NL West notes: Mattingly, Kershaw, Han-Ram, Lilly, Cedeno, Everth

Here's the latest from the NL West, where the Dodgers (62-50) have all but put away the D'backs (57-55) and the Padres (52-61), Rockies (52-61), and Giants (50-62) all waver somewhere between hard realizations and preparing for the future:

• Dodgers came close to firing Don Mattingly - SBNation.com
  The Dodgers came close to making a change at manager, just weeks before they would go on a tear that now has them in first-place.

• Clayton Kershaw wins NL Pitcher of the Month for July - True Blue LA
  July 2013 marks the 26th month in 39 seasons that a Dodgers pitcher has won the award.

• Hanley Ramirez avoids DL, for now - True Blue LA (Aug 5th)
  Hanley Ramirez right shoulder injury will not result in a DL stint and Brian Wilson set to debut for the Dodgers Wednesday.

• Dodgers activate Stephen Fife from DL, option Scott Van Slyke - True Blue LA (Aug 4th)
  Fife missed 23 games with right shoulder bursitis, the second time this season the pitcher has been on the disabled list for said injury.

• Giants' deal with Ted Lilly falls through - MLB Daily Dish
  The deal was very close earlier Tuesday, but hit a last-minute snag and is now considered doubtful.

• Is the Diamondbacks' season over? - AZ Snake Pit
  Now that the D'backs are 5½ back of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and have gone 6-10 since the All-Star break, is it time to relax and enjoy the remaining games for what they are?

• Let's Do The Panic - AZ Snake Pit
  The June Swoon killed the 2013 Diamondbacks, as they've seen their lead go from 2½ up in the division to 6 down. What will take for them to make the playoffs, or should D'backs fans start drinking heavily now?

• Rockies becoming more aggressive with mid-season promotions - Purple Row
  Chad Bettis, Eddie Butler, Jonathan Gray and Tom Murphy have all moved up at least two levels this season, bucking a different trend the Rockies have shown in recent years.

• Padres sign Ronny Cedeno to Minor League Deal - Gaslamp Ball (Aug 3rd)

• Everth's Apology - Gaslamp Ball
  The Padres shortstop made a statement regarding his suspension and apologized for his mistake, promising to work hard and come back a better player.