by Ken Rosenthal

Ryan Spilborghs. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

The Rockies cannot give away third baseman Garrett Atkins. They are likely to keep first baseman Todd Helton. But right-hander Jason Marquis, closer Huston Street and outfielders Brad Hawpe and Ryan Spilborghs are among the players who could get moved.

Teams began calling again on the ever-popular Spilborghs last Friday, sensing that his playing time would diminish with the promotion of Carlos Gonzalez.

Spilborghs, earning $415,000, fits as a right-handed hitting reserve for numerous clubs, notably the Phillies, Red Sox and Tigers, all of whom have been in contact with Colorado, according to sources. Matt Murton, who was demoted to make room for Gonzalez, could fill Spilborghs' role immediately.

Thus, Spilborghs could go for the right offer, and the Rockies also would be wise to be aggressive with Marquis, who leads the National League with eight victories, but is 30-37 lifetime with a 4.93 ERA after the All-Star break.

The team, however, is likely to proceed slowly with each of its marketable assets, believing that interest will only build.

Hawpe, a left-handed hitter, would like to stay with the Rockies long-term, but could be the leading slugger available if the A's keep Matt Holliday. Street, who has allowed one earned run in 15 innings since April 24, cannot be replaced from within.

The better the Rockies play, the better their trade candidates will look. And finally, they are playing well again.

Jake Peavy. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

Peavy update . . . and beyond

It's difficult to imagine the Padres moving right-hander Jake Peavy before the deadline unless A) the Cubs receive permission to take on his contract while their ownership is in transition or B) a surprise bidder emerges and persuades Peavy to waive his no-trade clause.

Neither scenario appears likely, creating the possibility that Peavy might not be traded until the off-season. The Padres budgeted to carry him through 2009, but his rising salaries would command too high a percentage of their payroll in the coming years.

Which leaves the team in a holding pattern.

The Padres will not trade Peavy to the Dodgers, their biggest division rival. Meanwhile, the revivals of right-handers John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar make the Angels an unlikely suitor.

Both Lackey and Escobar are potential free agents, while Peavy is under club control through 2013. Still, the Angels' biggest need is bullpen help, and the team, as usual, could use an offensive boost.

Trading shortstop Erick Aybar is one possibility, sources say. Aybar could bring the Angels a hitter or reliever, and Brandon Wood would take over at shortstop, instantly improving the team's offense.

The Red Sox, Mets, Royals and Cardinals are among the teams with needs at shortstop, and Aybar also can play second base.

The Angels are frustrated with Aybar's inability to maintain his focus, but one scout believes that Aybar might benefit from playing for a manager who is less demanding than Mike Scioscia.

Russell Martin. (Harry How / Getty Images)

Hey Russell, you're good

Young players often are accused of being too cocky. Dodgers catcher Russell Martin has just the opposite problem. As a hitter, he doesn't know how good he can be.

Manager Joe Torre made that point behind the batting cage the other day, then asked Jeff Pentland, the team's roving instructor, for confirmation.

Pentland agreed, saying, "He has no idea how good he is."

Martin hit 19 home runs in 2007 and 13 in '08, but he is none in 187 at-bats this season. He gets frustrated when he struggles, Torre says, and lengthens his swing. He needs to trust himself to snap out of it, and stay with a more compact approach.

The good news: Martin's line-drive percentage would be a career-high, according to thehardballtimes.com, and he also is seeing a career-high number of pitches per plate appearance.

A theory on Lidge

The Phillies thought closer Brad Lidge was on the verge of regaining his mojo before he blew back-to-back saves against the Dodgers last weekend.

One scout disagrees, saying that Lidge is "afraid" of his fastball and "not finishing" his pitches.

The scout notes that the Dodgers' Rafael Furcal hit a slider against Lidge for his game-tying homer on Saturday — a slider that was in a poor location on a 2-2 count.

"He never would have thrown that pitch there when he was commanding it," the scout says. "He didn't get it in enough.

"That's Furcal's power zone. He will swing at a ball off the plate. Throw it to his back foot, out of the strike zone and he will swing and miss or foul it off.

Ryan Howard to the defense

Favorite stat of the week: Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard rates higher defensively than the Yankees' Mark Teixeira, according to the plus-minus ratings on Bill James Online.

"Defensively, he's absolutely extraordinary right now," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says of Howard. "He's literally playing a Gold Glove-caliber first base right now, in every phase."

Howard merits a plus-five, meaning that he has made five plays above the number that an average fielder would make, according to the video scouts at Baseball Info Solutions.

Teixeira rates a plus-four, along with the Braves' Casey Kotchman, Padres' Adrian Gonzalez and Rangers' Chris Davis.

The Blue Jays' Lyle Overbay and Giants' Travis Ishikawa lead all first basemen at plus-seven. The Royals' Billy Butler and Red Sox's Kevin Youkilis are plus-six.

South side blues

The White Sox offense remains a mystery, and not just because of the absence of left fielder Carlos Quentin. The team ranks 12th in the AL in runs scored. Only the Royals and Mariners are worse.

Manager Ozzie Guillen sharply criticized the Sox's inability to execute after the team's 5-4 loss to the Tigers on Monday in the first game of a doubleheader. The Sox won the second game, 6-1, but their OPS is below the league average at all but four positions.

The team's rankings are particularly low at positions occupied mainly by young or unproven players — the Sox are 13th at second base, 13th at third and 14th in center field. While the sample size is small, rookie Gordon Beckham has failed to provide a jolt, starting 0-for-13.

Beckham, though, is the least of the White Sox's problems; scouts expect him to be a star. The Sox summoned him in part because they knew he would be a defensive upgrade over Josh Fields at third base — and never mind that Beckham began playing third regularly only last month.

Fields made a critical ninth-inning error in the opener Monday, prompting one scout to remind, "His lower half has gone dead on him. It looks like he's too heavy and doesn't move as he did before — which is not a good thing at 26."

Around the horn

The Cardinals' sputtering offense is the team's primary concern, but the bullpen also is a growing problem. In the last six games, Cardinals relievers have allowed 24 earned runs in 20 2/3 innings.

Chris Carpenter pitched a complete game in that stretch, but the bullpen otherwise has been overworked. Closer Ryan Franklin, meanwhile, has not had a save opportunity in more than a week.

Oliver Perez. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)