N.L. report

The GIANTS are banking on newly acquired RHP LaTroy Hawkins to bolster the bullpen as the setup man. Hawkins has excelled in the role the past few years. The CUBS obtained RHPs Jerome Williams and David Aardsma in the trade for Hawkins. Williams lost his spot in the Giants' rotation in April and was demoted; Aardsma was being converted from a reliever to a starter at Class AAA. Neither is expected to immediately replace injured RHP Mark Prior (fractured elbow) in the Cubs' rotation. RHP Todd Wellemeyer entered the week as the leading candidate for that job. ... The BRAVES' gamble on RF Raul Mondesi did not pay off. The club has replaced him in the lineup with rookie Kelly Johnson, a converted shortstop. Johnson can drive the ball to all fields. He'll start in left field, with Brian Jordan taking Mondesi's spot in right. ... OF Mike Cameron soon might replace SS Jose Reyes as the METS' leadoff hitter, primarily because Cameron gets on base much more often than Reyes. Manager Willie Randolph hasn't said where the speedy Reyes might move to in the order. ... PHILLIES manager Charlie Manuel is moving closer to making Chase Utley, 26, the regular second baseman. Utley has been platooning with Placido Polanco, 29. Utley bustles and has leadership qualities, and his defense continues to improve. Polanco remains the better fielder and the more consistent hitter. ... REDS manager Dave Miley will use a committee of RHPs David Weathers and Ryan Wagner and LHP Kent Mercker to finish games now that RHP Danny Graves is off the club Wagner, 22, is considered the closer of the future. ... Chris Snyder's defense and game-calling ability trumped Koyie Hill's offense in the competition far the DIAMONDBACKS' No. 1 catcher job. Hill was sent to the minors last week. Veteran Kelly Stinnett will be Snyder's backup. ... The MARLINS plan to be careful with RHP A.J. Burnett (elbow) and 2B Luis Castillo (legs, hips). Burnett might be put on a pitch count; Castillo might sit as many as three days a week. ... IF Desi Relaford's gap-to-gap swing makes him less likely to have the wide home-road disparity that is frequent among ROCKIES hitters. Relaford is filling in at second base for the injured Aaron Miles (side). ... Todd Self is gaining ASTROS manager Phil Garner's confidence and Orlando Palmeiro is getting spot starts, so the struggling Jason Lane could be the odd man out in Houston's outfield rotation. ... Geoff Blum and Damian Jackson are capably filling in for injured PADRES 2B Mark Loretta (thumb). Both are getting on base frequently. Loretta is expected back by August 1. ... BREWERS manager Ned Yost says 3B Jeff Cirillo is an ideal No. 2 hitter because of his ability to make contact and hit the ball to the right side. ... CARDINALS LHP Mark Mulder can give hitters multiple looks--a recent start in which he relied on his curve instead of his sinker is one example. That versatility should allow him to remain effective when teams face him more than once. ... Antonio Perez has settled in at third base for the DODGERS, producing quality at-bats and satisfactory defense. Perez is an offense-minded player who has been working on his fielding. ... PIRATES utilityman Rob Mackowiak reduced his stride at the plate in the offseason. As a result, he is picking up pitches earlier and making better contact. ... NATIONALS SS Cristian Guzman's poor hitting is being blamed on a lack of concentration and bad mechanics. Manager Frank Robinson says Guzman has too much movement batting lefthanded and swings too hard batting righthanded.

Quick starts

Astros 2B Craig Biggio isn't an ideal No. 3 batter, but he is a good first-inning hitter, which helps justify his recent move into the No. 3 spot. Biggio takes advantage of pitchers who have yet to settle in. With LF Todd Self thriving in the No. 2 spot, Houston's first-inning production has been solid despite inconsistent power.

Burning issues

How much playing time will Giants 1B Lance Niekro and OF/IF Pedro Feliz receive after LF Barry Bonds (knee) returns from the D.L.? Niekro and Feliz have been productive at the plate, but Feliz likely will return to part-time duty--and take Niekro's at-bats in the process. ... Can Brewers RHP Ben Sheets ever be deemed fully healthy? Doctors can't rule out the possibility that his inner-ear condition will return. ... Is the Pirates' Tike Redman an everyday center fielder? He has little power, he rarely uses his speed, and his defense is unsteady. If he doesn't improve before OF Craig Wilson (finger) returns from the D.L. in July, he'll be replaced by LF Jason Bay.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME

Rockies RHP Jason Jennings' seasonlong struggles led to a recent confidence-building session with the coaches. He came out of the meeting with an action plan and was assured that the team was behind him despite trade rumors. He promptly returned to throwing two bullpen sessions between starts and resumed mechanics drills. In his first start after the meeting, he went seven innings and beat the Cubs.