The Big Unit is not the fearsome pitcher he was in the past, but he keeps finding ways to win without his best stuff.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona is on top of their division while only being two games above .500 in the NL West.  They’re 6-4 in their last 10 games and it seems the bats have come alive.   The D-backs swept the San Francisco Giants over the weekend with a combination of good pitching and timely hitting.  Randy Johnson got the win Sunday in the series finale.  In winning his fourth straight start and No. 292 for his career, Johnson (8-7) scattered seven hits over his seven innings of work and extended his scoreless-innings streak to 15.  Manager Bob Melvin is looking forward to Juan Cruz’s return from the disabled list this week.  This will add some pitching depth in later innings.   Cruz will likely rejoin the D-backs on Thursday when they open a four-game series against the Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are still in the NL West race trailing the D-Back’s by 1 game.  Rookie left-hander Clayton Kershaw earned his first major league victory by throwing six shutout innings Sunday against the Washington Nationals.  Manager Joe Torre made a decision to bench Andruw Jones on Sunday based on the slugger’s .166 batting average.  The organization offered him a boatload of a contract giving Jones $36 million over two years.  I’m sure they did not count on this poor return on their investment.  The Dodgers can't wait any longer for Jones to start hitting.  Jones, who has two home runs and 12 runs batted in in 187 at-bats, said Torre spoke to him and that he understood the manager's reasoning.  Dodger blue also picked up a third baseman in Casey Blake from the Cleveland Indians.  Blake is solid and should provide some leadership for the Dodgers going down the stretch.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubbies still find themselves in first place after a grueling series with the Florida Marlins over the weekend.  Starter Jason Marquis gave up five runs in the first three innings but persevered to help the short bullpen by throwing three additional innings of one-run baseball.  They used rookie pitcher and former Notre Dame wide out Jeff Samardzija in the last two innings Sunday night to prevail 9-6.  Samardzija struck out 3 of the 6 batters he faced and earned his first career save.  The game ended in dramatic fashion on a diving catch by Jim Edmonds, but what else is new?  Alfonso Soriano showed signs of regaining his superior bat speed by going three for five, including a three-run homer in the fourth, which tied the game at five runs each.  Derek Lee also hit his 17^th home run of the season.  The biggest hit was Mike Fontenot’s bases clearing double which snapped a 6-6 tie.  

New York Mets

The Mets have a gem in Fernando Tatis who is having a fabulous season.  Tatis is hitting .429 in his last 10 games along with three home runs.  Carlos Beltran made an amazing home run robbing catch in a 9-1 win on Sunday.  Johan Santana celebrated his complete game in which he allowed six hits and struck out five during the win over the Cardinals yesterday.  He fired the first Mets complete game in nearly two years with a 118-pitch gem.  They've now won 15 of their last 19 games, and remain up one game on the Philadelphia Phillies and two on the Marlins, whom they play this week.

Colorado Rockies

Don’t look now but the Rockies are only six games back of the D-Back’s in the NL West and the bats are heating up like a hot summer day.  Troy Tulowitzki was quoted saying "We have a lot of good hitters on this team. From top to bottom anybody can hurt you," The Rockies pummeled the Reds 11-0 for their ninth win in 10 games on Sunday.  "We are kind of beating up teams right now." The Rockies swept three games from the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.  The bats were sizzling with a 45-hit barrage in the series over the Reds.  It also benefited the Rockies with great pitching only allowing three runs in the series.  Sunday, Ubaldo Jimenez pitched six scoreless innings, giving up five hits. The relief trio of Ryan Speier, Luis Vizcaino and Kip Wells nailed down the shutout. Jeff Baker and his .302 average, has contributed mightily to the sudden surge after the All-Star break.  

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies absolutely tried to bowl over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.  Shane Victorino smashed a three-run homer and ended his day with four RBI, two hits and two runs scored to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves, 12-10, in the rubber match of a three-game series. Chris Coste, Pat Burrell, Jayson Werth and Jimmy Rollins also homered for the Phillies, who set a season-high with the five home runs in the game. Rollins also scored three runs as the Phillies won two straight games for the first time since the All-Star break. Kelly Johnson and Omar Infante homered for the Braves, who have struggled against their NL East-rival, losing 10 of the 12 matchups this season.  Burrell hit his 26^th hr of the season.  Braves catcher Brian McCann was injured in one of two plate collisions suffering a mild concussion.  The Braves are 2-10 versus the Phillies this season.  Trade talks are still swirling about Teixeira.  Keep an eye out as the trade deadline nears.