Green named NL Player of the Week

After a slow start to the year, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Shawn Green came on strong last week, and earned the Bank of America National League Player of the Week award for June 6-13.
Green led the league with 28 total bases and five doubles, and was tied for the lead with 12 hits, nine runs scored and 12 RBIs. He also hit three homers and a triple during the past week.

"No, nothing's changed. The calendar's changed," Green said. "For some reason, it takes me a little while for me to start feeling good at the plate."

Green went 12-for-29 (.414), with a .966 slugging percentage and .406 on-base percentage. He recorded five multi-hit games in the last seven, including one multi-homer game.

"He's getting better balls to hit and getting better swings, and using the whole field," manager Bob Melvin said. "Sometimes, when you're struggling some, you try to pull a little too much, try to be too aggressive. ... Now he's using the whole field and getting himself in better counts, getting a better look at the ball."

On June 10, a 12-11 win over the Royals, Green went 3-for-4 with two homers, five RBIs and three runs scored. He raised his average 20 points over the last week and is hitting .277 this year, with seven homers and 33 RBIs.

Other nominees included the Phillies' Pat Burrell (.429, 4 HR, 12 RBIs), Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Reds (.400, 3 HR, 7 RBIs), Washington's Chad Cordero (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 SV), New York's Pedro Martinez (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 15 SO) and Carlos Delgado of the Marlins (.471, 2 HR, 8 RBIs).

Green, a two-time All-Star, and the Diamondbacks went 3-4 last week as they faced two American League Central teams, the Twins and Royals. Arizona is in third place in the NL West, trailing San Diego by 3 1/2 games.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Ill Estes makes White Sox sick

CHICAGO -- Shawn Estes' stomach was churning before Monday's game, and it wasn't because of nerves.
The left-hander fought his way through a stomach bug and wound up making the White Sox ill as he pitched the Diamondbacks to an 8-1 win in front of 32,952 at U.S. Cellular Field.

"I was a little worried about it after the first inning," Estes said of his stomach. "But for some reason it kind of went away as the game went on. I didn't feel any stronger, but I didn't feel worse."

Estes scattered eight hits in picking up his first nine-inning complete game since Sept. 24, 2003. The lefty threw 118 pitches, a whopping 73 of which went for strikes.

"[He had] Great rhythm out there today and threw the ball as well as he has all year," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.

Ironically, feeling a bit under the weather may have actually worked in Estes' favor.

"A lot of times I feel too strong and overthrow a bit," he said. "Those are sometimes your best games, because you go out there and you know you don't have a whole lot, but you have enough and your focus for some reason gets a little bit better and your concentration gets a little bit better."

The Diamondbacks offense helped Estes' concentration as well by jumping all over Chicago starter Jose Contreas.

Arizona managed a run in the first on Tony Clark's sacrifice fly, but missed a golden opportunity for more as it left two men on base.

"When you get an opportunity to put a crooked number and you don't, sometimes it works against you," Melvin said.

But not on this night.

The Diamondbacks picked up right where they left off in the second, as they hammered three homers and put up a six-spot to give Estes a 7-0 cushion. Chris Snyder, Luis Gonzalez and Troy Glaus hit the homers in the inning for Arizona, with Shawn Green adding one later.

With the early advantage, Estes was able to go after the opposition aggressively, relying on a two-seam fastball that moved down and away from an all right-handed-hitting lineup. Estes, who struck out five and did not allow a walk, only let one batter get past second base and that was Frank Thomas, who homered in the fourth for Chicago's lone run.

Shawn Estes / P
Born: 02/18/73
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: L

More info:
Player page
Stats | Splits
Gallery
Team Site | Shop


"Tonight, I just trusted my defense, and the offense really picked us up tonight scoring seven early in the game," he said.

A big lead combined with not having to work out of a lot of jams allowed Estes to give the Diamondbacks the complete game, which gave a beleaguered bullpen a break.

"That was welcome for everyone here," Melvin said.

From behind the plate, Snyder said Estes didn't show any signs of being sick.

"I couldn't tell," he said. "I think he just might have told you guys that so the complete game looked that much better."

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Revamped D-Backs are clicking

CHICAGO -- This must be the Pleasant Surprise Bowl portion of Interleague Play.
The Chicago White Sox, with baseball's best record, have had a two-month corner on exceeding expectations. But this week, making their first visit to Chicago's South Side, there are the Arizona Diamondbacks, losers of 111 games in 2004, but currently just three games out of first place in the National League West.

This should make for an intriguing three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox have been remade with an emphasis on pitching, defense and speed. The D-Backs have been remade, period.

In the opener Monday night, however, the newfound White Sox components of pitching and defense weren't allowed to be factors. And the speed? The really impressive velocity could be witnessed in how rapidly all those Arizona home runs were leaving the premises.

There were a couple of factors at work here. The Diamondbacks did a lot of damage to Jose Contreras, who had come into the game leading AL pitchers in opponents' batting average (.202). However, Contreras gave up four home runs to the D-Backs, three in the second inning alone, when Arizona scored six runs. The D-Backs eventually triumphed, 8-1, with Shawn Estes pitching a complete game.

The White Sox came into the game second in the AL in team earned run average. The true test of that standing is about to arrive, and not totally because of the advent of Interleague play.

The ballpark climate at U.S. Cellular changes dramatically from spring to summer. In the spring, the wind is typically pitcher-friendly, blowing in off Lake Michigan. In the summer, the wind turns around and favors the hitters. Monday night was like the turn of the season; hot and humid, a 16-mph wind doing the pitchers no favors.

But the other half of it is that the Arizona lineup doesn't offer much consolation for pitchers regardless of which way the wind is blowing. The D-Backs are fifth in the NL in runs scored. They are averaging 4.60 runs per game, a vast improvement over last season's 3.80. But then, this is a vastly improved offense.

Arizona has, among others, Craig Counsell setting the table, major run production from Luis Gonzalez and Troy Glaus, Shawn Green, the most recent NL player of the week, heating up, and Tony Clark having a remarkable career rebirth. "We've been swinging it very well," said manager Bob Melvin. "We get all those cylinders working, we're a good offensive club.

The Diamondbacks have also committed just 33 errors through 65 games. This must be very good, because the White Sox, who have now become known for their defense, have committed 38.

The problem for the D-Backs has been the bullpen, the one area of the club that did not go through an extreme off-season makeover.

