BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT

Who does San Francisco Giant Manager Dusty Baker favor in the National League West with one week left? Baker, knowing he has four games remaining with the Colorado Rockies, was noncommittal.

“I like the Dodgers’ starting pitching and I like the Rockies’ bullpen,” he said. “It depends on who plays the best baseball. It depends on who wants it the most.”

Asked again about Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda’s concerns that the Giants might suffer a letdown on the fringe of the race, Baker said: “I’m tired of talking about Tommy, but the thing that shocked me about it was that he knew me as one of the toughest competitors. Maybe he thought I mellowed over the years.”

And on the collapse of the Angels, Baker said: “They’d been getting a lot of production out of guys who had never done it before. You don’t know if they just fell apart or if it’s water seeking its own level.”