Arizona Diamondbacks

An inconsistent starting rotation has caused the Diamondbacks to use their bullpen a little more than they wanted, so another reliever was acquired on Wednesday to ease the load.

The Diamondbacks traded right-handed starter Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez to the Mets for right-handed reliever Jorge Julio.

"It's a move we feel will fit very well for us," D-Backs general manager Josh Byrnes said. "The innings we've been getting from the rotation has been a concern, so we needed to make some adjustments."

The 27-year-old Julio, who is expected to join the Diamondbacks prior to Friday night's series opener in Cincinnati, had a 1-2 record and 5.06 ERA in 18 relief appearances with the Mets this season. But he has been on a roll lately, compiling a 2.04 ERA in his last 14 outings, covering 17 2/3 innings.

"One reason for our success has been the bullpen and we feel we are adding to the inventory," manager Bob Melvin said. "We're bringing in another reliever that is going to bolster an already good bullpen."

The Diamondbacks have climbed to the top of the National League West standings, and the relief corps has been crucial during the ascension. But too many innings pitched in April and May can lead to problems later in the season.

"Our bullpen leads the National League in innings pitched and that's not what we want," pitching coach Bryan Price said. "That is not the recipe we're looking for."

Though Julio has been a top-notch closer in his career, saving 83 games for the Orioles from 2002-04, he figures to share late-inning setup duties with right-hander Brandon Medders and Luis Vizcaino.

"This is a guy with a plus-arm," Melvin added. "We're adding another great arm."

At the same time, the D-Backs are subtracting a veteran arm from the starting rotation. Hernandez, acquired from the Chicago White Sox last Dec. 20, had a 2-4 record and a 6.11 ERA in nine starts this season.

One of his best starts came in his last one for the D-Backs. He pitched a season-high seven innings in a victory over the Pirates on Monday night at Chase Field.

"He pitched well for us at times," Byrnes said, "and was fantastic in his most recent start. He obviously has had success in New York and Omar [Mets GM Minaya] is familiar with him."

The 36-year-old Hernandez has a 72-53 Major League record, mostly with the Yankees (1998-2004).

El Duque was scheduled to start Sunday's series finale against the Reds, but that assignment now goes to right-hander Claudio Vargas. Who will start Monday night's series opener in New York remains uncertain.

"There are a lot of internal candidates," Byrnes said.

Right-hander Russ Ortiz and left-hander Terry Mulholland are on rehab assignments at Triple-A Tucson, and the Sidewinders also have some candidates to join the D-Back rotation.

"We have the kind of [starting] pitching that gives us, in our minds, the ability to make this sort of deal," Byrnes said.

"I was happy here and I want to thank everyone in the organization," Hernandez said before leaving Chase Field. "I have a lot of respect for the city and the fans. But I like New York and I look forward to [playing for the Mets]."

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One team is moving in the right direction.

Arizona State's 4-0 start didn't say much. Its game Monday against Minnesota would. Beating Southern Utah, Alcorn State, UC Santa Barbara and North Texas " combined record of 5-15 " only proved that the Sun Devils were better than college basketball's dregs.

Related Links Minnesota, on the other hand, was 21-11 and an NCAA Tournament team last year. This was a step up in class for the Sun Devils, an opportunity to prove there's life without Ike Diogu. Or, to confirm the suspicion that the fast start was fool's gold and will be irrelevant once the Pac-10 season begins in January. Sure enough, ASU made a statement with its 85-79 loss. Those dire preseason predictions still have to be proven wrong. The Sun Devils were beaten by a Golden Gophers team that played without senior guard Vincent Grier (broken hand), an allconference Big Ten player last year, and fellow senior Maurice Hargrow (high ankle sprain), who's averaging 15.2 points per game. ASU didn't defend well and that balanced scoring the Devils bragged about after four games disappeared against stiffer competition. Bryson Krueger, the Devils' leading scorer, was held to seven points, 12 below his season average. Kevin Kruger scored a career-high 27 points, including a 35-foot 3-pointer he banked in with no time left to send the game into overtime, but a one-man offensive show wasn't going to beat a Big Ten team. While the defeat was disheartening, there were a couple of glimmers of light: Coach Rob Evans finally has a quality point guard in sophomore Antwi Atuahene. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Atuahene does what a point guard should do " make the players around him better. Although he's not a good outside shooter, Atuahene can score points by getting into the lane. More importantly, he can create opportunities for his teammates. Atuahene had an immediate impact on the game when he entered with 13:53 left in the first half and the Devils ahead, 8-7. He had a hand in ASU's next eight points, scoring six, including a layup off a beautiful crossover dribble, and finding Allen Morill inside for an easy bucket. Conversely, when Atuahene left the game, the Devils' offense stagnated. Tyrone Jackson doesn't possess Atuahene's creativity, and ASU struggled to get good looks at the basket. It shouldn't be long before Atuahene supplants Jackson as the starter " now would be a good time " and you can't help but think ASU would be an NCAA Tournament team this season if Diogu was still around to catch some of Atuahene's passes. Evans also has found an intriguing big man in 6-foot-10 Jeff Pendergraph. The reed-thin Pendergraph " he weighs just 210 pounds " has some growing to do, both physically and in terms of understanding the game. But he has the kind of athletic ability that opens your eyes; in 17 minutes of play he had 10 points and five rebounds. It's going to take time for Atuahene and Pendergraph to leave their mark on the program. Time, however, is the one thing Evans doesn't have.

