9 hits and 7 walks (including Neifi!'s second in three games) and . . . just 2 runs. Not the most efficient offensive performance, but on a night in which Carlos Zambano's sinker was working it was enough, even after Ryan Dempster pulled a Mitch Williams circa 1989.

The Matt Lawton acquisition paid dividends in the decisive 8th inning. Lawton led off the inning with a single and scored on Aramis Ramirez's 2-out 2-run single. A single that was a huge pick-me-up following Jeromy Burnitz being picked off first base by Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal, for the second out of the inning.

After speculation about where he would play, Lawton was in left for the night, hitting leadoff. Jerry Hairston, Jr. started in center and batted second, with Todd Walker moving back down in the order. Given Todd Hollandsworth's unfortunate struggles this season, that really is the best lineup against righthanders.

Speaking of the Lawton acquisition, it is certainly interesting how usually like-minded people can have very different views of the same event. Aaron Gleeman at The Hardball Times wrote, "This is a strange trade. . . . [I]f you're going to trade [Jason Dubois] for a guy like [Jody] Gerut and then trade Gerut almost immediately, why do all of it just to get Lawton? . . . I like Lawton's odds of being more productive down the stretch, especially considering Gerut is coming back from a major knee injury, but the difference really isn't all that big and swings heavily in Gerut's favor over the long term."

And then there's Baseball Prospectus's Chris Kahrl: "Kudos to Jim Hendry for pulling off either the best or tied for the best deal of the deadline (tied with the Braves getting Farnsworth). It was a particularly neat trick to start with Dubois, a good player to have, but one Dusty Baker didn't know how to use, trade him for Gerut, and then flip Gerut for a player you can win games with right now. Because that is the name of the game: right now."