Even though the season is still young it's never to early to keep an eye on the standings. The San Francisco Giants got off to a slow start to their 2011 campaign, but have picked it up recently, winning 7 of their last 10 games. And like last year the Giants, they trail another NL West team who has come storming out of the gate. Only this time it's the Colorado Rockies.
Their 12-3 record is largely in part to their pair of sluggers in Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzales, and their pitching staff has done well even with Ubaldo Jimenez missing some starts on the DL. They are 4 games clear of the Giants as of now, but after thie 3 game series they play this week it might only be one. As for the rest of the NL West, they're pretty bunched together as only a game and a half separates the Giants in second and the Diamondbacks in fifth. The Padres start their series with the Cubs at Wrigley today, the Dodgers play hosts to the Braves, while the Diamondbacks head to Cincinnati to take on the Reds tomorrow.
In the NL Wild Card race, the Giants have already put themselves in the thick of it. Currently half a game back from the Florida Marlins for first place and tied with the Washington Nationals for second, San Francisco will look to stay in hunt the whole season long. That is unless they can snatch the lead in the NL West away from the Rox.