AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi

Dan Haren will pitch Saturday in the middle game of an important series with the Dodgers.

MOST INTERESTING RACE IN BASEBALL

By Fernando Vina, ESPN

To me, the National League West will be the most interesting divisional race over the last part of the season. It just seems like the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, who meet this weekend in Arizona, keep going back and forth, and no one can take the lead and build any kind of cushion. It looks like it's going to be a fun, exciting race all the way to the end. Both teams have the talent to get rolling.

"SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL"

• Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN

The team that finishes second won't be in the wild-card hunt, so they're putting everything into winning the division. No one's been able to take charge yet, but someone needs to sooner or later.

With Manny Ramirez and what he's done since he came to Los Angeles, and with the recent addition of Greg Maddux -- which helped take some of the sting out of losing Brad Penny -- the Dodgers could make a push. Jonathan Broxton has shown he can close out a game for them, as well. Still, the Dodgers come into this series having lost seven in a row, including three straight to the Nationals.

On the other side, the Diamondbacks have Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Randy Johnson, who has really picked up his game. These guys can all be unhittable -- just don't tell the Padres, who swept the D-backs this week.

My heart says the Dodgers have a chance to take control, but my head is telling me the Diamondbacks are the ones to watch because of their starting rotation. That's huge, and I think that's what will take them a little bit further. And it could come to a head soon enough, perhaps either this weekend or next, since the two meet again next weekend.

Even if the Dodgers don't win the division, I don't think you've seen the last of Manny Ramirez in a Dodgers uniform.

With what he's done so far, and how quickly he became so popular there, I think the Dodgers will have to figure out a way to get the money to sign Manny. The fans are going nuts for him right now, and I think it'd be a big downer if the team was unable to keep him beyond this season.

WEEKEND PREVIEW

By Mark Simon, ESPN Research

Another interesting weekend across baseball, with the D-backs going against the Dodgers, the Phillies continuing their series at Wrigley Field with the Cubs and a pair of Sox -- Red and White -- getting together in Boston.

Best series

• Dodgers at D-backs

Just like the division race, the head-to-head matchups so far this season have been pretty even.

Inside the matchup, Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks
	Dodgers	D-backs
Wins	5	7
Home W-L	3-3	4-2
Runs	54	56
HR	11	11
Top hitter	James Loney (.391 BA, 6 RBIs)	Stephen Drew (.426 BA, 7 RBIs)

Best pitching matchup

• Phillies (Brett Myers, 7-10, 4.49 ERA) at Cubs (Ted Lilly, 13-7, 4.23 ERA), Saturday 3:55 p.m. ET

A stint in the minors was just what Myers needed to turn his season around. He's 4-1 with a 1.24 ERA over his past six starts, and has thrown 16 shutout innings over his two most recent starts. Likewise, Lilly has slowly dropped his ERA over the course of the season. The Cubs have won six of his past seven starts, during which he's 4-1 with a 3.55 ERA. Lilly's flaw, which could be an issue, is that left-handed hitters are hitting .314 against him this season

Best of the rest

Orioles at Rays

Melvin Mora will try to finish off his hot month, one in which he's hitting .427 with 32 RBIs in 23 games. Tampa Bay is the one team that seems to have an answer for him. They've held Mora to a .119 batting average this season. This series represents the calm before the storm for the Rays, who have a brutal schedule in between this series and their next meeting with the Orioles. The Rays are 8-3 against the Orioles this season.

Rays' schedule until they see the Orioles again
Date	Opponent	Record
Sept. 2-4	Yankees	5-7
Sept. 5-7	Blue Jays	10-4
Sept. 8-10	Red Sox	6-6
Sept. 12-14	at Yankees	5-7
Sept. 15-17	Red Sox	6-6
Sept. 18-21	Twins	1-1

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