Buster Olney's latest focuses on the Arizona Diamondbacks and notes that at just one-and-a-half games back, the D'backs are getting better while their intra-division competition are taking on injuries (like Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa and San Francisco's Buster Posey). And they've kept pace while facing the league's toughest schedule.
Other MLB News & Notes:
- Josh Collmenter's unique "12:30" delivery is one reason the Diamondbacks have stabilized, and according to Olney's source, hitters are having a hard time "picking up the ball against him."
- The Rockies designated Jose Lopez.
- Bengie Molina would consider returning to the Giants, but tells Andrew Baggarly it would take time and may not happen.
- Gerrit Cole's recent struggles have him dropping on draft boards around the league -- except for the Pirates, which might still take him first overall.
- Olney thinks the timing of the Mets' minority share sale is a bit off, and favors Einhorn leverage in the eventual finalized deal. The bigger question he asks is, exactly where will Einhorn fall in the Mets' chain-of-command?