FanHouse JdDurbin

And you thought the blockbuster trades were done for the day! Mullet said earlier the Phillies would have to do something to counter the Braves trade for Mark Teixeira. I am not entirely certain that he had Kyle Lohse in mind, but the Phillies have traded minor leaguer Matt Maloney to the Reds in return for Lohse today.

Lohse has been mostly mediocre with the Reds this year, though his 1.33 WHIP and only 33 walks in 130 innings are more encouraging than his 6-12 record (which is certainly at least partially a product of the Reds' crappy season) and his 4.58 ERA. He will probably answer the question of whether it's better to have an unproven guy in the rotation (like JD Durbin or Kyle Kendrick) or a guy that's proven to be not very good. The Reds will gladly take Maloney in return, who's having a pretty good year in AA Reading after a great year in single-A Lakewood in 2006. I would assume this would also give them the opportunity to bring Homer Bailey back into the big league rotation.

As for the Teixeira question, don't search for any hidden meaning in this trade. In his six years in the AL, Lohse faced Tex eighteen times. In those eighteen at-bats, Teixeira stroked eight hits (including three doubles) and only struck out once for a hitting line of .444/.444/.611. Call me crazy, but I don't think he was brought in to get Teixeira out.

Previously at FanHouse:
Other Deadline Deals

Yes, they certainly are. They've won six in a row, and they lead the NL West with a 7-2 record -- their seven wins being more than any team in baseball. They swept the Nats over the weekend in four games, and they've taken the first two from the Reds, including last night's extra-innings thriller Scott Hairston won with a two-out double. The hot start is certainly a welcome sign for D-Back fans, but manager Bob Melvin knows the winning must be taken in stride:

"We've gotten off to a good start here so far, but, I mean, it's a small sampling, so we've proved nothing," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "What we have to do is keep going out there and expecting to win every game and keep the energy and intensity up."

Orlando Hudson is hitting the ball exceptionally well, and Eric Byrnes isn't far behind. Chris B. Young has driven in nine runs, and despite nursing a groin injury, he appears to be the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year. Minus a horrendous outing by JD Durbin, the pitching has been pretty awesome too. Even if the competition hasn't been top-line early in the Diamondbacks' schedule, the performance has to be encouraging for Arizona fans. The D-Backs are also going for consecutive series sweeps when they play the Reds later tonight.

Previously at FanHouse:
Nationals Are the Cure for the Diamondbacks' Losing
T&A Man Joins the Red Sox

Here's a look around the NL West and what final roster moves your team made to prepare for Opening Day:

Diamondbacks: Infielder Brian Barden and utility man Robby Hammock made the squad. Hammock showed promise in '03 and '04, but missed all of '05 because of shoulder surgery. Right handers Dustin Nippert and J.D. Durbin won the final spots in the bullpen. (via East Valley Tribune)

Dodgers: Matt Kemp made the club as the final outfielder, beating out Larry Bigbie and James Loney (who hit .414 in Spring and didn't take the news well), presumably because Kemp's a right-handed hitter while Bigbie and Loney are lefties. Wilson Valdez will replace Rafael Furcal on the opening day roster. Furcal will start the season on the DL retroactive to March 23rd. Rudy Seanez is the final pitcher on the 11 man staff. (via LA Times)

Giants: They're going with a 12 man pitching staff, the seven men in the bullpen will be Armando Benitez, Vinnie Chulk, Kevin Correia, Brad Hennessey, Steve Kline, Jonathan Sanchez, and Jack Taschner. Scott Munter and candidate for the closer job, Brian Wilson, were optioned to Triple A amongst others. Todd Linden made the team as a bench player, Mark Sweeney was placed on the DL to start the year, and Jason Ellison was traded to the Mariners. (via Giants official site and Contra Costa Times)

Padres: Mike Thompson and Kevin Cameron made the final two spots in the bullpen. Cameron is a Rule 5 draft pick from Minnesota. Paul McAnulty will be the final bench player. (via San Diego Union-Tribune)

Rockies: Veteran John Mabry (pictured) beat out Ryan Spilborghs and Alexis Gomez for the final bench spot. Mabry is a left-handed pinch hitter who can fill holes as a corner outfielder and corner infield. Jeff Baker and Steve Finley are the other bench players in the outfield. Manny Corpas and Ramon Ramirez were awarded the final spots in the bullpen as well. (via Denver Post and Rockies.com)