McCovey Chronicles Picks Giants to Finish Ahead of Third-Place Dodgers

At last, a dissenting voice! And surprise, it's from a Giants fan blog!

My NL West predictions:

1. Diamondbacks - 93-69
Their rotation might be the best in the NL; it's certainly top three. And either Justin Upton or Chris Young will go super-goofy on the league, while one of Stephen Drew or Conor Jackson will go semi-goofy, so any predictions for another dismal offensive season will be off.

2. Giants - 83-79
I know, I know. This is pretty much a homer fanboy leap of faith -- and the fact that I need to qualify a predicted record that's barely over .500 says a lot -- but I believe in the top four of the rotation, I believe in the bullpen additions, and I believe that a full season of Pablo Sandoval and Not Brimar Vizcock will help the offense.

3. Dodgers - 81-81
Manny, Orlando Hudson, and Rafael Furcal combine for 162 games, Matt Kemp and James Loney don't get much better, and the rotation is a nightmare. Please? If the Dodgers stay healthy, their lineup is well balanced and without a gaping hole. It's just hard to predict a division title for a team counting on a 21-year-old as their second starter. Chad Billingsley's a heck of a pitcher, albeit evil, and Hideki Kuroda is solid, but I could see the Dodgers panicking about their rotation early and often.

Hmm. Tim Lincecum is indeed nails, but he's 25 years old with only one full year of service and an MLB2K9 cover jinx working against him this year. (Ironically, as a sidebar, the last guy I used to call "nails" in the Giants' rotation was Jason Schmidt. From nails to fails, I guess.) And Matt Cain is 24. Our 1-2 of youngsters aren't too far behind San Francisco's 1-2. Maybe McCovey Chronicles is confused when considering youth, after fielding a team of Ben-Gay users for so many years?