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SweetSpot blogger Dave Schoenfield and I had plenty to talk about on Thursday’s Baseball Today podcast!

1. Cole Hamels let his pitching do the talking about Bryce Harper and the Nationals Thursday, but each time Hamels throws it reminds us of his talent and contract status.

2. Albert Pujols speaks out about his slump! Do we buy his excuses or not?

3. Was Arizona's win over the Dodgers on Wednesday an important win?

4. Our emailers want to know about strength of schedule, ballpark gamesmanship, Drew Sutton and some of the more interesting pitcher-hitter matchups to watch for years to come.

5. Smaller schedule for Thursday but the amazing Justin Verlander is on the mound, as well as the only pitcher in baseball who provides a quality start each and every time out to the mound.

So download and listen to Thursday’s Baseball Today podcast and get ready for Friday’s fun show!

You had to figure the D-backs were due to break out at some point. Playing in one of the baseball’s best ballparks to hit in, but posting a .133 Isolated power rate, below even the .140 league average? That wasn’t going to last. And Ted Lilly, 5-0 and looking invincible going into Wednesday night’s start in the ballpark formerly known as Bob? As good as Lilly has been this season, he’s a guy who’s averaged almost 30 homers allowed per 200 innings pitched on his career, so that wasn’t going to last either.

Something had to give -- and did. Lilly gave up an extra-base hit in every frame while allowing 14 baserunners and eight runs before he was yanked in the fourth, and the Snakes’ parade around the bases got the benefit of an additional Justin Upton three-run shot in the fifth off Jamey Wright to seal the deal.

A lot of what went right for Arizona reflects what’s supposed to be going right for it, and what worked for it last year. Upton is supposed to air-mail Earl Weaver specials into the cheap seats, because Arizona is supposed to slug well in its home park -- that’s what it was built to do, and last year’s 38-point relative advantage in slugging at home as opposed to on the road was fairly normal. Even though we’re past the quarter mark, these are things that are so, but aren’t likely to remain so.

Upton isn’t the only guy failing to deliver power relative to expectations. After Paul Goldschmidt slugged .474 as a rookie, you would expect that he isn’t going to slug under .400 all year. Then again, he was also only projected to slug .428 before the season by ESPN Insider’s Dan Szymborski (via ZiPS). On the other hand, Miguel Montero isn’t going to have an ISO below .100 ... but if he doesn’t it will be a bitter climb-down for the defending division champs.

But failing to slug isn’t the only thing that’s different about the D-backs this year. After ripping his third-inning double, Goldschmidt stole third base for the first time ever in his young career -- and that’s very much Kirk Gibson’s brand of baseball, setting loose his basepath commandos. It’s also something we’ve seen less of this season as the D-backs have struggled to get their offense on track. Gibby likes pushing defenses on the bases, perhaps not unlike the wide receiver he once was, but from 2011 to 2012 the Snakes have sunk from third to 13th in the league in extra bases taken on base hits. So not only have the Snakes lost their thunder, they’re no longer lightning on the bases. Instead, teams like the Marlins, Braves and Dodgers are the ones advancing aggressively on the bases.

It will be interesting to see how things shake down in the lineup in the weeks to come. Staying the course and expecting that their guys will get back on track is the easy thing, the patient thing, the choice that relies on courage of the actuarial kind. But these Snakes aren’t made of stone, and changes are being made on the margins. You can see why the switch-hitting Josh Bell was brought up: Not just to play some third base and perhaps push Ryan Roberts into a utility role after Tatt Man’s slow start, but to give the lineup another power source from the left side if the plate. (Stephen Drew’s latest rehab setback doesn’t help matters any.) Roberts was one of the people Gibson turned to and won with last season; so was Goldschmidt.

The D-backs can’t sit entirely still, not after a title, and not after they watch the promising youth of key stars from that 2007 NLCS team fail again to top that feat. But if they don’t start hammering foes with some regularity, it won’t be people like Upton or Montero or Chris Young who get moved aside. Instead, it will be the guys with options -- like Goldschmidt -- or the guys who are fundamentally replaceable -- as Roberts has always been -- who will become targets of convenience for a club that may need to shake things up sooner rather than later.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

Prospects are always a popular topic when Keith Law and I gather for a Baseball Today podcast, so here's what was on our minds for Tuesday!

