Uncut Diamonds

Nary an arrow in their quiver, the Dodgers were hunkered down anxiously, ears to the ground, listening intently as the rumble from the desert got louder and louder.

Now, the Arizona Diamondbacks are rolling into Dodger Stadium for a three-game series, emboldened by a franchise-record 12-game winning streak that helped them go from getting left in the dust in the National League West to passing the beleaguered Dodgers in the standings, taking over second place by a half-game.

And look what’s on the horizon for the Diamondbacks.

Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Tony Womack, Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell and Danny Bautista soon will return from the disabled list, giving Arizona veteran reinforcements for a post-All-Star-break playoff push.

Most of those guys have been there before, winning the World Series in 2001.

The Dodgers have not.

A 15th summer since the World Series title of 1988 is rapidly dissolving into a blur of swings and misses -- from an anemic lineup that ranks last in the National League in batting average and runs.

Punchless but not without pride, the Dodgers are mustering motivation from a quote attributed to Diamondback outfielder Luis Gonzalez on May 26. Discussing the first-place San Francisco Giants, he digressed, saying: “We don’t worry about the Dodgers. We never have.”

The comment found its way into the Dodger clubhouse and was resurrected Thursday despite the best efforts of Gonzalez to backpedal.

“I’m hoping it sticks in everyone’s mind, because we should take it as a slap in the face,” outfielder Brian Jordan said. “You want to go out there and throw it back in his face. I’m hoping everybody gets pumped up enough to get him back for saying it.”

Jordan and center fielder Dave Roberts are the Dodgers most outwardly peeved by what Gonzalez said. Problem is, Jordan and Roberts are on the disabled list.

Among Dodgers who will take the field tonight, the response is decidedly milder.

“Regardless of what’s said in the papers, you know this is an important series,” right fielder Shawn Green said.

Added catcher Paul Lo Duca: “I know Luis pretty well, and I think it was just taken out of context. Luis called [Dodger Manager Jim Tracy] and said it came out wrong.”

Which is pretty much what Gonzalez told reporters Thursday.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s over,” he said. “If they bring it up, then I’ll talk to certain players about it. I think most of those guys that have been around know the type of guy I am and who I am.”

So the war of words will give way to a series as crucial as a series can be in early July. And even the games pale in importance to looming personnel decisions by the Dodger front office.

A trade to bolster the offense is expected. But deals are difficult because of a high Dodger payroll and paucity of prospects, realities particularly galling this weekend because the Diamondbacks have no such concerns.

Arizona has long made key midseason acquisitions -- Schilling, Matt Mantei, Albie Lopez and Mike Fetters in the last four years -- and the farm system is strong enough that several players promoted from triple-A Tucson because of injuries to regulars fueled the 12-game winning streak that ended Tuesday.

“We learned that when the young guys came up, they were put in tight situations and they came through,” veteran outfielder Steve Finley said.

* Robby Hammock is batting .326 in 26 games since replacing injured David Dellucci and Shea Hillenbrand, performing so well he remains on the roster even though Dellucci and Hillenbrand have returned.

* Infielder Alex Cintron is batting .296 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 43 games since replacing Counsell, who suffered a dislocated thumb.

* Infielder Matt Kata is batting .387 with three home runs in 15 games since replacing Spivey, who has a sprained ankle.

* Brandon Webb, 5-2 with a 2.04 earned-run average in 13 starts since replacing Johnson, is one of several rookie pitchers to perform well. Mike Koplove is 3-0 with a 2.15 ERA, and Jose Valverde has converted all nine of his save opportunities.

The only anxiety in the Diamondback clubhouse centers on which of the productive newcomers must return to Tucson when the cavalry arrives. Schilling made his first rehabilitation start Wednesday, Johnson is expected to do the same in a few days, and Counsell is mere days away from being activated.

“What we want to do is get people back, reconstitute the roster and then see what this team looks like,” General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said.

The Dodgers are rummaging through their own triple-A club for help, promoting outfielders Wilkin Ruan and Chad Hermansen on Thursday.

Maybe they will provide a spark -- Ruan batted .314 with 28 stolen bases at Las Vegas and Hermansen hit .399.

Or maybe not -- Ruan had only a .337 on-base percentage, walking six times in 76 games, and Hermansen is a .200 hitter in parts of four major league seasons.

Hammock and Kata. Ruan and Hermansen. Not the names normally associated with these teams. They might not be the important names two months from now.

This weekend, they might be prominent.

*

Staff Writer Jason Reid contributed to this report.

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Little Gems

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been hampered by injuries to many of their veterans this season, but the young players that have filled in have more than held their own and are largely responsible for their recent surge in the standings. A look at the numbers for the veterans who were hurt (or in Matt Williams’ case, released) and the players who replaced them.

*--* SECOND BASE MATT KATA AB H 2B HR RBI AVG OB% SLG% 62 24 6 3 8 387 457 629 SHORTSTOP ALEX CINTRON AB H 2B HR RBI AVG OB% SLG% 170 50 12 7 24 294 341 500 THIRD BASE SHEA HILLENBRAND AB H 2B HR RBI AVG OB% SLG% 47 11 3 2 7 234 265 468 STARTING PITCHER BRANDON WEBB IP H ER BB SO W-L ERA 84 62 19 23 64 5-2 2.04 STARTING PITCHER ANDREW GOOD IP H ER BB SO W-L ERA 58 1/3 64 32 12 34 3-2 4.94 CLOSER JOSE VALVERDE IP H ER BB SO W-L SV ERA 14 8 2 6 18 1-0 9 1.29

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