"We've got some guys who have been released and we picked them up for a veteran presence and then we have a lot of young kids (in the bullpen)," Melvin said. "That was one area of the team that we didn't really address, but you can only address so many areas when your payroll is $58 million. At times we've been very good. We still do feel like we still have some very good arms.

"We want to get (Mike) Koplove back here. We sent him down to get him straightened out. We want to get Brandon Lyon back to what he achieved for us early in the year. And getting (Greg) Aquino back, we feel we can have more stability down there."

Bad luck has also played a role in Arizona's bullpen difficulties. Aquino inherited the closer's role in the second half last season and performed well, but suffered an ulna nerve irritation in Spring Training and is just now back from the disabled list. Lyon did a remarkable job as closer in the first five weeks of the season, but then went out with a right elbow strain and may not return until mid-July. In the interim, the D-Backs have seen a series of winnable games turn into draining losses because of shortcomings in the bullpen.

"We've been saying all along it's a different feeling when it's in your house," Melvin said. "When you look at the other teams that have struggled at times, you say: 'They're going to be there, it's no big deal.' But when you're around it every day, that's when it's tough.

"And we've played so many emotional games this year. Thirty-something games have gone down to the last pitch. That can wear on you when you lose games like that. We ended up winning a game that felt like a loss; we were ahead, 11-3, at home and we ended up winning in extra innings.

"Games like that all the time end up wearing on you. But we've got veteran guys here and the thing to do is put it away. Put it away and go out the next day and forget about it, because there's nothing you can do about it.

"Now, offensively, we're starting to swing it better. And it was obviously a welcome sight to get a complete game out of Shawn, against a quality club, too, and that can really help you as far as your confidence going down the road."

With all that has happened, the Diamondbacks are, 65 games into the season, solidly in contention in a division that appears highly competitive, but without one dominant club.

And Monday night was a sound way to validate the D-Backs' status. In this Interleague series between pleasant surprises, the lesser-publicized National League entry, came in and handily took round one, beating the team with the best record in baseball by seven runs.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Short bench an issue for Melvin

CHICAGO -- Bob Melvin doesn't have a lot of options when it comes to his bench right now.
By carrying 12 pitchers, the Diamondbacks manager is limited to 13 position players and because they're playing in an American League park with the designated hitter, that means he's only got four guys left.

Add to that, the fact that Alex Cintron's wrist will keep him out of action Monday and maybe even Tuesday, and Melvin is down to just three guys on the bench.

"I told everybody, 'Don't get thrown out today,'" Melvin said.

Cintron was unavailable Sunday and could miss Tuesday's game as well, but the club was encouraged by the progress he made from Sunday to Monday.

"It still hurts," Cintron said, "but not like [Sunday]."

Good news: Arizona closer Brandon Lyon played catch for the first time in nearly a month and did not feel any pain in his right elbow.

Lyon, who has been on the disabled list since May 13 with a strained elbow, threw for six minutes at a distance of 60 feet.

"It was definitely a positive day," Lyon said. "A month ago I couldn't really do this without any pain so obviously it takes a load off my mind. I can just keep looking forward now."

The Diamondbacks could sure use a healthy Lyon, but it will still be quite a while before he's able to pitch again. By being moved to the 60-day disabled list over the weekend, Lyon is not eligible to be activated until after the All-Star break.

"I'm just going to take it day by day now," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting back here (Tuesday) and playing catch again."

Getting in touch: Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said the team hoped to begin talks with first-round pick Justin Upton later this week.

The D-Backs took the high school shortstop from Virginia with the first overall pick in last week's draft.

Welcome home: Diamondbacks outfielder Scott Hairston is certainly familiar with the Windy City and U.S. Cellular Field.

Hairston's father, Jerry, played for the White Sox from 1973-77 and again from 1981-1990, so Scott spent plenty of time in his youth around old Comiskey Park and also got to witness history at U.S. Cellular Field.

"It's a great experience coming back," Hairston said. "I remember coming to the ballpark as a kid and watching a lot of the games and now to be playing here is really special. I still have a lot of memories (at U.S. Cellular). I was here for the first game ever at this park. I was here in the '93 playoffs.

"I love this city. I really love it."

Familiar faces: Monday was the first time the Diamondbacks and White Sox had met in Chicago. The two teams played a three-game series at Bank One Ballpark in 2003.

That doesn't mean the two teams are not familiar with each other, as they share a Spring Training facility and play each other often during the spring.

"You really do feel like you're playing a team in the National League that you know a little more," Melvin said. "It doesn't have the same Interleague flavor to it simply because we do know this club. Heck, for two months we were right there next door to them and it felt like we played them every other day."

The doctor: Arizona shortstop Royce Clayton played for the White Sox from 2001-2002 and has fond memories of the field here in Chicago.

The credit for that goes to head groundskeeper Roger Bossard, who's father took care of the field at Comiskey Park before he did, and his grandfather did the same in old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

"It's one of the best infields in the game," Clayton said. "(Bossard) is awesome. He knows that field like the back of his hand. When I played here, all the players that came through talked about how true the infield is.

"He is one of the doctors of the infield."

Sign here: The Diamondbacks inked four more players from last week's First-Year Player Draft.

Right-handers Cody Evans (10th round), Vincent Bongiovanni (24th) and Matt Fowles (27th) along with infielder Rusty Ryal (14th) signed. Evans, Ryal and Bongiovanni were assigned to rookie league Missoula, while Fowles will start with Yakima of the Class A Northwest League.

On deck: A pair of former Yankees will hook up Tuesday night when the Diamondbacks and White Sox play the second game of this three-game Interleague series.

Javier Vazquez will take the mound for the Diamondbacks. The right-hander pitched for New York last year and has pitched well after a rough start. Vazquez started the year 0-2 with an 11.77 ERA in his first three starts.

Since then, though, he's 6-2 with a 3.04 ERA over his last 10 starts.

The White Sox will counter with right-hander Orlando Hernandez, who pitched for the Yankees from 1998-2004. Hernandez has not lost since April 14 in Cleveland.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Vazquez, offense top Sox

CHICAGO -- The Diamondbacks continued their hot hitting Tuesday night as they beat the White Sox, 10-4, at U.S. Cellular Field.
The win was the second in as many nights for Arizona, which has a chance to sweep the series with a win Wednesday. Either way, Arizona has won its first series since taking two of three against Detroit May 20-22.

