Stupid "dropped third strike" rule...

Who came up with that one, anyway? It's like awarding a first down to a football team that fails to convert a 4th and inches, if a defensive player misses the high five with his teammate. If you swing and miss on the third strike, you're OUT. Walk back to the dugout, please.

Instead, the Phillies got four outs that inning, Connor Jackson's birthday was ruined when his face attacked Victorino's helmet, and the D-backs lost the game (Victorino ended up scoring the tying run).

In the end, we can't pin the loss on the rule, Snyder, or Qualls... it was obviously Micah Owings' fault for failing to get a single RBI. His 1 for 4 outing was disappointment, for sure.

Scherzer makes case he belongs in "The Show"

Andy Behrens over at Roto Arcade got it right in his blog post yesterday when he predicted we might see Max Scherzer later that night, since the Diamondbacks' 4-inning specialist (Edgar Gonzalez) was starting.

What he couldn't predict was how thoroughly Scherzer would dominate the Astros: He retired all 13 batters he faced, striking out 7. Since Edgar had already given up 6 runs in the first 2 2/3 innings, Arizona lost anyway. Unless Scherzer can hit like Micah Owings, it's pretty hard to get runs back that the starter already gave up.

Will he be added to the rotation, pushing Gonzalez into middle relief? No one knows yet. One thing we do know: All eyes will be on him the next time he takes the mound.

Valverde Watch: Nothing motivates like going up against the team that traded you... The Big Potato still has an ERA of 6.92 and three blown saves, but he struck out the side against Arizona in the ninth last night to notch his 5th save.

Valverde trade looking very good... so far.

It's hard to find much wrong with the Diamondbacks right now, when everything is coming up roses. The bats are hot, the starting pitching is exceptional, and that bullpen is earning every cent (even Brandon Lyon managed to face the minimum in his most recent save).

So let's talk about what could have been. There were mixed reviews of the trade that sent Jose Valverde to the Astros in exchange or Chris Burke and Chad Qualls. After all, Valverde led the majors in saves last season (47), and finished 8th in the NL Cy Young voting. But what if he were still here?

Valverde has pitched a total of 4 innings for Houston, giving up at least one run in every game he 's pitched. His ERA is 11.25, he has walked 2, and only struck out 3. He has one save recorded, and one blown save (although in a bizarre twist of fate, the offense picked him up and he "earned" the win in that game).

Instead we have Lyon, who is at least doing a little better. We also now have Chris Burke, who made the 25-man roster and has done an adequate job of filling in around the infield. Lastly, we have Chad Qualls, who is currently the stud of the bullpen. In 5.1 innings of relief, Qualls has 5 strikeouts, an ERA of 0.00, and a save. He has walked four batters, but managed to work around them.

It's still way too early for a final judgment, but so far, shipping Papa Grande off to Houston looks pretty good.

Great Weekend in the Mile High City

It seems the Colorado Rockies are resting on their laurels... their season-opening home series featured various celebrations at every game for their NL Championship last season, but they played nothing like the team who swept the Diamondbacks in the NLCS. Arizona swept the Rockies, out-hitting them 37 to 19, and out-scoring them 20 to 5.

We learned a few things during this fine weekend:

1. I may have been wrong about Chris Young. Since my initial grousing about what a poor fit he is for the lead-off spot, he's managed to make me look pretty foolish. In 6 games, his OBP is over .400, and he has actually drawn seven walks. His lead-off home run on Saturday was a nice touch, too. Six games doesn't make up for all of last season, but I'll give him a break for now.

2. Brandon Lyon may not be the closer for very long. His ERA of 12.00 and two blown saves in three attempts are not getting him anywhere, and Chad Qualls came in on Sunday to finish the game off. Even though he walked the first two hitters, Qualls then forced a double play, and Stephen Drew caught a line drive to end it. He faced four batters, allowed no hits or runs, and collected his first save. Did I mention that his ERA is 0.00? Qualls has only allowed one hit in 4.1 innings pitched. Something tells me he has a good shot to replace Lyon.