Movers and shakers:

Righthander Ben Howard and lefty reliever Cliff Bartosh promoted from Lake Elsinore to Mobile. Southpaw Oliver Perez promoted from Ft. Wayne to Lake Elsinore. Fellow lefty Steve Watkins reassigned from Mobile to Lake Elsinore to take Jake Peavy‘s spot in the rotation while the latter recovers from a minor elbow injury. Outfielder Kory DeHaan assigned to Mobile from Portland. Infielder Auntwan Riggins assigned to Portland from Mobile.

More movers and shakers:

Todd Walker and Robin Jennings to Cincy for Alex Ochoa. Interesting. Evidently Walker pushes Pokey Reese back to shortstop while Barry Larkin recovers from his latest ailment. I’m curious to know what Ochoa’s contract status is. If he’s lucky, he could pull a Jeffrey Hammonds — put some serious numbers on the board at Coors, then get serious cash to put up inferior numbers in a less hitter-friendly environment.

In other news:

Interesting that the Diamondbacks sent Randy Johnson to finish Curt Schilling’s start of yesterday’s suspended game this afternoon. Bob Brenly decided to bring in the Big Unit because the Padres had four lefties in the lineup. I guess he figured it was better to dominate one game possibly at the expense of another rather than try to win both.

And dominate Johnson did, striking out a record 16 in relief. Only backup catcher Wiki Gonzalez’ single to right with two outs in the eighth kept Johnson from teaming up with Schilling for the second no-hitter against the Padres this year. Gonzalez hit the first –

Hang on a sec, there’s someone at the door… Okay, I’m back. That was Brenly. Couldn’t understand most of what he said but he sounded pretty upset. I only caught bits and pieces, phrases like “just take the damn pitch, don’t swing”; “we let the opposition crap all over us in my day”; and the strikingly ironic “stupid $#*^%*^ catcher.”

Honestly, if there’s one team I might want to see win the World Series even less than the Yankees, it’d have to be the Diamondbacks. Don’t get me wrong, they’re a good ballclub. But they have no poise. Yesterday, in the regularly scheduled game, reliever Troy Brohawn got tossed from the contest after plunking Ryan Klesko and igniting a near brawl. Hello? Anybody home?

They nail the opposition but cry when the tables are turned. They pull their star pitcher when he’s due to bat after taking his counterpart out of the game with a fastball to the piching elbow. They cry when someone tries to beat them with a bunt. Memo to the Diamondbacks: You’re a better club than that. Just shut up and play some ball. Please.

I shouldn’t be too hard on Brenly, though. He was, after all, gracious enough to use Schilling and Johnson in the same game, allowing the Pads to take their chances with and, in fact, defeat the somewhat less intimidating Robert Ellis on three days rest. Thanks, Bob; we appreciate it.