"Early on, we were winning a lot of series and then we've gone into a little bit of a funk as far as the series go," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "It's nice to take two in a row, especially against such a quality club."

The White Sox actually held an early lead, as they scored a pair of runs on a second-inning homer by Jermaine Dye.

Arizona's offense, though, got cranking in the fourth inning when Troy Glaus led off the frame with a homer and Royce Clayton capped the three-run outburst with a two-run double.

The Diamondbacks scored three more in the fifth on an RBI single by Glaus and a two-run homer by Shawn Green to build a 6-3 lead.

"We're starting to see that thing break open a little bit as far as getting hits with runners in scoring position," Melvin said. "It's good to see."

The runs were more than enough for Javier Vazquez, who had to battle a 21 mph wind blowing out. The right-hander managed to scatter seven hits while allowing just three runs and striking out 10 over eight innings.

"He keeps you off balance," Melvin said. "You can't be sitting offspeed, otherwise he'll throw that fastball right by you."

Chicago starter Orlando Hernandez had a tough time getting the ball past the D-Backs hitters, particularly the "G-Force" of Luis Gonzalez, Troy Glaus and Shawn Green.

The trio has heated up over the past week and Tuesday, they combined to drive in eight of Arizona's 10 runs.

"When your big guys hit, it sets things up for everybody else," Clayton said. "Early in the year they haven't clicked all at the same time, but when you've got three guys like that swinging the bat that well, it's going to be tough for any pitcher. Right now we just have to tip our hats to the 'G-Force' because they're doing their thing."

Vazquez K-Meter
D-Backs at White Sox, June 14, 2005
Javier Vazquez (7-4) fanned 10 of the 31 batters he faced to increase his season strikeout total to 82 and career strikeout total to 1,308, through June 14. A look at his Ks:
K Strikeout victim Inn. Count
1 Carl Everett (looking) 2 2-2
2 A.J. Pierzynski (swinging) 2 0-2
3 Joe Crede (swinging) 2 1-2
4 Tadahito Iguchi (swinging) 3 0-2
5 Aaron Rowand (looking) 4 1-2
6 Joe Crede (swinging) 5 1-2
7 A.J. Pierzynski (swinging) 7 0-2
8 Juan Uribe (looking) 7 0-2
9 Aaron Rowand (swinging) 8 0-2
10 Paul Konerko (swinging) 8 3-2
Key numbers for Vazquez:
Pitches-strikes: 113-82; Groundouts-flyouts: 5-6;
Season strikeouts-walks: 82-12; WHIP: 1.18

Glaus and Green both homered for the second straight night, with Glaus going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. It was the third baseman's 17th career game with at least four RBIs. Green, who was the National League Player of the Week last week, is now hitting .417 with five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 15 RBIs over his last nine games.

"[Monday] and today the whole team, all the way up and down, has been making some adjustments and getting some key hits when we needed them," Glaus said.


Glaus also managed to contribute with his glove as he wiped out a potential first-inning rally by the White Sox.

Scott Podsednik led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single, advanced to second on a throwing error by catcher Chris Snyder, and then stole third.

Tadahito Iguchi then ripped a liner to the right of Glaus that he snared and then dove to touch third with his glove to double up Podsednik.

"It was more of a reaction play," Glaus said. "He pulled it down the line, and I just kind of fell on the bag."

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

D-Backs solving South Side puzzle

CHICAGO -- The wind has shifted on the South Side. It is now blowing away from small ball and toward long ball.
With the wind blowing out at 21 mph Tuesday night, it was not an ideal time for pitchers. It also turned out to be a less than fortuitous evening for the Chicago White Sox 2005 game plan.

For the second straight night, the Sox were outscored rather noticeably by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks won Tuesday night, 10-4. In two Interleague nights here, the D-Backs have hit six home runs and scored 18 runs.

It ought to be noted that the two Diamondbacks who homered in this one -- Troy Glaus and Shawn Green -- have a history of not requiring a following wind to get the baseball out of the ballpark. Glaus, in fact, hit a towering 422-foot shot off Orlando Hernandez in the fourth that would have left the premises on any of January's 31 days.

The omens were not good for small ball from the beginning. In the Chicago first, speedy leadoff man Scott Podsednik beat out a bunt and reached second on an accompanying throwing error. This was, remarkably, Podsednik's 22nd infield hit of the season. Then he stole third, putting himself in a wonderful position to score with nobody out.

Ball can't get much smaller than this. But it didn't end well. Tadahito Iguchi hit a screamer down the third-base line, but Glaus made a diving stab of it and didn't have to lunge very far to double Podsednik off third. After that, it was time for the extra-base hits to take over.

It appears that the D-Backs, although they had never played in U.S. Cellular Field before Monday night, might be more suited to the current climate than the White Sox. Two White Sox pitchers -- Jose Contreras and Tuesday starter Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez -- were having successful campaigns when the wind was generally at their backs, blowing in off Lake Michigan. But the last two evenings the two White Sox pitchers were merely victims of the conditions and, more than that, of the Diamondbacks.

What you need on a night like this is a pitcher who can make adjustments and keep his focus on the task at hand instead of the hitter-friendly elements. Fortunately for the D-Backs, they had someone just like that: Javier Vazquez. If you looked at his line -- three earned runs in eight innings, one walk, 10 strikeouts -- you would normally think that was fine. But if you looked at his line in light of the conditions here, it was closer to terrific.

Vazquez gave up a two-run homer in the second and a solo shot in the fourth, both hit to right by right-handed batters. But after that, even on a night when the elements were gusting in the hitters' favor, the White Sox got nothing more off Vazquez.

"We're used to that from him, you almost get spoiled by it," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "You tend to think tonight that with balls carrying out to right with that sort of distance, even hit the other way, the ball's carrying pretty well.

"But then he makes an adjustment. He keeps the ball down. He's throwing his changeup and probably more curveballs today. He keeps you off-balance. And then when you have 93 (mph) and sometimes 94, you can't sit on the offspeed stuff because that ball gets on you too quick."

"Early in the game I was using a lot of fastballs, and later on I was mixing it up a little better with my offspeed pitches," Vazquez said.