1. Who is this Matt Adams guy on the Cardinals and what should we expect from him with Lance Berkman out?

2. What is the long-term prognosis for Rangers right-hander Neftali Feliz, and why can't Yu Darvish conquer the Mariners?

3. Aroldis Chapman is Cincy's closer, but is that really the best way to use him? Of course it isn't!

4. Our emailers want to know about the overlooked Chicago White Sox, bad managing and Independent leagues.

5. Our preview of Tuesday's schedule looks at the Diamondbacks, Angels and other matchups that matter.

So download and listen to Tuesday's fun Baseball Today podcast, and come back with us for Wednesday!

Who is Justin Upton?

Is he a good player? An All-Star right fielder? A guy who will be mentioned high on MVP ballots during his good seasons? Or is he going to be that superduperstar?

Upton teased us when he reached the majors at age 19 in 2007. In 2008, spending most of the season at age 20, he tantalized us with his talent, posting an .817 OPS and hitting 15 home runs. In 2009, he hit .300 with 26 home runs and looked like a guy who could become the best player in baseball ... or close to it.

He had a terrific season in 2011, hitting .289 with 31 home runs, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to the NL West title and finishing fourth in the MVP vote.

And yet ... this is unfair, I admit ... I'm left wanting more. It's the curse of potential, I suppose, the burden of being so good when so young. Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews hit 47 home runs when he was 21 and spent the rest of his career trying to match that. Even though he became one of the greatest third basemen of all time, while still active many viewed Mathews a disappointment, viewing him through that age-21 lens.

I find myself doing the same thing with Upton. His batting line in 2009 was .300/.366/.532; in 2011, .289/.369/.529. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but we generally expect improvement from age 21 to age 23. Maybe a few more walks, a little more power. Upton, while terrific, was essentially the same player at the plate.

Entering 2012, the question still hovered out there: Could he get better? Could he put up a Matt Kemp-Ryan Braun type of season?

Then he suffered a nagging thumb injury and didn't homer or drive in a run in his first 13 games. Upton hit his third homer on May 2, but then went another 13 games without a home run while driving in just two runs, before finally snapping out of that slump with a game-winning homer off Colorado's Rafael Betancourt last week.

One problem plaguing Upton has been called third strikes -- he's taken 20 of them, which leads the majors. He struck out looking 35 times last season. Maybe the thumb is still bothering him, and he's tried to compensate by drawing more walks -- his walk rate is up 3 percent and he's swinging at fewer pitchers outside the strike zone. Maybe that approach means the home runs will start coming in bunches.

Or maybe he's just in a funk. His teammates certainly are.

Arizona is 19-24 after losing 6-1 to the Dodgers on Monday night, putting the D-backs 10.5 games behind the Dodgers already. The D-backs are ninth in the NL in runs scored, 12th in home runs, ninth in OPS. Other than Chris Young, who just returned from a DL stint, most of the Diamondbacks are struggling. Cleanup hitter Miguel Montero has two home runs. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt has just two bombs as well. Third baseman Ryan Roberts is hitting .227 with two home runs and a .288 OBP. Willie Bloomquist is Willie Bloomquist. Upton is hitting .235/.344/.353.

It's certainly an offense desperately in need of Upton to get hot. They need him to go on a tear like last June and July, when he hit .355/.424/.636 from May 30 through Aug. 2. He's the guy this offense feeds off of. He's what Kemp is to the Dodgers or Joey Votto is to the Reds.

So ... who is Justin Upton? Is he the guy who can carry an offense? Is he great player capable of an MVP season? Or is he an MVP player?

First base: No Kemp, plenty Kershaw. It's too early in the season to call any series a "big" series, but considering the Diamondbacks entered Monday 8.5 games behind the Dodgers and Matt Kemp didn't play for the first time since Aug. 18, 2009 ... well, it's kind of an important two-game showdown for them. Monday's game was a battle of aces with Clayton Kershaw facing Ian Kennedy and featured some extracurricular fireworks. The last time Kershaw faced Arizona, last September, he was ejected for plunking Gerardo Parra, who had longingly admired a home run the previous night. On Kershaw's first at-bat, Kennedy threw behind him.

