With almost half, 47 percent, of all games against division opponents this season, it’s vital to know what advantages you have against other teams in the division.

With that in mind, I’ll take a look at all eight fielding spots, the starting rotation, the bullpen and the coaching staff of those teams and rank them over the next month in “NL West primers” if you will.

This is the third of eleven posts as I take a look at second baseman. The first base primer is here.

Image: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. Arizona Diamondbacks

Aaron Hill has been a marvel for the D’backs the past season and a half. When he was acquired from Toronto in 2011, he was hitting .225 with only six home runs and was getting on base at a horrifying clip of .270. However, after coming to the D’backs, he’s been awesome. In 2012, he hit .302/.360/.522 in 156 games. He essentially locked down second base and provided a stabilizing power bat in the lineup. The D’backs will need that even more this year as second base might be their biggest advantage in the division.

2. San Francisco Giants

Marco Scutaro has always been a fairly consistent player throughout his career. He’s always around .280/.340/.400 with solid, not spectacular defense, at several positions. However, Outside of two-straight outstanding seasons in Toronto, 2008-09, Scutaro has never amassed more than 2.6 WAR. He’s a consistent yet limited player with some versatility. He’s probably much better than the next guy on our list….

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

Mark Ellis had his best years with the Oakland A’s from 2005 to 2010. During that time, he amassed 19 WAR as an above-average starter. However, he seemed to really take a nose dive after that in 2011 with the A’s and Rockies. In 2012, he was awesome for the Dodgers in the first half of the season, but like many of their players, he really fell off in the second half. He slugged .315 in 69 games for L.A. in the last three months of the season. Which guy will show up in 2013?

4. Colorado Rockies

The next two slots is anyone’s guess really considering neither starter for the Rockies of Padres has much experience in the bigs. However, I happen to like Josh Rutledge – a third-round pick in 2010 – for the Rox. He hit .274/.306/.469 for Colorado in limited time – 291 plate appearances – in 2012. However, his minor-league numbers are more indicative of a higher average and on-base guy that has shown a little pop. He also came up through the minors as a short stop but showed he probably wasn’t good enough defensively for that spot in the majors. So the switch to second may do him well.

5. San Diego Padres

Logan Forsythe, a supplemental first-rounder in 2008, has in parts of the last two seasons for the Padres, accumulating a .254/.343/.390 slash line. He doesn’t have one tool that stands out, but is solid throughout. He won’t hit 20 home runs, though getting to 12 would be good, he won’t hit .300 or get on base at a .360 clip, but he’s the type of hitter and fielder that can be a big-league regular at second with the versatility to move around the infield. Despite being fifth on this list, the Padres could do much worse at second.

The Dodgers got on the board first in the top of the third inning when Bobby Abreu doubled to deep left-center field, scoring Tony Gwynn, and putting the visitors up 1-0. They would add another run in the top of the next inning when Adam Kennedy hit a solo home run to right field.

The score would remain the same, with neither team able to put together an offensive rally as Josh Collmenter and Clayton Kershaw both providing strong starting performances.

The D-backs were able to change this in the bottom of the sixth inning when they exploded for five runs. Aaron Hill led things off by singling to right-center field, scoring Henry Blanco, and cutting the score to 2-1. With Willie Bloomquist on second and Hill on first, Justin Upton drove in two runs on his first triple of the season, putting the snakes up 3-2. Jason Kubel would drive in Upton in the very next at bat with an RBI double. Kubel would score on a wild pitch by Dodger reliever Jamey Wright, putting the D-backs up 5-2.

Jul. 6, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Arizona Diamondbacks fans cheer as outfielder Justin Upton slides into third base after hitting a two run triple in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

The top half of the next inning provided a lot of drama, as Bryan Shaw would come into the game in an attempt to keep the lead at 5-2. He would allow a leadoff walk, followed by three singles, allowing a run and leaving the bases loaded with no outs. Mike Zagurski would come in and strike out his first opponent, Jerry Hairston, leaving the bases loaded with one out. He would then get the next batter to fly out to left field, with Kubel firing a strike to Henry Blanco at home, gunning out Mark Ellis attempting to score, and ending the top of the inning.

Juan Rivera would add a run in the top of the seventh inning with an RBI single to center field, but that wouldn’t be enough, as the Arizona bullpen came in and pitched three strong innings of relief, with JJ Putz collecting his 15th save of the season.

D-backs fans everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief, as the team’s season-high losing streak is over at six games. In those six games, the team was very inconsistent, giving up a lot of runs without able to put together offensively. Fortunately for the D-backs, the All-Star break comes at the most opportune time of the season next week, allowing the team to rest up, clear their minds and get ready for the second half of the season.

Trevor Cahill will take the mound for the D-backs tomorrow evening against the Dodgers.

Los Angeles was able to strike first in the top of the first inning when Juan Rivera doubled to deep left field, scoring Mark Ellis,  and putting the Dodgers up 1-0. They would add another run later in the inning when Luis Cruz singled to right field, plating Jerry Hairston Jr., and extending the lead 2-0.

Arizona would get on the board in the bottom of the second inning when Stephen Drew singled to right field, scoring Paul Goldschmidt, and cutting the lead 2-1.

The Dodgers would add another run in the top of the fourth inning when Scott Van Slyke hit a solo home run to left field. They would add another run in the top of the seventh with a solo home run by Elian Herrera.

The Arizona offense was unable to produce any momentum all night, compiling only five hits and one run all game. Wade Miley  pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, but was not provided with any run support by his teammates.

Eovaldi would go six strong innings, allowing only five hits and a run in the winning effort.

With the loss, Arizona has dropped their sixth straight game, and the fourth straight on this homestand. Josh Collmenter  will take the mound tomorrow for the D-backs.