"It's not difficult [to pitch in these conditions]. You still have to make your pitches. Obviously, there's going to be some balls that are carried away with the wind. But you still have to be aggressive, and not think about where the wind is blowing or whether it's blowing or not. You have to do what you do as a pitcher no matter what the conditions are on the field or of nature."

Vazquez is now 7-4. He has already recorded a string of 54 1/3 consecutive innings without a walk, and for the season he has walked just 12 while striking out 82 in 92 innings. Vazquez and fellow starting pitcher Brad Halsey were acquired from the New York Yankees in the trade for Randy Johnson. It turns out that trading your best and most expensive pitcher can sometimes be a very productive move.

Vazquez succeeded in the first half of 2004 with the Yankees, but struggled in the second half. The D-Backs are convinced that more success is on the way.

"I think he was on teams in Montreal that didn't allow him to have the type of record that he was capable of having," Melvin said. "This guy is going to break out one of these years and go 20-8 or something like that. That's the type of stuff he has. We're not surprised by it."

After the last two nights, the surprise was all on the other side of the contest. This was the first time this season that the White Sox had lost the first two games of a three-game series.

But between the Arizona lineup and the performances of Shawn Estes Monday night and Javier Vazquez Tuesday night, the Diamondbacks seem to have found a comfort zone in the Windy City.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Sweep undone in sixth

CHICAGO -- For 5 1/2 innings Wednesday it looked like the Diamondbacks were going to sweep the three-game series with the White Sox.
For the third straight night they had their way with Chicago pitching while Russ Ortiz seemed to be in control.

Then came the bottom of the sixth.

That's when things unraveled for the Diamondbacks, as the White Sox managed to put together a stunning 10-run inning to turn a 6-2 Arizona lead into a 12-6 loss.

"We swung the bat well early on and put some pressure on them," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "Usually in a game like that you want to try to put them away. They just came up with an inning ... you certainly don't forecast a 10-run inning."

No, and you certainly don't forecast a couple of miscues by normally sure-handed shortstop Royce Clayton.

With two runs already in and runners at first and second, A.J. Pierzynski hit a grounder to Clayton's right that he slid and fielded nicely. But his throw to second for the force went into right field, allowing a run to score and Jermaine Dye to advance to third.

Joe Crede then hit a grounder again to Clayton's right and the ball rolled under third baseman Troy Glaus' glove where it was fielded by Clayton, who looked home, hesitated, looked towards first, and looked again to home, but by then it was too late to get anyone as another run scored.

"I couldn't really tell how far [Dye] was down the line, and by the time all that happened, Crede was getting down the line and I didn't have a play there," Clayton said. "I should have went with my first instinct and thrown the ball home, but I held onto it and let the run cross and nothing happened. It's just a mistake on my part."

It proved to be costly. Instead of the inning potentially being over, the White Sox still had life and two runners on.

They didn't stay on base for long, though, as Juan Uribe cracked a 2-2 slider from Ortiz over the wall in left for a three-run homer and a 7-6 Chicago lead.

The pitch was not a bad one, but Uribe was able to go down and yank the ball out.

"It was a decent pitch and I think he just did a good job of going out and getting it," Ortiz said. "He's a pretty strong fellow so he went out and got it, put it on the barrel and with that I was like, 'What am I going to do?'"

Ortiz was removed after that in favor of Claudio Vargas and the right-hander retired the first two batters he faced before giving up a triple to Tadahito Iguchi, a walk to Frank Thomas and then a crushing three-run homer to Paul Konerko.

"We didn't make the plays when we should have that could have cut it off a little bit earlier and got us back in the dugout with a chance to get some more hits, score some more runs and put some more pressure on them," Melvin said.

The Diamondbacks did put early pressure on White Sox starter Jon Garland, scoring six runs off him in six innings. The 10-run frame, though, made him a winner as he raised his recorded to 11-2 and joined the Marlins' Dontrelle Willlis as the Majors' only 11-game winners.

"They did what they had to do," Ortiz said. "They put the ball where they needed to and just took advantage of everything. They showed why they are as good as they are."

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Relief help hard to find

CHICAGO -- Just like Arizona real estate, it's clearly a seller's market when it comes to relief pitching these days.
With the number of teams that are still in their division or Wild Card races and the number of teams with struggling bullpens, it makes it very difficult for teams like the Diamondbacks, who would like to upgrade their bullpen.

Several names have been bandied about as possibilities for Arizona. Among them, the Pirates' Jose Mesa and Tampa Bay's Danys Baez, but both seem unlikely.

First, Pittsburgh general manager Dave Littlefield said he's not planning on being a seller this year and certainly not this early. As for Baez, he does have eight saves, but has blown six.

Given the demand for relief pitching, the price for any closer would be high, and Arizona is loathe to part with one of its top prospects. Fans that think they should, need only watch Wednesday night's game. The White Sox will start Jon Garland, who began his career in the Cubs organization. He was traded in 1998 when the Cubs, needing bullpen help, got Matt Karchner from the White Sox.

Karchner went on to go 3-1 with a 5.14 ERA for the Cubs that year and appeared in just 29 games over the next two seasons. Garland? He's 10-2 for the Sox this year.

Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. continues to work the phones, but that doesn't mean a deal is imminent or even likely.

"Trade talks are always ongoing," he said. "This is a normal part of what you do. You call other teams. They call you. There are various times of the year where it gets more intense, obviously around the trading deadline, but a normal part of the day-to-day routine is to talk to other clubs -- identifying their needs, identifying your needs to them."

Closer: Infielder Alex Cintron took batting practice before Tuesday's game and his ailing left wrist appears to be feeling better.

"Probably (Wednesday) for sure," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said when asked when Cintron would be available to play.

Same thing: Closer Brandon Lyon played catch for six minutes from a distance of 60 feet for the second straight day.

"I feel good," he said. "Everything went well. No problems."

Next step: Reliever Oscar Villarreal (rotator cuff strain) will throw off the mound for the first time since going on the disabled list April 11 on Wednesday.

The right-hander is expected to throw 10-12 pitches off the mound at the end of his throwing session.

"I don't feel any pain," Villarreal said. "I'm surprised, but I don't feel anything."

Still there: Outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. said he still feels some lingering discomfort in his lower back that shoots down his leg. Cruz missed nearly a month of the season with a lower back strain, but said he can play through his recent problems.

"I just kind of have to grind it out," he said. "Sometimes it gets fatigued."

