 2014 World Series. I was not among those, but my pre-season predictions were the Dodgers would finish first and the Giants second in the West, with the possibility (for Giants) to make it as a wild card team. It was easy to predict, the Giants biggest two signings were a good pitcher that was injured, in Tim Hudson, and a slugger that can be extremely inconsistent in Mike Morse. I know, I know, in the Bay Area to predict the Giants anything but for first place is forbidden under the Giants world of propagandists.

If there is a case for a team missing a leadoff hitter, that would be the Giants, who without Angel Pagan have played under .500 ball. On the other hand, the Giants have not played good baseball, and to lay such a bad streak on one single player magnifies the weaknesses on this team. The Giants might have to start the second half without Angel, so in the Giants case (and although Marco Scutaro is returning) the best option for the Giants would be to trade for Phillies outfielder Ben Revere,(Philadelphia) he is fast, and could provide some needed help as a lead off for this team. Marco Scutaro is coming back, but how good would he be? Therefore, the best option for this team would be super-utility and basically second baseman Ben Zobrist from Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay is selling and it would not be cheap to get Zobrist. David Price is out of equation for the Giants. unless they are ready to break this team and rob a bank.

The Oakland Athletics (who will bring their 1989 World Championship team to Oakland for a reunion on July 19th) are already reminiscing their beating of the Giants in that historic earthquake ’89 World Series,after taking three out of four games this week against their cross bay rivals. While the Giants where going down in flames, the Dodgers were rising up and up to pass them in the standings. Yet, the Dodgers have not opened a commanding lead on the Giants. But the Giants better show some urgency here; I do not think the Dodgers are going to do in this in the second half what they did last year after bringing up Yasiel Puig, winning 42 of 50 games, but they could take over this division in a hurry if the Giants do not wake up.

The Giants payroll is tight to a bunch of star players, like catcher Buster Posey, pitcher Matt Cain, pitcher Tim Lincecum (among others) and I do not believe they are going to be making a blockbuster trade soon, before the deadline July 31, but they have to tune up this team quickly, or the engine could blow up.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish TV voice for Angels baseball and does News and Commentary each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com