Reds righty Daryl Thompson, who pitched five shutout innings against the Yankees in his major-league debut, could wind up making the biggest impact of any of the five players the Reds acquired from the Nationals in the Austin Kearns-Felipe Lopez trade. Thompson, a native of La Plata, Md., about 30 miles southeast of Washington D.C., could have been a hometown success for the Nationals. Some Nats officials, however, believed that he had poor arm action . . .

The Twins, lucky or clutch? The team is tied for fourth in the AL in runs per game largely because of its .314-.384-.463 performance with runners in scoring position; the league averages are .268-.354-.407. The Twins' other offensive statistics do not support their overall offensive rank: They're ninth in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging and last in homers . . .

Some Blue Jays officials trace the struggles of outfielder Alex Rios to last year's Home Run Derby. Rios' swing became big and loopy, one official says, after he finished second to the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero in the derby. Rios' batting average increased slightly in the second half, but he hit only seven homers, down from 17 in the first half. His dropoff this season is even more pronounced: Three home runs in 298 at-bats . . .

The Orioles would love to move two of their veteran relievers, lefty Jamie Walker and righty Chad Bradford. Walker and Bradford are specialists whose inability to work multiple innings forces manager Dave Trembley to overuse younger pitchers such as Jim Johnson and Matt Albers. The biggest obstacle for the Orioles: Both Walker and Bradford are signed through 2009.