Got my vote: Tony Clark has been outstanding in a pinch-hitting role this season, compiling a .478 mark off the bench.

They don't have a spot on the All-Star teams for pinch-hitters, but if they did, Melvin knows who it would go to.

"All I can tell you is he's had as big an impact on this team as anybody here," Melvin said.

Clark will likely stay in the designated hitter role during Interleague Play, with Chad Tracy remaining at first.

"It makes our lineup a lot deeper," Melvin said. "Being able to get he and Chad both in the lineup, we get a lot deeper. It seems like we have a chance to score in every inning."

Sign here: The Diamondbacks have signed four more players from last week's First-Year Player draft.

The club inked outfielders Gregory Thomas (15th round), and Norman Melendez (28); right-hander Kyle Wright (19); left-hander Aaron Gamboa (48) along with non-drafted right-hander Ryan Doherty.

Early honor: Last year's first pick, shortstop Stephen Drew, was named California League Player of the Week for June 6-12.

Drew hit .417 with 10 runs scored and eight RBIs in his first six games with Lancaster after finally signing with the club.

On deck: The Diamondbacks close out this three-game set with the White Sox on Wednesday night.

Russ Ortiz will get the starting nod for the Diamondbacks and the right-hander is hoping for better luck than he had last time out. In that start against the Royals, Ortiz left after seven innings with an 11-3 lead.

The bullpen, though, couldn't hold the lead and Ortiz wound up with a no-decision after Arizona won, 12-11, in 10 innings.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Cintron available in emergency

CHICAGO -- Alex Cintron was available in an emergency Wednesday, but Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin was hoping to give his infielder one more day of rest.
Cintron injured his left wrist while checking his swing Saturday and has not played since. He took batting practice Tuesday and again Wednesday, and said he feels it more when swinging lefty than he does righty.

"I'd like to not have to use him [Wednesday], so I could get him through the off-day and then I think he'd probably be ready to even start a game," Melvin said.

Cintron may start at third Friday against Indians left-hander Cliff Lee. That would allow Melvin to use regular third baseman Troy Glaus as a designated hitter and put Tony Clark at first, with left-handed hitter Chad Tracy getting a day off.

Good first step: Injured reliever Oscar Villarreal threw off the mound for the first time since being placed on the disabled list April 11 with a rotator cuff strain.

Villarreal threw 13 pitches -- fastballs and changeups -- and may throw off the mound again Friday.

Meanwhile injured closer Brandon Lyon played catch for the third straight day.

Working out the kinks: Left-hander Brad Halsey, who will start for the D-Backs on Friday in Cleveland spent his side session Wednesday adjusting his mechanics.

One of the team's most reliable starters this year, Halsey has allowed six runs over six innings in each of his last two starts.

"He's just got some balls up and he wasn't getting over his front side," Melvin said. "Just kind of staying back and throwing uphill as opposed to getting over his front side and throwing downhill."

Put me in coach: After a tough weekend, the Arizona bullpen has had almost two days of total rest, thanks to Shawn Estes' complete game Monday and Javier Vazquez's eight-inning effort Tuesday.

"I think it's good because guys are champing at the bit now," Melvin said. "Sometimes, when things are going bad, you get a shellshocked effect sometimes, and now these guys are champing at the bit to get in there."

Melvin said his bullpen deserves more credit than it's gotten lately and pointed out that it is tied for second in the NL in saves.

"There have been times during the season where they've picked us up," he said.

No changes: Despite Thursday's off-day, the Diamondbacks will not skip a starter and will instead give everyone in the rotation an extra day between starts, as they have all year.

The Diamondbacks have kept their five-man rotation in order all year with the exception of the first week of the season and when a doubleheader forced them to give Claudio Vargas a spot start.

"It keeps guys rested over the course of a season," Melvin said. "It allows you, at times, if you feel you have bullpen issues, to go a little longer with your starters."

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Clark enjoying resurgence with D-Backs

This was supposed to happen a long time ago, and it was certainly supposed to happen long before his 33rd birthday. The way Tony Clark envisioned his career playing out, he'd still be the everyday first baseman in Detroit, and his 200th career home run -- a milestone he reached Saturday -- would have been a distant memory by now.
Clark averaged 31 homers and nearly 100 RBIs a year in his first four years in the Majors with the Tigers, establishing himself as a promising first baseman.

"I had visions of grandeur because I never knew what I was capable of. Ironically enough, no matter how things have turned out, until I hang my uniform up, I will always believe I'm capable of more," Clark said. "So did I think it was going to come sooner? I don't know if I thought it was going to come sooner as much as I didn't see the road that I've taken happening. I honestly thought I was going to be in Detroit for 15 years and ride off into the sunset."

Early on, it looked as if his career would play out that way. But Clark endured an injury-riddled 2000 season, landing on the DL three times. He was named to the All-Star team in 2001, but his numbers at the end of the year belied the selection and Clark was placed on waivers after the season.

Boston snapped him up, beginning Clark's transition from an everyday player to a journeyman with a limited role. Clark's production dropped off a ledge the size of the Green Monster, and his average barely hovered above the Mendoza Line.

"When I was having to call for an opportunity just to get to a big-league camp after the '02 season, the realization came that everybody had somebody at first base and if I was going to get an opportunity, it wasn't going to be as an everyday player," Clark said. "That realization prompted me to look in the mirror and decide what it was I wanted to do. My decision was that if that was the case, I would swallow my pride and become the best player I could in whatever role or capacity it is."

Clark made stops with the Mets and Yankees the next two seasons, building a reputation as a timely hitter and a calming clubhouse presence before signing with Arizona in January.

With the Diamondbacks, Clark has enjoyed an unmatched level of success -- albeit in a limited role. Clark, who has never hit higher than .291, is batting at a .352 clip so far in 2005.

But it's when those hits have come that has made Clark's season so special. He's hitting .478 as a pinch-hitter.

Clark is batting .333 with the bases empty, but put a runner on base, and that average climbs nearly 35 points. Put some runners in scoring position, and it goes up another 35 points.

"I know how this game works, rather than getting tied up in the outcome, even when things are going well," Clark said. "I simply try to take each at-bat as it comes and hope you get a good at-bat -- Lord willing the ball will find a hole."

Tony Clark / 1B
Born: 06/15/72
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 245 lbs
Bats: S / Throws: R

More info:
Player page
Stats | Splits
Gallery
Team Site | Shop


But lately the ball hasn't been finding the holes; it's been finding the seats. Clark is blasting home runs at an even better pace than during his best days with Detroit.

