For only the second time since Rivera evolved into The Man Who Never Blows a Save, he just blew two in a week (April 13 in Boston, then Friday against Toronto).

	Mariano Rivera Relief Pitcher New York Yankees Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM W-L SV-OP IP H ERA 9 1-1 6-8 9 7 2.00

The only other time since 1998 that this happened to The Great Mariano, he blew three saves in 10 days in July 1999 (July 6 at Detroit, July 10 at the Mets and July 16 against the Braves).

After that little mix-up, Rivera turned around and converted 22 save opportunities in a row. He might well do that again. Nevertheless, scouts following the Yankees say he hasn't been quite as omnipotent as he used to be.

"His cutter just hasn't been as good," said one AL scout. "He dials it up when he has to. But it's not the consistent 94-95 mph anymore. Of course, it's all relative. It just means that instead of being totally unhittable, he's slightly hittable."

In a perfect world, the Giants' brass probably would prefer to sit Bonds down for a couple of weeks -- especially in the cold of April. But Bonds wants to play. And he's obviously the key figure in a lineup that has started slowly. So the club will just "take it day-by-day," says one Giants official.

"We're concerned that on a cold night, he'll try to go first to third and snap it," the club official said. "And then you've really got trouble. But he scored from second (on a single) the other day. So as long as he can do that ... he'll keep going out there."

"Unless the bases are loaded, you don't have to pitch to him," said Braves reliever Mike Remlinger. "And even then, some people would have to think about it: If you walk him, it's only one run. I know Buck Showalter did it a couple of years ago. And if he stays hot, it's going to happen again. I guarantee you."

But the real reason Bonds doesn't walk 300 times, says Greg Maddux, is that it's harder to issue him one of those quasi-intentional, pitch-around walks than it is with most hitters.

"It's hard to walk him, because when he does get a pitch, he doesn't miss it," Maddux said. "If he'd hit more foul balls, he'd probably walk more. So it's his own fault."

It raised eyebrows in the Texas clubhouse that Rocker was recalled despite never actually reporting to the minor leagues. But the fact is, if the Rangers wanted him to work out his problems in a less-pressurized environment, Rocker has reached a point where he can't do that in the minor leagues anymore -- because the circus follows him wherever he goes.

"In all honesty, going there probably would have been more detrimental to him," says a club official of an NL team. "He's better off in the big leagues. I talked to a guy down there (in Oklahoma City) who said, 'People here can't wait to get their hands on him.' It's easier for him to be just another guy in Texas than it is in the minor leagues."

"I think it's worth trying it," the scout said. "They'd run out of other options. And Irabu has a good forkball right now, so at least he's got a 'plus' pitch.' What do they have to lose at this point?"

In one game this month, Julio threw five straight pitches clocked at 99 miles per hour. Opposing hitters are batting .158 off him. And he's turning heads every time he pitches. One scout's review: "Electric fastball."

	Schilling

Hamilton, as close to a sure thing as a No. 1 pick three years ago as any high school player of modern times, was able to play only eight games at Bakersfield this month before his persistent back trouble recurred. He's now back on the disabled list, having played only 35 games in the last two seasons. Sad story.

Meanwhile, the Devil Rays continue to try to actively retool. According to other clubs, they've told teams that any pitcher on their staff -- except Joe Kennedy, Jesus Colome and Rule 5 pick Steve Kent -- is available, including Esteban Yan, Tanyon Sturtze and Paul Wilson.

"They can really mash," says one scout who has followed them. "But it's too early to tell how good they are because they've played in their own division so much. They haven't faced the good clubs in the East or West yet. Once they do, we'll know more about them."

Well, it won't be a long wait. Starting Friday, they play nine in a row against the A's and Mariners.

Last April, they had the second-best bullpen ERA in the National League. Through Tuesday, they had the third-worst bullpen ERA in the league (4.82, thanks to four shutout innings Tuesday).

For now, they're staying patient, as long as no one in the NL East is in danger of running away. But we're told they did dispatch assistant GM Ruben Amaro to Triple-A Scranton over the weekend to assess the readiness of relievers Doug Nickle, Pete Zamora and Elio Serano, in case this trend keeps up.

It took the Phillies until Labor Day weekend last year to lose a game they led after eight innings. It took them until just April 16 this year.

	Vazquez

Not that that's all Vazquez's fault. In three of his four starts, when he left the game, the Expos had scored one run or none for him. And in the other start, his bullpen blew a save. But one scout says: "Sometimes I think he tries to be too much of a No. 1. He puts a lot of pressure on himself trying to make the perfect pitch, and he winds up making mistakes in the strike zone."