The questions at the beginning of a Major League Baseball season do not have to be particularly complicated. Let's set the table with the billy-basic queries every fan wants to talk about. Major League Baseball Forum: Which Team Is Better? Nationals Or Dodgers? If you are interested in betting on baseball this season, one of the most fascinating and surprising turns to the first two weeks of the 2012 campaign is the fact that the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers have established the two best records in the National League. The team that figured to stand out as a very attractive choice for legions of sports betting experts as a World Series contender in the National League was the Philadelphia Phillies, but the boys from the City of Brotherly Love have not put the pieces together in the month of April. Philadelphia entered April 16 ranked 15th in the 16-team National League in runs scored. The Phillies have lacked the extra-base hits and slugging-percentage values any team needs to become more productive at the plate. Because of the Phils' struggles, the door has been opened for the Nationals to rise to the top of the National League East Division. When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on teams in the National League, you will note that the Arizona Diamondbacks, another highly regarded team, have done their part thus far, going 7-3 and meeting expectations. Yet, the Dodgers have exceeded the D-Backs by going 9-1. Yes, Matt Kemp is hitting like a man possessed for Los Angeles, but the Dodgers are getting well-rounded contributions from their lineup and are pounding inferior teams, as any upper-tier squad must be able to do if it wants to play meaningful baseball in October. How can one settle this debate between the Nationals and the Dodgers? Well, it's hard to settle a debate concerning legitimate baseball quality when the month of April is still far from over. However, if one were to wrestle with this question, which team would look like the more solid contender over the long haul? The answer would probably be the Dodgers. It's true that Washington's prize draft pick, Steven Strasburg, is beginning to deliver on all the hype he received when he was chosen. Strasburg has shaken off an injury that bedeviled him during the 2011 season and has regained his arm strength. Strasburg is the National League's version of Detroit Tiger star Justin Verlander. He's blowing smoke past hitters, exhibits near total command of his pitches, and is looking almost untouchable in his starts this season. Strasburg is mowing down lineups and creating a great amount of distance between himself and the other members of the Nationals' starting rotation. That's actually the reason why the Dodgers are probably built for the longer haul. Los Angeles has a deep starting rotation that's solid even at No. 4 with Aaron Harang. Washington can't match that level of quality. The Dodgers, playing in a pitcher's park at Dodger Stadium, have a team and pitching staff that are more suited to their home ballyard. Washington is going to find it tough to fight past the Phillies in the N.L. East. The Dodgers will not have an easy time against Arizona in the West, but the Diamondbacks are not as much of a proven entity as the Phils are. One should view the Dodgers' rise to the top of the National League as a more legitimate indicator of quality than the Nationals' 8-3 start.