The switch-hitter has become so dependable that manager Bob Melvin is often hesitant to insert Clark in the starting lineup so that he can have him available at any time instead of risking Clark being trapped in the wrong part of the lineup when he is most needed.

Clark was Melvin's wild card, the weapon the manager had at his disposal at any time to turn an offensive liability into a dangerous power hitter with a flare for the dramatic. Such was the case when Melvin called Clark's number in the eighth inning on June 7 against Minnesota and Clark promptly swatted a three-run blast to tie the score.

It was Clark's league-leading third pinch-hit home run -- matching the total number of homers he hit in that dismal 2002 season. Clark has been swinging such a hot bat, though, that Melvin has decided he'd rather get him four or five at-bats a game instead of one well-timed appearance.

"One of the things about being prepared is understanding where the game's going and when you may be used, and Tony -- this isn't his first day at the ballpark -- he understands where you are in a particular game," Melvin said. "He has the foresight to understand when he's going to be used and prepares accordingly."

Don't be fooled by the numerous Major League stops and his thinning silver hair. Clark turned 33 on Thursday -- the night he hit home run No. 202 -- meaning he probably still has a few more productive years in him.

"I'm thankful the Lord's blessed me with the health to play long enough to get [to 200 home runs]," Clark said. "But more than anything else, I'm hopeful that I've still got a little left in the tank."

He may no longer be Tony the Tiger, but if this season's any indication, Clark still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

E. Gonzalez in, Koplove out

PHOENIX -- Mike Koplove wasn't exactly shocked to hear he was being optioned to Triple-A Tucson on Thursday, but that didn't take away the sting.
"I didn't think it was out of the realm of possibility," the right-hander said when reached on his cell phone after hearing the news. "But it's never something you want to hear.

"I haven't thrown as well as I know I can for a good part of the year."

Koplove is 2-1 with a 5.06 ERA in 30 appearances this season.

"This is a guy we really envisioned being basically our setup guy and we feel like we need him to get to where we want to go," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.

Koplove has struggled with his command, walking 15 and striking out 21 in 32 innings. He has also hit five batters.

"I think it's more mental than mechanical," Koplove said.

Melvin seems to feel the same way.

"I think it's a lot of things," Melvin said. "It's psychological. I think he lost his confidence when he goes out there. He's not throwing the ball where he wants to, which weighs on him a little bit because he's always been a guy that can throw the ball over the plate with all his pitches at any time. So I think it's a combination of confidence and maybe some mechanical issues as well."

There is no timetable for Koplove to return and Melvin admitted the move should be a wakeup call, not just for Koplove, but the rest of his bullpen that has struggled of late.

"They said just go down and throw well," said Koplove, who signed a two-year, $2 million contract during the offseason. "I just have to go down there and work on some things."

Welcome back: To take Koplove's place in the bullpen, the D-Backs recalled right-hander Edgar Gonzalez from Tucson.

"Edgar's pitching lights out and we really need a guy in more of a long role," Melvin said. "He was rewarded by his performance and how well he's been doing."

This year has been quite a turnaround for Gonzalez. Used as a starter in Tucson, he was 6-1, 3.00 ERA in 12 starts this year. Last year, the 22-year-old made 10 starts for the Diamondbacks and struggled to an 0-9 record with a 9.32 ERA.

A big reason for the difference is the work Gonzalez has done with Tucson pitching coach Mike Parrott, who has him using his legs to drive towards the plate. Last year, Gonzalez relied mainly on his arm and left too many pitches up in the zone.

"The pitching coach really helped me," he said. "I'm using my whole body now and I'm able to keep the ball down. I'm also throwing more changeups. I'm better with my changeup."

Catching up: The Diamondbacks have not yet started negotiations with Tuesday's No. 1 pick, Justin Upton.

Arizona scouting director Mike Rizzo said they hoped to get something done in relatively quick fashion, but took Thursday to catch their collective breaths after a hectic couple of days with the draft.

Speaking of the draft: The D-Backs hosted right-handed pitcher Brett Jacobson at Wednesday's game.

The 11th-round pick from nearby Cactus Shadows High School could be a tough sign for the Diamondbacks as he has a scholarship offer to Vanderbilt. The organization, though, felt he was too good to pass up and will take their chances in reaching an agreement.

Returning: Claudio Vargas will go back to the bullpen after making a spot start Wednesday night. With last weekend's doubleheader, the Diamondbacks were in need of a starter and though Vargas was claimed on waivers to add depth to the bullpen, he did have starting experience and therefore got the nod.

Vargas gave up six runs on eight hits over five innings in taking the loss Wednesday, his first appearance in two weeks.

"We felt like he threw the ball pretty well, there was probably just some rust," Melvin said. "He didn't walk anybody, and made them hit their way on base, which we want to see here. We want to cut down our walks and make these guys earn their way on base."

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Glaus saves D-Backs from Royal collapse

PHOENIX -- Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" was being blasted on a loop in the Arizona clubhouse, but the soundtrack hardly matched the mood following the Diamondbacks' 12-11 victory in 10 innings against Kansas City on Friday.
Sure, Troy Glaus provided a dramatic ending, scraping a towering fly ball off the top of the fence and into the Arizona bullpen for a walk-off home run.

Sure, Shawn Green had his best game as a Diamondback, blasting two homers of his own and driving in a season-high five runs.

And sure, Russ Ortiz threw an encouraging seven innings against the Royals.

But the Diamondbacks were far from celebratory after clinching their first winning streak since mid-May because they shouldn't have needed their first extra-inning victory in six tries Friday, not after storming out to an 11-2 lead after five innings.

"It shouldn't end up like that, but we'll take a win," said Arizona manager Bob Melvin.

Kansas City opened the scoring on a Terrence Long double in the first, but Kansas City starter Zack Greinke could hold that lead for all of two batters. Craig Counsell led off with a single and scored on a triple by Alex Cintron. Luis Gonzalez, Green and Chad Tracy each had RBI doubles in the inning.

Although Greinke hit his first career home run in the fifth, he couldn't survive the bottom half. He was lifted after getting just one out in the inning and was charged for 11 runs.

Most of the damage was done by Green, who roped an opposite-field home run in the third and then pulled a two-run shot to right in the fourth. His sacrifice fly in the fifth capped a four-run rally to push the lead to nine.