But Kershaw got the final word. He later introduced Kennedy's nose to the smell of some inside heat and pitched seven shutout innings in L.A.'s 3-1 victory. Arizona just can't produce many runs right now. Paul Goldschmidt, Ryan Roberts and Willie Bloomquist are still struggling at the plate and Justin Upton's OPS continues to hover under .700. He did get a first-inning single off Kershaw -- his first hit off Kershaw after going 0-for-18. If there's good news for the Diamondbacks, it's that they owned an identical 15-21 record last season after 36 games. They even dropped to 15-22, before turning their season around, winning 15 of their next 17 games.

Second base: Reds scare. So the St. Louis Cardinals have outscored their opponents by 63 runs, they have an MVP candidate in Carlos Beltran, six guys in Monday's lineup hitting over .300 (none of whom were Beltran, Matt Holliday or David Freese) and three starters with an ERA under 2.50. The Cincinnati Reds have outscored their opponents by six runs, have three starters with an ERA over 4.00, five guys in Monday's lineup hitting under .260 and only one hitter who has more than nine walks. And, somehow, the Reds are just 1.5 games behind the Cardinals.

Third base: Friedrich fantastic, Tulo not. Rockies rookie Christian Friedrich once again looked terrific in his second major league start, striking out 10 and allowing just a Gregor Blanco home run in seven innings. Friedrich, the one-time top prospect who struggled in Double-A the past two seasons, had pitched well in Triple-A this year and now has 17 strikeouts and just two walks over his first two starts. Friedrich's effort went for naught as the Giants scored two runs in the eighth off the Colorado bullpen, dropping the Rockies to 13-21. Troy Tulowitzki continues to struggle in May (he hasn't homered since April 27), was hit by Dexter Fowler's foul ball while standing in the dugout and then left the game after limping down the line on an infield single.

Tweet of the night. Speaking of that inside pitch to Kershaw ...

Not surprisingly both #Dbacks Montero and Kennedy said they were just trying to go inside on Kershaw bc he has a "long swing".

— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) May 15, 2012

SweetSpot blogger Dave Schoenfield and I gathered for Monday’s Baseball Today podcast with our big top-10 lists of best teams and much more!

1. Seattle Mariners announcer Dave Sims talked about the Mariners, whether Ichiro will be in a Mariners uniform next season, Jesus Montero, cheering for the home team, the many young players on the horizon and ... hats.

2. Power Rankings day! Dave, Mark Simon and I each submitted our lists, with some similarities but alas, not all division leaders made it. And which NL team is best?

3. How do you pitch to Texas Rangers superstar Josh Hamilton? And how good are the Rangers? We discuss.

4. What has Detroit Tigers lefty Drew Smyly done that hadn’t been done ... ever?

5. We take a closer look at Monday’s schedule, from ESPN’s Cubs-Cardinals tilt to an important series for last season’s NL West champs!

So download and listen to Monday’s Baseball Today podcast and come right back with us Tuesday for me and Keith Law!

First base: That’s where Allen Craig was playing for the Cardinals on Tuesday night, not just giving the Birds back the ninth bat they’ve missed, but more importantly giving them an immediate substitute for the still-injured Lance Berkman. Much like fellow postseason hero David Freese, Craig showed he also hasn’t missed a beat from last October, pelting a pair of singles in his first game back, and contributing to the Cardinals’ bit of 10-7 stompery over the reliably feeble Pirates.

Second base: Jarrod Parker’s second start for the Oakland A’s was perhaps even better than his first against the White Sox last week. Parker shut down the Red Sox in a 5-3 win, going slightly deeper into the game (two batters faced and one out), throwing just 98 pitches while delivering a 6.2-4-1-1-2-4 line with no home runs. So while Trevor Cahill was doing just fine mowing down Nationals in last night’s D-backs spoiler of Bryce Harper’s home debut, the primary prospect he was acquired with was giving Athletics fans a reason to forget the past and embrace something more tangible than a future in San Jose.

