Mark Reynolds has three homers and nine RBI against LA this season, but only a .212 batting average.

Leading Off – Week 18

The calendar is turning from July to August (where did the summer go?) and the races in several of the divisions of baseball are tightening up. All of which makes the games of this particular week ones to be watched closely as the trade deadline approaches. With just a few days and games left until the deadline, several teams that were on the fence about whether they were buyers or sellers, have no doubt made up their minds, and are currently either shopping for some help or showcasing their trade bait.

There are several head to head match ups this week that will be of interest to all, the biggest of which is a repeat of last week’s Series of the Week. The Brewers and Cubs face off for another four game set, this time at Miller Park in Milwaukee. The National League Worst, er uh, West, also features a big head to head match up of its top teams, with the Dodgers hosting the Diamondbacks for a four game series at the end of the week. In the AL Central, the White Sox will be on the road to contend with the Twins for four games, which could see the Twins catching up with the Sox to capture first place. Meanwhile, the Tigers are just four games back, and they play the Indians for four games this week, which could further tighten the race in the AL Central.

Series of the Week – Diamondbacks @ Dodgers – Thursday to Sunday

The Diamondbacks started the season as the best team in baseball over the first month or so, but injuries and poor offensive performance have caused the team to fall back to just a .500 record at this point. The Dodgers and Padres were both considered expected to vie for contention in the AL West, but the Padres have fallen flat and are now out of the running, and the Dodgers have played sub par baseball for most of the season. Were it not for the D’backs overwhelming mediocrity these last two months, the Dodgers would be sellers in the trade market and looking to retool for next season. They have had to deal with a number of injuries to key players, the most recent blow being the loss of closer, Takashi Saito.

Head to head, the Dodgers and D’backs have played eight games so far this season, with the Snakes winning five of the eight games played. The pitchers scheduled for the opening game of the series next Thursday are Diamondbacks’ ace of staff Brandon Webb facing off against sinkerballer Derek Lowe for the Dodgers. The second game features Arizona’s Randy Johnson, who seems to have found his mechanics lately, against youngster and Randy Johnson wannabee Clayton Kershaw for LA. Game three pits D’backs slugging pitcher Micah Owings, up against the Dodgers’ Japanese import Hiroki Kuroda. The finale has Doug Davis pitching against Jason Johnson on Sunday.

Several Dodgers hitters have hit D’backs pitchers very well this season. Most notable are the performances of James Loney (.406 avg, 2 home runs), Nomar Garciaparra (.450 avg. 2 home runs), and Jeff Kent (.296 with 7 RBI). The Diamondbacks hitters have not been nearly as strong against LA, but several performances stand out among the rest. Mark Reynolds has three home runs and nine RBI against LA this season, albeit with a .212 batting average. Conor Jackson (.393, six RBI), Orlando Hudson (.355, four RBI), and Stephen Drew (.400, four RBI) have all done well against the Dodgers in 2008.