"I just got a couple of fastballs," said Green, who had been hitless in eight at-bats entering Friday's contest. "I was able to do what I wanted to with them and it felt good."

Ortiz left the game with an eight-run cushion and the bullpen needing to get just six outs to nail down his fifth victory of the season -- a win that had eluded him in his previous three starts. But the 11-3 lead Ortiz left with didn't prove to be comfortable enough for the Arizona bullpen, which has been hitter-friendly lately.

Russ Ortiz / P
Born: 06/05/74
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 210 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R

More info:
Player page
Stats | Splits
Gallery
Team Site | Shop


"As a starter, I guess a lot of times you're rated on your won-loss record," said Ortiz, who got a no-decision. "You can't control the wins and losses sometimes, and this is one of those days. ... We won today, so that's the most important thing. It wasn't the way we wanted to win, but we still won."

Edgar Gonzalez and Matt Herges combined to give up six runs while retiring just two Royals in the eighth inning. Javier Lopez then came in and walked both batters he faced. In all, the Royals drew six walks in the inning. After Lance Cormier finally stopped the bleeding by inducing a Ruben Gotay groundout, what was left of the Bank One Ballpark crowd let out a loud mock cheer.

But the bullpen's charitableness proved to be contagious even for Cormier, who has been the D-Backs' most dependable setup man all year. Melvin showed his confidence in Cormier by letting him hit in the eighth with runners on the corners and two outs, but a Matt Stairs single with two outs tied the game at 11 in the ninth.

"He got the big, big out in the eighth and I had two guys left in the bullpen and that's why he stayed in the game," Melvin said. "I had confidence with a two-run lead that he'd go out there and seal it. They got some good at-bats and obviously ended up tying it. Certainly, I can be second-guessed."

After Arizona went down in order in the ninth, closer Brian Bruney came in and settled things down by pitching a perfect 10th.

Glaus led off the bottom of the inning and turned on a 2-1 Mike MacDougal offering that was up in the zone. As the ball flew toward the wall, it appeared left fielder Shane Costa might have a play, but the ball eluded Costa's glove and eked over the fence to allow the Diamondbacks to blow a sigh of relief.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Cormier anchoring bullpen

PHOENIX -- Troy Glaus wasn't even halfway back to the dugout after flying out to end the seventh inning when Lance Cormier was already sprinting toward the mound to start his second inning of work Thursday.
It didn't matter either that his batterymate, Chris Snyder, wasn't close to being ready -- Cormier was just anxious to get out of the dugout and back onto the field.

"I like to get out there," said Cormier, who pitched two innings of scoreless relief against the Twins. "I don't like to sit in the dugout, I like to keep on pitching."

The way Cormier has been pitching lately, manager Bob Melvin has been eager to get his righty on the mound as much as possible. While the rest of the bullpen has been unreliable, Cormier has been solid all year. Cormier's ERA stands at a miniscule 1.67; none of his active bullpen mates have an ERA under 5.50.

Although Cormier has emerged as the Diamondbacks' most dependable setup guy, Melvin isn't ready to promote him to the closer's role while regular closer Brandon Lyon continues to rehab an injured elbow.

"If you're having some trouble, and this is the guy who gets you to the ninth inning with the lead, you have to look to take that option as opposed to just saving him for the ninth, and potentially you never get there," Melvin said.

Cormier has been a pleasant surprise for Arizona this year. Last season -- his first in the Majors -- Cormier struggled just to get outs, posting an 8.14 ERA in 17 appearances. But he refined his mechanics in the offseason, and the consistency from pitch to pitch has led to consistency from outing to outing.

"If you're feeling good mechanically, you're putting your arm in the same spot every time, and most of the time you're going to get the results you want throwing the ball," Cormier said. "If I just put my body in the same spot, able to get the mechanics right -- that's what I'm doing better than I did last year."

Back on track: Center fielder Jose Cruz Jr. made a beautiful over-the-shoulder basket catch in front the 413-foot sign in right-center Thursday to rob Minnesota's Shannon Stewart of a two-run double.

It was a play that Cruz, who missed 27 games this season with a lower back strain, likely wouldn't have made even a few weeks ago.

"It was heckuva play and we can see he's starting to gain some ground out there," Melvin said after Arizona's 4-3 victory Thursday. "The last couple nights, we're seeing some plays that he's making now that he wouldn't have earlier. He's working hard to get in shape and play center field like he's used to."

Shortly after coming back from the disabled list in early May, Cruz needed sporadic days off to recuperate. But Cruz says he's close to 100 percent, and is now finding his name on the lineup card on a regular basis.

With the constant workload, his swing has started to improve as well. Cruz clubbed his eighth home run of the season a half-inning before his highlight-reel snag.

"It's been getting better as of about two weeks ago and it's slowly progressing," Cruz said. "When I first got off the DL, I didn't have much strength."

Clutch hitting: During Arizona's recent skid -- the team had lost seven of eight games before Thursday's win -- Melvin said one of his club's biggest problems was poor situational hitting.

But the Diamondbacks showed improvement in that category in its National League-leading 14th one-run victory. They were led by utility infielder Alex Cintron, who had an RBI groundout in the first inning and then laced a two-out single in the fourth that drove in what proved to be the winning run. Cintron's 2-for-4 performance earned him his third straight start Friday.

"Alex really isn't a backup guy, he's not a bench player, he's a guy who gives you more than that," Melvin said. "When he's hot we look to get him in there, and just because of the way he swung his bat last night, he's in there tonight."

On deck: Rookie Brad Halsey (4-3, 3.48 ERA) will get the start Saturday for Arizona. Kansas City will counter with J.P. Howell, who will be making his Major League debut.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Early deficit too much for D-Backs

PHOENIX -- He wasn't overpowering and he wasn't always in command of the strike zone, but Kansas City's J.P. Howell managed to perplex the Diamondbacks for five innings to earn the win in his Major League debut.
Howell struck out eight and allowed just one run as the Royals held off a furious Arizona comeback to win, 8-5, on Saturday night at Bank One Ballpark.

The Diamondbacks had few good swings against the left-hander, managing four hits -- the only four balls they got out of the infield. Howell induced six ground balls and one popup.

"There was some unfamiliarity and we just didn't get to him," said Arizona manager Bob Melvin. "We battled later and we scored some runs and made it a game.