Third base: As the Book of Armaments in Monty Python’s Holy Grail reminds us, three is the number that shall be counted before big ’splosions go off, and that’s pretty much what Jed Lowrie did for the Astros on Tuesday night, plating a pair with his third home run of the season while also drawing three walks. In the two weeks-plus since his return from the DL, Lowrie has been the multifaceted offensive terror that GM Jeff Luhnow’s crew envisioned when they acquired him from the Red Sox. So just a month into his Astros career, you can say they’ve already gotten the full Lowrie experience: A trip to the DL, power, patience, and enough good work afield to make you think his staying at shortstop makes sense after all.

Home plate: The tweet of Tuesday goes to Orioles reliever Darren O’Day, who was partially responsible for the numerical feat he chose to celebrate social mediatically:

Congrats to Buck for his 1000th victory. That's a lot of W's. Like 20 a year for 50 years!

— Darren O'Day (@DODay56) May 2, 2012

Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

Keith Law and I gathered for Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast in which we took a closer look at Monday’s games and previewed what should be an exciting Tuesday night as well!

1. Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy shut out the Athletics on Monday, and he used a different repertoire than we’re used to.

2. The Los Angeles Dodgers are off to a seemingly great start, but remove Matt Kemp from this offense and it’s not special. We discuss outfielder Andre Ethier and prospect Alex Castellanos.

3. Jair Jurrjens pitched badly against the Dodgers on Monday and got demoted to Triple-A. What’s his future, and how do the Braves compensate?

4. Our emailers have questions about Diamondbacks prospect Trevor Bauer and how the Mets, Padres and Nationals seek their first no-hitters!

5. Our look at Tuesday’s pitchers centers on Josh Johnson, Yu Darvish and Adam Wainwright.

So download and listen to Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast, because Aubrey Huff played second base the other day and we think it’s funny.

My parents still love watching baseball, even Seattle Mariners baseball. I called them Monday evening to see if they watched Philip Humber's perfect game on Saturday and my dad said he watched a few innings, went out to the mow the lawn and came back just in time to see the bottom of the ninth.

He then proceeded to complain about Chone Figgins ("He just can't hit.") and Justin Smoak ("Most good hitters don't take three or four years to figure things out."). Hey, he's right. And you can't blame him; he's been watching inept offense for two-plus years now. But then he said something that sums up a problem not unique to the Mariners:

"You know, even with their great pitching staff the Phillies can't win either."

Indeed, the Philadelphia Phillies entered Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 2.46 ERA. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Vance Worley had allowed just 22 runs in their 13 starts. It doesn't take a Ph.D. in Sabermetrics to realize that's fewer than two runs per start. But after losing 9-5 to Arizona (made closer with a five-run outburst in the ninth inning) the Phillies are now 7-10. That's the same record as the Mariners, and the Phillies have scored just 48 runs, an average of 2.82 runs per game.

That's right, the Philadelphia Phillies -- the five-time defending National League East champs -- have become the Seattle Mariners.

OK, OK ... I kid, Phillies fans. But the Phillies have scored 12 fewer runs than the Mariners, a team whose OPS leader is Brendan Ryan, a guy with a .190 batting average. We all know the laundry list of the Phillies' problems -- Ryan Howard and Chase Utley on the disabled list; Jimmy Rollins hitting .242 with no power (two doubles, no home runs) and just four walks; Placido Polanco hitting .185 with one extra-base hit and one RBI; John Mayberry Jr. hitting .205 with no walks and 14 strikeouts. And so on. In fact, it's fair to ask: Where would the Phillies be without Juan Pierre and Ty Wigginton?

Man, those 45-homer seasons from Ryan Howard seem like a long time ago.

What I'm wondering: How many runs do the Phillies need to score to contend for the playoffs? After all, offense is still 50 percent of the game.

Entering Monday's action, the National League was hitting a collective .242/.310/.376 -- a .686 OPS that is 24 points lower than 2011's numbers. That figure takes us back to the offensive levels of 1988 to 1992, when the NL OPS figures were .673, .678, .704, .689 and .684. So one way of looking at this: Let's assume it will take 87 wins to make the playoffs. What's the lowest run total for an NL team from that 1988-1992 period that won at least 87 games?

