Short Hops: Indians' pitching might tip balance in AL Central

• Latest sign that the Arizona Diamondbacks are blessed with an abundance of talented young players can be found in the Chicago White Sox outfield. Carlos Quentin equaled his career high with five RBI Wednesday night against the Angels and now leads the AL with 10 homers. The Diamondbacks, set with Eric Byrnes, Chris Young and Justin Upton in their outfield, deemed Quentin expendable last winter, trading him to the Sox for infielder Chris Carter. And with a 4½-game lead in the NL West, the Diamondbacks are doing just fine.

• White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker on Quentin: "He's a talent. We really like him. He's healthy now, which he wasn't the last couple of years with Arizona. He fights. He battles. I like his makeup. And he's very disciplined at the plate." Quentin wasn't even supposed to make the White Sox this spring, but he stepped up when Jerry Owens injured a leg and hasn't looked back.

• They signed him to that three-year, $30 million deal last August because he was producing and his popularity with fans is off the charts, but there might come a time when Arizona regrets choosing Byrnes over Quentin. They're hoping that time isn't this season already -- Byrnes through midweek was down to .214 and buried in a 6-for-62 slump.

• Production differential: The White Sox ranked only seventh in the AL in runs scored at midweek yet led the league in homers. Reason for the dysfunction: The Sox lead the AL with 32 solo homers. A total of 13 of their past 16, and 19 of their past 23, have been with the bases empty.

• The White Sox dropped slumping cleanup man Paul Konerko to fifth in the lineup Tuesday and sixth Wednesday. Konerko is hitting .215 with five homers, 22 RBI and a .338 on-base percentage. Manager Ozzie Guillen thinks Konerko is pressing and tried to tell him to relax. "I tell him, 'What are you worried about? You have your money. You have your years. You have your (World Series) rings.' ... If you pull for everybody when you're hitting, you're wrong. When you're in the dugout, that's when you pull for everybody."

• What you get for $200 million: The Yankees have been almost perfectly symmetrical. So far this season they've been 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 9-9, 10-10, 12-12, 13-113, 14-14, 16-16, 17-17 and 18-18. So, 81-81 over 162 games, anyone?

• Remember the Miguel Cabrera who raked in Florida? Still no sign of him in Detroit. Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who either saw something in recent days or is simply resigned to wishful thinking, says, "I think he's going to relax shortly and go on a tear, that's what I think. Right now, I think he feels like he has to shoulder the load. I don't know if I'm right. But I kind of smell he's close to going on a tear." A career .313 hitter who clubbed 34 homers and had 119 RBI last year, Cabrera so far is at .269 with six and 22.

• More Leyland on Cabrera: "The biggest thing that will help him is when the other guys are hitting." Leyland also thinks it's more difficult changing leagues, and learning that league's pitchers, than people generally think.

• Yes, new Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty has spoken with Ken Griffey Jr. about a potential trade down the road -- Seattle? -- but nothing is close and it's unclear just how big a demand there would be for a one-time slugger now in his twilight. Regardless, the pressing issue for the Reds now is that Jay Bruce is making a hard charge toward the majors -- and there's no room for him in the Reds' outfield. Bruce, through midweek, led the Triple-A International League with a .366 batting average and was hitting .611 over his past 10 games.

• Probably the last we'll see of him for a while following last Friday's bludgeoning in Detroit, but remember, Kei Igawa cost the Yankees a $26 million posting price (for rights to negotiate with him in Japan) and a five-year, $20 million contract. So, $46 million, and the Tigers went 11-for-19 against him. Ian Kennedy was supposed to make multiple starts at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but you'll notice Kennedy was back up to start Thursday in Tampa.

• Wilson Betemit, who looked like he was playing third base on hockey skates last Friday in Detroit, is the seventh Yankee to be placed on the disabled list since the beginning of the season -- and the sixth since April 25.

• Veteran journeyman Jeff Weaver has made three starts for Nashville, Milwaukee's Triple-A affiliate, and is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA. He surrendered five runs in 4 2/3 innings Sunday, but word was he pitched better than his numbers. Weaver is expected to remain in Nashville for a couple more weeks. And while the Brewers appear to have lost right-hander Yovani Gallardo for the season when he underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his knee, owner Mark Attanasio has said that he will make funds available for the Brewers to go get more pitching if they need it later.

• Uh-oh, the dreaded players-only meeting was held in Colorado the other night. The pitching has been disappointing (starters' ERA: 5.47) and the club his hitting .228 with runners in scoring position.

• Atlanta might get closer Rafael Soriano back next week. Then the Braves could get John Smoltz back a couple of weeks from now. Then their bullpen would be so much better. And being that they were only 2½ games out in the NL East at midweek ... the Braves still might have something to say before this thing is over.

• Remember when Cleveland's Asdrubal Cabrera pulled the unassisted triple play earlier this week? In another of those cool only-in-baseball twists, it was the first for the Indians since Bill Wambsganss pulled the only unassisted triple play in World Series history in Game 5 of the 1920 World Series.

And check this out: Paul Hoynes, longtime beat man with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, reports that two of Wambsganss' great grandchildren, Travis and Erika Lydon, were in the stands at Progressive Field when Cabrera did it. Their mother, Effie Lydon, Wambsganss' granddaughter, was supposed to be there as well but watched on television instead. And that's not all: Ron Hansen, now scouting for Philadelphia, turned the last unassisted triple play in Cleveland while playing for the Washington Senators on July 30, 1968. And he was in Progressive Field, too.

• One more Cabrera triple play note: Bill Chuck, co-author of the terrific new book Walkoffs, Last Licks and Final Outs, checks in with a triple play anecdote from his book. Joe Pignatano hit into a triple play for the 1962 Mets on Sept. 30 against Cubs pitcher Bob Buhl. Pignatano lined to the late Ken Hubbs at second, who quickly threw to Ernie Banks at first. Then Banks threw over to shortstop Andre Rogers at second. The kicker? That's how Pignatano ended his playing career. It was his final at-bat.

• The guess here is that Angels manager Mike Scioscia's flowers weren't the best Mother's Day gift Anne Scioscia received. Their son sent along a baseball from his first college hit -- a three-run homer for the University of Notre Dame.