The Houston Astros are 16 games out of first place in the NL Central, and ten games out of the wild card. Basically, you'd have to say they definitely are out of the pennant race barring several miraculous occurrences from here on out ... one of them being a commissioner's order that they are switched to the NL West.

That's right, the Houston Astros would only be one game out of first place in the West, where the division-leading Diamondbacks have lost four straight. The Diamondbacks were most recently swept by the Padres, whose winning percentage is .383 ... after the sweep. Starting pitchers for the Snakes in the three losses? Dan Haren, Brandon Webb, and Randy Johnson. You know, the same three the Cubs are supposed to be wetting themselves over having to face in the "short series" NLDS.

On the bright side, Justin Upton is close to returning to the lineup, but the defense will become a bit shaky when he does. The Backs are talking about moving Adam Dunn to first base to accommodate Upton, or moving Mark Reynolds to second base, which would move Chad Tracy to third. I understand the need for offense with this group, but sacrificing the defense could render Webb a little less significant.

These four straight losses by the Snakes were a perfect opportunity for the Dodgers to slide their way into first place, but they were busy working on some futility of their own. A second-straight loss in Washington to the only NL team worse than the Padres meant the Dodgers have now lost six straight. Greg Maddux might be better served as a coach than on the hill at this point, as he's served up 17 hits in only 11 innings pitched in two outings. Matt Kemp is blaming himself for the losing streak (he's hitting .148 in those six games).

"I blame it on myself," he said. "The damn leadoff hitter needs to step up and do something."

I admire the accountability, but there's been far more wrong with the team presently than one player in a slump.

Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies -- left for dead in May -- are only six games out of first. Had they not run into Tim Lincecum last night they could have shaved the deficit to a very workable five. Either way, the Rockies have the confidence that they can make this happen, because they did it last year. They have played 135 games. After 135 games last season, can you guess what their deficit was? That's right, six games. Eerie, huh?

Verdict: I'll stick with the Diamondbacks for now, though they are not a lock by any means. The Dodgers have good enough players to get this thing righted at the drop of a hat. The two teams play three games this weekend in Arizona, so we'll know a lot more come Monday.

As for the Rockies, they used up their miracle last year. It's not in the cards in '08.