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They have some work to do but those Crazy Cats will be back on top in no time.

The Cats trailed by double figures in both halves but cut the lead to three in the final seconds of the game, but it was too little, too late for the Wildcats who shot a paltry 35% from the field.

Lute Olson decided to bench seniors Hassan Adams and Chris Rodgers for the first 10:00 of the first half after the two players were late to a team meal. With the two senior leaders on the bench the Cougars took advantage and jumped out to a 20-4 lead.

Adams was the lone bright spot for the Wildcats. He played the last 12:00 of the game with four fouls, but led the Wildcats with 21 points.

As good as Adams was, he was over shadowed by hot shooting Oliver Lafayette. The Cougar guard nailed 7-of-11 three point field goals and hit a free throw and grabbed a crucial offensive rebound to ice the game.

Lafayette finished with 28 points. He and Jamar Thorpe were the lone Cougars in double figures.

All told the Cougars hit 11 three pointers and forced 21 turnovers.

Ivan Radenovic and Mustafa Shakur each had 12 for Arizona.

Arizona is used to dictating the pace, but looked a step slow against a Houston team that likes to play in fifth gear all day long. Arizona seemed to scramble to keep up with the quick Cougars and seemed out of sorts all game long.

To make matters worse the Wildcats continued to shoot poorly. They shot just 35% from the field and made just 6-of-20 three pointers.

With Adams and Rodgers on the bench it was all Houston early on. The Cougars raced out to a 20-4 lead and the fans began the "overrated" chant early on.

The Wildcats decided to show the fans that they were a little premature with the chant. Olson inserted Adams and Rodgers into the game and the two seniors sparked the Wildcats to a 22-9 run to close out the half.

After a Thorpe three pointer the Cougars went the final 5:01 of the half without scoring a single point.

During the run Adams scored nine points and Mustafa Shakur added two late field goals and the Wildcats trailed by just two going into the break.

Arizona started slow again in the second half. The Wildcats had a couple of chances to tie the game but failed to convert. The Cougars then ran out to a 17-7 run and led by as many as 18 points before a late rally by the Wildcats.

The Cats trailed by 12 with 1:30 to play, but a 10-2 run, including two three pointers by Adams and Radenovic, got the Wildcats within three. Lafayette iced the game with a late free throw and then grabbed an offensive rebound off of a miss and ran more time off the clock before being fouled.

He missed his final two free throws but the Wildcats turned over the ball before they could get a final shot off.

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Keep up the good work guys. Let's hurry and get back to the winning ways.

The Diamondbacks improved by 26 victories in 2005, but after the previous season's 51-111 debacle, there was nowhere to go but up.

The team began its offseason housecleaning by dealing Randy Johnson to the Yankees, and then made a splash in the free-agent market by signing righthander Russ Ortiz and third baseman Troy Glaus to big-money contracts that were criticized for both their length and dollar amount.

While Glaus performed to expectations, Ortiz and other veteran pitchers struggled.
The Diamondbacks will move forward with a front office that has experienced significant turnover. Franchise founder Jerry Colangelo left in a dispute over the direction of the club in 2004. Former agent Jeff Moorad was approved as a general partner in February 2005. Joe Garagiola Jr., the only GM in franchise history, resigned to become Major League Baseball's senior vice president of baseball operations in August. Red Sox assistant GM Josh Byrnes came aboard in October to replace Garagiola, and he hired Boston director of baseball operations Peter Woodfork to be his assistant GM.

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A brief history.

The city of Phoenix was awarded the Arizona Diamondbacks franchise in 1996, along with plans for a new ballpark, Chase Field. They replaced the Phoenix Firebirds, the area's Triple-A minor league team. Their lower level minor league teams began play in 1997; the expansion draft was held that year as well. The Diamondbacks' first major league game was played against the Colorado Rockies on March 31, 1998, at Chase Field (then known as Bank One Ballpark). The Rockies won, 9-2, with Andy Benes on the mound for the Diamondbacks, and Travis Lee being the first player to hit, score, homer and drive in a run.

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