For you baseball historians out there, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the 1988 Dodgers scored just 628 runs, or 3.88 runs per game. That actually put the Dodgers sixth in a 12-team league. The Dodgers allowed 544 runs and finished 94-67, exceeding their projected record by three wins.

Back to the Phillies. They're on pace to score 457 runs. Obviously, that won't cut it, but of course the offense won't be that bad all season. It will pick up, that we can predict. In 2011, they allowed 529 runs, the lowest full-season total since the 1969 Orioles allowed 517. So if they match the '88 Dodgers' total of 628 runs, they're still in good shape and project as a 93-win team, assuming the same run prevention as 2011.

What will it take to score 628 runs? They'd have to score 580 runs over the final 145 games, or 4.0 runs per game. Or just about what the National League average has been so far -- 3.94 runs per game entering Monday's game.

But just like the offense is likely to improve moving forward, the pitching staff probably won't match last season's historic stinginess. With Cliff Lee heading to the DL over the weekend with a strained oblique, we see the precariousness of relying so much on a few starting pitchers. The Diamondbacks lit up Kyle Kendrick, Lee's replacement, for 11 hits and seven runs in three innings on Monday. Kendrick had a nice season in 2011, posting a 3.22 ERA over 114.2 innings, including 15 starts. Kendrick, however, lives on a fine line of success. Among 145 pitchers last season with at least 100 innings, his strikeout rate ranked 138th. So as he steps in for Lee -- who may miss a month, meaning four or five starts -- don't expect a 3.22 ERA from Kendrick.

That's just one reason to expect the staff to allow a few more runs. Let's say 30 more than a year ago. That's 559 runs. Now that '88 Dodgers total of 628 runs projects to a win total of ... 89.5.

That might still be enough to squeak into the playoffs. Four runs a game. That's all you need, Phillies fans.

But what if the Phillies average 3.8 runs per game the rest of the season instead of 4.0? That projects to 599 runs scored.

And 86 wins. One run every five games. A couple of extra bloops or bleeders per week. A few ground balls with eyes. The difference between making the playoffs and going home.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

With little more than two weeks’ worth of games under our belts, you might not have expected really big moves to have been made, but injuries have driven a few major changes, creating a busy week as far as significant roster moves.

The deal sending Marlon Byrd to the Red Sox for Michael Bowden and a player to be named is the obvious early-season compensation gesture for a contender with mounting reasons for concern. With Jacoby Ellsbury out until at least June and Carl Crawford’s rehab inching along toward recovery, you could understand GM Ben Cherington’s dire need after reserve Jason Repko separated his shoulder.

Is Byrd that much of a fix? For the cost in talent (the already outbound Bowden) and considering the minimized expense with the Cubs also sending cash to offset Byrd’s $6.5 million salary, he’s a godsend, especially if you’re looking for an upgrade relative to Repko or Darnell McDonald. But you also have cause to keep your enthusiasm curbed: He’s already 34 years old, he’s lost several steps in center, and he hasn’t slugged .400 against right-handed pitchers since leaving Texas’s homer-happy bandbox after 2009. Indeed, he’s never put up an .800 OPS on a season outside of The Ballpark in Arlington.

In short, Byrd is a lot like one of his new teammates, Cody Ross. Each of them is a heck of a fourth outfielder on a great team, and a nice player to have if he’s your worst outfield regular. That might be Boston later this spring or summer, but until Crawford and Ellsbury come back, they aren’t there yet.

