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In addition to losing Johnson and Schilling, the Diamondbacks have also

Aside from Gonzalez and Finley, most of the Diamondbacks' best hitters are newcomers ... which is good, because many of the holdovers have been terrible.

Catcher Rod Barajas? .263 on-base percentage.

First baseman Mark Grace? .206 batting average.

Shortstop Tony Womack? .270 on-base percentage.

Outfielder Danny Bautista? .301 on-base percentage, .329 slugging percentage.

Outfielder Quinton McCracken? .200 batting average.

I cherry-picked the stats for effect, of course, but it's not like there were good stats to ignore. All five of these players were expected to make significant contributions this season, and all five have done almost nothing.

That's a hell of a thing, really. You invest a lot of money in a couple of old pitchers, and they don't produce (because they're hurt). You also invest a number of roster spots in replacement-level players (i.e. Proven Veterans), and they play worse than replacement-level players. And still, somehow, you win. Somehow, you've got almost exactly the same run differential as the team in first place.

How have they done it? Luck.

Yes, they've been lucky (not that there's anything wrong with that). They've asked big things of seven rookies -- Webb, Cintron, Valverde, Katta and Hammock, plus first baseman Lyle Overbay and pitcher Andrew Good -- and all seven have produced. That just isn't supposed to happen, especially considering that not even one of these young squires was considered a Grade A prospect before this season (though Overbay wasn't far off). The truth is that most of these guys, and perhaps even all of them, are soon going to discover that playing major-league baseball isn't really this easy.

And the Diamondbacks could still win this thing. They're within shouting distance of first place, even though the best pitcher on the planet has won exactly one game this season. They're five games out of first place, even though another great pitcher has missed almost half the season with various ailments. The Diamondbacks are probably going to have both Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in the rotation after the All-Star break, and they're going to be in the hunt.

On the other hand ... while five games is not an insurmountable lead, neither is it inconsiderable. Most teams that open July looking at a five-game deficit do not finish in first place. They've done great to get where they are ... and they'll have to continue to do great, to get where they want to be.

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Before we leave the subject of National League faits accomplis that might not be, the Phillies now trail the Braves by only four-and-a-half games, and the Phillies actually have a better run differential. The Phils have scored 54 fewer runs than the Braves have scored, but they've also allowed 75 fewer.

Which is to say that there's been no fundamental difference, at least in terms of runs scored and runs allowed, between the Phillies and the Braves, just as there's been no real difference between the Royals, Twins, and White Sox, or between the Giants, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks. Every team in the major leagues has now played at least half their schedule, but I'm convinced of only one thing: the Yankees are a real good bet to win their division. About everything else, this idiot reserves the right to change his mind.

Senior writer Rob Neyer writes four columns per week during the baseball season. His new book, "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups," has just been published by Fireside. For more information about the book and Rob's upcoming book signings in Seattle (June 28), Portland (June 30), and Denver (July 9), visit Rob's Web site.