If the Mariners lose one more great player, nobody will ever be able to beat them. Is that an incredible team or what? Take away their best remaining player, and they just get better. They’re 10-0 on the road this year. Amazing.

Much of the buzz right now centers around the play of the Montreal Expos and the Minnesota Twins. Both teams are 13-8 and playing well. The Twins are winning more games than their run differential would suggest they should be, but the Expos, thanks to a resurgent offense led by the likes of Michael Barrett, Peter Bergeron, and Lee Stevens, are legit. So far, anyway. We’ll see how long they can keep it going. How sweet would it be to see those two teams hook up in the World Series? Yeah, I know; but it’s April, the month of dreamers.

Brian Lawrence continues to shine, holding the Phillies to two runs in six innings and change last night. Deivi Cruz continued his hot hitting, and even Tom Lampkin knocked a double and a homer. Sean Burroughs rapped three hits, to raise his numbers to .311/.323/.393. That 11-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio is ugly, but it won’t last.

It’s looking like Kevin Jarvis will make his scheduled start this Saturday. Ben Howard will have to wait. Maybe not for long, though. This morning’s U-T reported that Bruce Bochy and Kevin Towers have discussed the possibility of demoting Brian Tollberg.

Bernie Castro continues to make a positive impression at Double-A Mobile. Last night, he went 4-for-4, with two doubles and a walk. Through 20 games, Castro is hitting .346/.429/.410, with 13 steals.

Also at Mobile, center fielder Darren Blakely, acquired in the Sterling Hitchcock deal, is hitting .407 over the past 14 games. Right fielder Ben Johnson is struggling to make contact. Left fielder Vince Faison is nursing a strained hamstring. Catcher Brian Loyd, sent to Toronto back in 1998 in the ill-fated Randy Myers trade, was placed on the DL with a strained forearm. Right-hander Johnny Hunter, who had been at Portland, takes Loyd’s spot on the roster. No word on Eric Cyr, who left Tuesday night’s start early. I’m assuming that’s good news; it was supposed to be a precautionary move.

At Elsinore, it’s pretty much the Tagg Bozied show. Through Tuesday night’s game, he was batting a cool .344/.443/.734. Xavier Nady is hitting just .235; however, thanks to four homers and 17 walks, his OPS checks in at 844. He’s striking out at a fairly alarming rate, especially for someone who has such a controlled swing and disciplined approach. I wonder how much his being relegated to full-time DH plays is affecting him. It seems like not having to play the field would make things easier, but there are some guys (Tony Gwynn among them) who just don’t feel like they’re a part of the game if they don’t play the field. Not that I’m making excuses for Nady (not that he needs any; heck, only Bozied on his own team has a higher OPS), but this is something to consider.

And down at Ft. Wayne, Josh Barfield has slowed way down after a hot start. He’s now hitting just .282/.320/.296 over 17 games through Tuesday. A couple of guys who are starting to make some noise are catcher Nick Trzesniak and right-hander Jon Huber. The 21-year old Trzesniak, in his first full-season action, is hitting .286/.385/.429. In an organization lacking in depth behind the plate, Trzesniak, a supplemental first-round pick back in 1999 (as compensation for the loss of Steve Finley), should have plenty of opportunity.

Huber, a fifth-round pick in 2000, doesn’t get the attention that fellow right-hander Justin Germano does, but he is intriguing nonetheless. The 20-year-old out of Florida is making his full-season debut as well, and save one disastrous outing at Michigan on April 11, has pitched very well. I know next to nothing about Huber; According to John Sickels he has a live arm but sometimes struggles with his control. His last two starts, coming right after the Michigan debacle, have been outstanding. I’ll be watching him. If anyone’s had a chance to see Huber pitch, drop me a line. I’d love to hear more about him.