As for the other major doings on the transaction front:

• So, Cliff Lee goes from Wednesday night’s 10-inning hero to an absent friend on the 15-day DL, just like that. If that isn’t a case of the object lesson walking right up and clubbing Phillies manager Charlie Manuel over the head, I don’t know what is. This is Lee’s fourth trip to the DL with an abdominal strain of one sort or another. He’s lost anywhere from 35-60 days to his past hurts.That bad news seems to suggest you can expect a one-month test (and five or six starts) to see if the Phillies’ phlailing offense can put up enough runs for Kyle Kendrick. A nice enough utility pitcher, Kendrick’s had problems with left-handed pitching over his entire career, and that figures to stay bad his second and third time through big-league lineups. If you didn’t already think the Marlins, Nationals or Braves had a shot at winning this division, you should now.
• The Cardinals losing Lance Berkman to a strained calf couldn’t be less conveniently timed, because the first choice to take his place in the lineup, Allen Craig, is only just starting his minor-league rehab assignment. For the time being, this means Matt Carpenter will get regular at-bats at first base. That isn’t a bad thing, not in itself: If Carpenter continues to mash in his ongoing trial, he’ll get to stick around. If he doesn’t once people start building a book on him and adjust, that’s also going to be important to know, because he’ll know what to work on. As for Berkman, you can take some solace in the knowledge that the previous time he landed on the DL with a strained calf (in 2009), he missed 20 days.
• If Johnny Damon is the antidote to Shelley Duncan for the Indians, you might wonder if the cure is worse than the problem. It’s been more than two years since Damon slugged enough to merit regular work at DH or an outfield corner, and betting on a bounceback at 38 is indicative of how desperate the Tribe’s need is.
• If there’s a team that might be able to breathe slightly more easily despite its woes, it might be the Diamondbacks. Sure, they’re mucking around .500 while the Dodgers are grabbing headlines as April’s hottest team. But with center fielder Chris Young and No. 2 starter Daniel Hudson joining shortstop Stephen Drew on the DL, and with right fielder Justin Upton trying to recover from a bruised thumb, you might reasonably think the D-backs are in a literal world of hurt.However, Hudson’s dispatch to the DL seems almost precautionary in nature after his MRI showed no damage, Young may miss no more than a week more than the minimum, and Drew is working his way back and might be back around the same time. By mid-May, these absences may already be a memory, and the Dodgers will have come back to the pack. But in the meantime, keep in mind that this is a team that has been willing to trust and contend with home-grown talent, as they did last year with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and right-hander Josh Collmenter.So who’s on the spot? In the rotation, Hudson’s absence means that it might be time to give highly touted Trevor Bauer a two- or three-turn spin, especially as he blows through Double-A lineups: 3-0 with 20 Ks and one run allowed in 15 2/3 IP in his first three outings, but also a dozen walks. However, he’s not the automatic choice, because Barry Enright is also on the 40-man roster and is off to a good start at Reno (1.83 ERA in four starts). If it’s only a short stint in the rotation without an automatic shot at sticking around at the expense of Collmenter after his slow start, it might be Enright’s opportunity.
  
  Among the position players, turning to rookie A.J. Pollock for some outfield playing time represents a great way to let Pollock cut his teeth early. He was the D-backs’ fifth-rated prospect according to Baseball America before the season, but he’s more of a classic tweener type than a high upside prospect. Even so, the Notre Dame product has the kind of line-drive power that might play up in Chase Field, and if he proves he can handle center well enough, he stands a good chance of getting called back for the stretch run.
• Finally, the Snakes were busy snapping up some free talent, getting Josh Bell from the Orioles for a player to be named later. This isn’t a huge deal, but it wasn’t that long ago that Bell was considered a top prospect in the Dodgers’ system, and it didn’t look like he was going to catch a break after failing to make a good impression during Buck Showalter’s first two months on the job in Baltimore after Miguel Tejada was dealt away. Considering the D-backs are relying on journeyman Ryan Roberts as their regular third baseman, it’s a nice depth-minded move, and if they turn Bell around, he’ll come in handy.

