The Diamondbacks are surging toward first place with a four game winning streak. They're 1 1/2 games out after defeating the Dodgers last night behind strong pitching by Javier Vazquez. Vazquez's performance was a microcosom of his best seasons; lots of strikeouts, few walks and scoring on homers.

The Diamondbacks starters now rank 5th in the NL in ERA, despite a high ERA by Vazquez. With Halsey and Webb pitching well, Ortiz and Estes holding their own, a return to the form Vazquez showed between 2001 and 2003 will give the Diamondbacks one of the best rotations in the division. A nice job so far by Joe G. Jr. to rebuild that staff.

Update: There's some speculation that Joe Garagiola Jr. might be headed to MLB headquarters to replace Sandy Alderson. That would be too bad for the Diamondbacks. Joe has done an excellent job in his tenure with the Diamondbacks, winning a World Championship faster than any other expansion team. Not all of his moves have been great (see Richie Sexson) but overall he's put together a very good team year-to-year. That's not easy to do.