Kansas City gave Howell an early cushion by rallying for three runs in the first inning off Arizona starter Brad Halsey. Howell, in fact, got his first Major League at-bat before throwing his first pitch.

The Royals didn't hit Halsey hard in the first, but they hit it to the right places. Of their six first-inning hits, three stayed in the infield. Emil Brown -- who went 4-for-5 with two RBIs -- smacked the first of his three doubles to bring in the first run and Terrence Long followed with a two-run single. The damage could have been worse had third baseman Troy Glaus not made a leaping snag on a soft drive down the line by Howell.

"They swung the bats good and a lot of times, you give up a big inning early in the game, it's really tough to make the bats go silent again," Halsey said.

The three runs were more than enough for Howell. The lefty never reached the 90s with his fastball and barely threw half of his 90 pitches for strikes but the lefty was always a step ahead of the Diamondbacks hitters.

Arizona threatened in the fourth when Glaus and Tony Clark -- who launched his 200th career home run in the game -- led off the fourth with back-to-back singles. But Howell struck out the side to escape the jam.

"He had lefty stuff. I wouldn't call him Cy Young or Randy Johnson, but it'd be nice if we had another shot at that guy. Obviously with Interleague Play we don't get to see him anymore," said Luis Gonzalez, who was hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout against Howell. "When a team goes out there and scores three for you early, and you're a rookie, it's a good sign for you. He settled in after that because he knew his team scored a couple of runs off a pretty good lefty that we've got."

A Jose Cruz Jr. single in the sixth cut the deficit to three runs, but the Royals struck back with three in the seventh and one in the eighth to build an 8-1 lead. Long added his third RBI and then scored on a two-run blast by catcher John Buck as part of the three-run seventh that chased Halsey from the game.

But things started getting strange in the eighth. Clark led off with a 440-foot bomb to center and Shawn Green hit his third home run in two games in the next at bat. After a flyout, Royals reliever Mike Wood walked back-to-back Diamondbacks and it started looking like Bank One Ballpark might witness its second wild comeback in as many nights.

Alex Cintron laced a line drive down the third-base line but was robbed on a diving grab by Mark Teahan. Umpire Greg Gibson initially ruled Cintron out, but overruled himself when he saw the ball squirt out of Teahan's glove. Teahan then calmly picked up the ball, stepped on third and tossed to second for a controversial double play.

"Give him credit, he got it right -- he realized that, saw the ball on the ground and got it right in his mind," said Melvin, who officially protested the call. "But I had to do that because I have a responsibility to my team and it holds my runners and all the runners did hold."

Arizona staged another rally in the ninth, scoring two runs on Royals closer Mike MacDougal and sending the potential tying run to the plate. Craig Counsell walked and came around to score on a Gonzalez single. After Glaus struck out, Clark reached on a fielder's choice when shortstop Angel Berroa dropped a throw from first. Green rocked an RBI double to left, but pinch-hitter Scott Hairston popped out and Chris Snyder grounded out to end the threat.

"That's been the story of our club," Gonzalez said. "We find a way to somehow get ourselves, if we don't win the game, we put ourselves in a position to almost win the game, and that's the sign of a team that doesn't give up."

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Glaus saves day

PHOENIX -- Lost in the chaos of the bullpen's total meltdown and Troy Glaus' 10th-inning walk-off home run on Friday was that Glaus saved the Diamondbacks with his glove long before he bailed them out with his bat.
With the bases loaded and one out and Arizona clinging to a two-run lead, Kansas City's David DeJesus lined a one-hopper to third. Glaus, who was playing in to protect against a bunt from the speedy DeJesus, dove to his right, speared the ball and threw to second from the seat of his pants to get an out.

Had Glaus not made the play, the base hit likely would have tied the game and put the go-ahead run in scoring position.

"I was playing even (with the base) and after that, it's just reaction. If it gets through, it's a tie ballgame," Glaus said. "(Glaus' defense) might be overlooked, but that's fine. It's something I take great pride in and enjoy doing. You can win a game with defense just as easily as you can at the plate -- you've got to be able to play both sides of the ball, so to speak."

Despite the play, the Royals still brought the tying run across to force extra innings. After Kansas City was retired in the 10th, Glaus led off the bottom half and showed the main reason why Arizona inked him to a four-year $45-million contract during the offseason.

After working the count to 2-1 Glaus turned on a flat slider up in the zone from closer Mike MacDougal. Glaus knew he had hit the ball well, but as he watched the towering shot soar toward the left-field fence, even he wasn't sure he had gotten enough of it. The ball just barely cleared the fence, giving Glaus his 14th homer of the season and the Diamondbacks a narrow escape.

"Especially here, when you hit it that high -- there is some wind up there -- you don't know what's going to happen," Glaus said. "The left fielder kept tracking it and tracking and tracking it -- I don't know how far it got out, but it got out and that's all that matters."

Aquino spells relief: Relief will soon be on the way for a beleaguered bullpen that has been providing very little of it lately.

Right-handed reliever Greg Aquino could be activated from the 15-day disabled list as early as Sunday. Aquino, who has pitched just one inning this season, has been on the shelf since April 9th with an elbow injury.

Greg Aquino / P
Born: 01/11/78
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R

More info:
Player page
Stats | Splits
Gallery
Team Site | Shop


Aquino was slated to be the D-Backs' closer after recording 16 saves as a rookie last season. After Aquino went down, Brandon Lyon ably filled the void by nailing down 13 saves before he too suffered an elbow injury.

Arizona manager Bob Melvin said he wants to give Aquino a few appearances in the middle innings before potentially promoting him to closer. But after Friday's meltdown in which the bullpen allowed an eight-run lead to evaporate in two innings, Melvin might not be afforded that kind of patience.

"I'd like to see two (appearances) potentially and see how he does," Melvin said. "It gives us another option, we'll be deeper in our bullpen, and if we need to go another route, we do it. I'm not throwing him in there right away."

Speaking of Lyon: Lyon has started doing light resistance workouts on the injured elbow that has kept him out for nearly a month. Although he reported no pain, Lyon is still a few days away from picking up a ball.

Lyon said he will meet with team physician Michael Lee either Saturday or Sunday to get more specifics for his next course of action.

"Now it's just a matter of getting out there and throwing and seeing how I feel," Lyon said.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/