Neat factoid of the day: ESPN Stats & Info writer Jeremy Mills passed along the news that Mark Teixeira has the all-time switch-hitting record for hitting homers from both sides of the plate in a single game, having done it a 13th time in Saturday’s rout of the Red Sox. Chili Davis and Hall of Famer Eddie Murray are tied for second on the list with 11, and a notch behind them are Mickey Mantle and Ken Caminiti. What about Chipper Jones? He’s bombed from both sides in a game “just” six times; it only seems like he delivered all six of those games against the Mets.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

First base: King Felix hates his teammates. Or should, anyway. At least on this night. Felix Hernandez was brilliant against the Indians, striking out 12 batters in eight shutout innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by striking out Jason Kipnis and then Shin-Soo Choo with a Niagara Falls changeup. He left the mound pumping his fist with the most emotion I've ever seen from him. But his position mates scored just one run and Brandon League -- who had been lights-out -- coughed up the lead. Indians 2, Mariners 1. A key to the game: The patient Indians did force Hernandez to throw 126 pitches, even if they drew just one walk. Josh Tomlin made it through eight on just 96 pitches for Cleveland. (Dave Cameron has a good take here on Felix's changeup.)

Second base: Upton returns to Rays. B.J. Upton is expected to be activated from the DL and return to Tampa's starting lineup on Friday. The Rays could certainly use a right-handed bat in a lineup that has been featuring Jeff Keppinger in the cleanup spot against left-handers. Scoring runs hasn't actually been an issue for the 7-6 Rays: Only the Red Sox and Twins have allowed more runs in the AL.

Third base: Kid power. Remember when the Braves were 0-4 and everybody was already calling for manager Fredi Gonzalez's head? Since then they've won eight of nine, including a 10-2 thrashing of the Diamondbacks. Jason Heyward had two more hits to raise his average to .348 and Freddie Freeman slugged two home runs and drove in five runs. Meanwhile, Mike Minor pitched eight strong innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Josh Collmenter allowed four runs in 5.1 innings, his third straight poor start, putting more pressure on the Diamondbacks to recall Trevor Bauer or one of their pitching prospects.

Home plate: Tweet of the day.
Speaking of King Felix, a factoid on his no-decision ...

This will be Felix's 16th no-decision in a start where he pitched at least 7, gave up no more than 1 run. Most in MLB since he debuted.

— Andrew Simon (@HitTheCutoff) April 20, 2012

Eric Karabell wrote about Kevin Youkilis today and then we talked about Youkilis and two other 30-something third basemen off to slow starts, Scott Rolen and Placido Polanco. We also discussed Chris Young's injury and where Ivan Rodriguez ranks all-time among catchers. Check it out!

The Arizona Diamondbacks won 94 games a year ago despite having one of the weakest benches in the league. Their playoff roster included retread veterans Geoff Blum, Sean Burroughs and Lyle Overbay, weak-hitting infielder John McDonald, rookie outfielder Collin Cowgill and backup catcher Henry Blanco. None of those players except Overbay really offered much at bat, and heading into 2012, they certainly wouldn't be considered viable backup options in case of an injury to a starter.

That's why the signing of Jason Kubel, while widely criticized as an overpay at two years and $15 million, was understandable: He gave the D-backs another legitimate outfielder, even if it meant pushing defensive whiz Gerardo Parra to a backup role. With center fielder Chris Young landing on the disabled list after crashing into a wall on Tuesday night and Justin Upton fighting a thumb injury that has left him without an RBI, Parra and Kubel will both be in the lineup on a regular basis for at least the next two weeks.

The Diamondbacks didn't release the results of Young's MRI, although they're calling it a shoulder contusion. Upton wasn't in Wednesday's lineup, the second straight game he'll miss. The short-term solution with Upton out will see rookie A.J. Pollock in center field or Willie Bloomquist moving to left field and McDonald playing shortstop with Parra in center. The biggest issue in the next two weeks is that Young and catcher Miguel Montero had been the only guys in the lineup producing, with Young hitting .410/.500/897 and Montero .270/.372/.432. Paul Goldschmidt (.200, one home run) and Kubel (.207, zero home runs) will have to get going.

But this is a team built around its pitching staff, not its lineup. Arizona is 7-4 even though Daniel Hudson and Josh Collmenter haven't pitched well. In Collmenter's case, it's led to cries for rookie Trevor Bauer to get called up. Still, the rotation hasn't lost a decision, as all four defeats have been charged to the bullpen. After Wednesday's game against the Pirates, however, the schedule will get tougher: series against the Braves, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals, Mets and Cardinals before returning to the NL West. That's a lot of good pitching to potentially face without Young and maybe Upton.

