The series between the Marlins and the Diamondbacks has been outstanding so far. Here are some of my observations:

On the plane ride from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez had to stand the entire way because he was in so much pain. His back is better than last Sunday when he made the flight and he might play tonight. But he was in total agony and it's a real question about how effective he can be if he plays.

Outfielder Scott Cousins is still in pain following his home plate collision with Buster Posey. He got in the game late yesterday, but he, too, is hurting.

One of the most underrated players in the game is Gaby Sanchez. He has awesome power in his solid frame and he makes good contact. He's accomplished at first base and he plays with energy. He's much improved from the times I saw him play in the past. Next year, don't let him slip by you in the draft. He can put up some very reasonable numbers.

I'm also impressed with Logan Morrison. I did RotoWire profiles on both Sanchez and Morrison in the past, and like Sanchez, Morrison has lived up to his reputation as a soliid hitter and an average to below average outfielder. But I wouldn't hesitate to have Morrison on my team.

Diamondbacks radio announcer and former pitcher Tom Candiotti refers to Sanchez, Morrison and right fielder Michaele Stanton as "lumberjacks." That's a great word to describe those three. I have said many times in the past that Stanton is among the strongest major league players I've seen in a long, long time. With a flick of his bat, he pulls balls down the line with no effort. All bat speed and pure strength. His home runs and fly balls are majestic. Great to watch him play.

Anibal Sanchez is a very solid starting pitcher. His mechanics are clean and he can still bring the ball at 92-94 in the 8th inning.
I like his entire repertoire and the way he works hitters. Like his other Marlin teammates, he doesn't get enough pub. The Marlins have a complete club when they're healthy. Josh Johnson should be back soon.

Raise your hand if you thought Leo Nunez would have anywhere near the season he's having? Frankly, my hand is not in the air.

I can't tell you how quick Justin Upton's hands are getting through the ball on this hot streak of his. Woosh-gone! When he's in this groove he simply murders fastballs. He still has trouble with breaking balls down and away and that's what pitchers should be throwing him. But some feel they can get the high heat past him. Not now. Not is this groove. Problem is he usually doesn't sustain this level of hitting. He regresses to chasing pitches and getting himself out. I'm hoping he has seen the light and stays short and quck with that swing.

Last night, Ian Kennedy's pitch placement was way off. When he loses command he gets clobbered or walks hitters. He couldn't gain the feel on his slider. He got the Marlins to chase his high fastball but he didn't do that enough.

On the last home stand Kelly Johnson started to find his swing. Now I can recommend him with confidence as he's really driving the ball and laying off lousy pitches. He'll still strike out, but he can also get you some big flys.

One of the DBacks heros so far has to be lefty Joe Paterson. He's a Rule 5 guy and he's been very sharp as the lefty specialist out of the bullpen. He's joined now by Zach Kroenke as another situational lefty for the late innings. If your league rewards holds, look to Paterson for some help.

Thanks to our Roto Sports President Peter Schoenke for re-tweeting my tweet last night about Brandon Belt being hit by a pitch.
I appreciate that. I'm still learning about Twitter and I hope readers will re-tweet my tweets if there's something you feel is worth sharing.

How about the first major league start for Astros P Jordan Lyles! 7IP/1ER/ 0W/5K/92 pitches. And he had ice water in his veins. I got to see him throw on a TV monitor in the dining room at the park. Outstanding outing!

I think Joey Votto should be the NL 1B on the All Star team, right? Pujols, Fielder, Howard, yikes! Not a bad group of bats to trot out . Pujols leads today and that's fine because he's fantastic. But let's give Votto and Jay Bruce some well deserved love!

I didn't get to see Teixeira and ARod pull off a double steal yesterday when they were ahead 9-3 in the late innings. Maybe there were some extenuating circumstances that I missed. However, one of the Yankees may find a ball in the ear of his batting helmet in an upcoming game. One cardinal rule in baseball: don't steal bases when you're killing the other team! Again, maybe there's something I don't know. I'm just sayin.

It was a huge package to give up for Eric Bedard and I was sick about it at the time as a Mariners scout, but he's beginning to show some of the form the front office thought Bedard had when the deal was made. And how about the rest of that rotation with Felix, Pineda, Varga and Fister? Now if they can score a few more runs they'll be in good shape.

The Dodgers made their payroll. The Dodgers made their payroll. Wasn't it always The Dodgers won the pennant. The Dodgers won the pennant. Yes it was come to think of it. I wonder if they'll throw a parade in LA because the players got paid. Let's wait and see what happens next month when Manny's Money kicks in.

Washington comes to Phoenix starting tomorrow and I'll be able to share some thoughts with you later in the week.

The Blue Jays got a huge scare when top prospect Brett Lawrie was hit in the hand in a game yesterday. XRays were negative and he'll probably miss a few games with a bruise. He was close to being called up so that may have to wait a bit. Please stop by my weekly RotoWire article later today. I've profiled Lawrie and I welcome your thoughts and comments. He's going to be a very good hitter.

Max Scherzer has reverted to the problem he had in Phoenix when he would lose command suddenly in an outing and have to throw the opposition "cookies" That's one of the reasons the DBacks traded him. They believed he would continue to be inconsistent. I think he'll turn this hiccup around. I'm worried, however, about Jon Lester. And Neftali Feliz.

Hope you'll follow me on Twitter @BerniePleskoff. I'll be on with Jeff and Chris Thursday morning on Sirius/XM. I'll also do a Thursday morning segment on Thepulsenetwork.com Sports Buzz with Butch Stearns. But most of all, I hope you have a great week and you'll catch up with me somewhere.