Arizona's situation won't end up being unique. The National League has so much parity and so many teams with legitimate playoff chances that injuries and bench play will be vital keys to the playoff races. Benches and depth are often ignored, but Arizona's will now get tested.

Keith Law was joined by Rumor Central editor Chris Sprow for Wednesday's Baseball Today podcast . As always, there was plenty of baseball to discuss.

1. Keith and Chris share their thoughts on Jacoby Ellsbury's injury and what it means for the Red Sox.

2. Another center fielder injured his shoulder Tuesday night.

3. You may have heard that Jamie Moyer won. That's 49-year-old Jamie Moyer. No, he didn't quite crack Keith's top 100 prospects list.

4. Hard-throwing Dylan Bundy is on that list, however, and Keith wonders if the Orioles are handling him the right way.

5. Keith and Chris talk about all the long-term contract extensions and what this means for the future of free agency.

All that and more on Wednesday's Baseball Today.

First base: Double trouble for D-backs. Justin Upton sat out Tuesday's game against the Pirates due to the thumb injury he suffered April 8. Manager Kirk Gibson said his star right fielder -- batting .212 without an RBI -- saw a hand specialist and would likely undergo an MRI. "The thumb's been bothering him," Gibson told the Arizona Republic. "He's pushed hard through it. We've taken a day to re-evaluate what's going on with his thumb." To make matters worse for Arizona, Chris Young crashed into the wall in left-center making a leaping grab and left the game with a shoulder bruise. He too will undergo an MRI. The D-backs received a lot of criticism for signing Jason Kubel in the offseason, but this is where having four outfielders is an asset, not a problem. If Young can't go, Gerardo Parra can handle center.

Second base: Gold Glovers struggling on defense. Two-time Gold Glove winner Troy Tulowitzki committed just six errors last season but he made his sixth already in 2012, letting an easy double-play go through his legs, an error that led to two unearned runs and nearly cost Jamie Moyer his "oldest pitcher to win a game" achievement. Meanwhile, two-time Gold Glover Evan Longoria booted two grounders and made a throwing error for a three-error night in Tampa's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays (three of Jeff Niemann's five runs were unearned). While Longoria just had one of those nights, Tulo's situation appears more serious, a possible "fielding slump" that is worth keeping an eye on.

Third base: No A's for Angels. Mike Scioscia removed Dan Haren after just 85 pitches, with the Angels leading 2-1 with two runners on and two out in the seventh. Lefty Daric Barton was up for the A's so Scioscia brought in Scott Downs, who did retire Barton to escape the jam. Even though Downs' is the team's best setup guy -- a guy who has proven he can retire right-handed hitters as well as lefties -- Scioscia took him out after four pitches and brought in Kevin Jepsen, a guy considerably lower in the bullen pecking order. Two walks and two hits later it was 3-2 Oakland, and then Yoenis Cespedes made it 5-2 with a two-run single off David Carpenter. Why Jepsen? Or why remove Haren so soon if your bullpen has been taxed in recent days? LaTroy Hawkins had thrown 31 pitches on Monday so was probably unavailable. Downs had thrown 14 pitches, hardly reason to limit him to four pitches. Jason Isringhausen had thrown 21 pitches on Sunday -- but Carpenter had thrown 37. The obvious question: Why not use closer Jordan Walden ... you know, for more than three batters. He's thrown two innings all season -- one inning in a 7-1 win and one inning in a 7-3 loss. In other words, he hasn't thrown a meaningful inning all season. In the last week, the Angels' bullpen has lost two leads in the eighth inning and one in the seventh. But whatever you do, SAVE YOUR CLOSER FOR THE NINTH INNING.

Home plate: Tweet of the day.

Rockies pitcher tweeting members of the Los Angeles Clippers after Jamie Moyer's win:

Shout out 2 boys from @laclippers.U witnessed history 2nite! @blakegriffin @bobbysimmons21 @mowilliams @RandyFoye Will u b able 2 dunk @ 49?

— Jeremy Guthrie (@JGuthrie46) April 18, 2012