WHO'S UP

Red alert

Cincinnati trounced the Chicago Cubs 12-0 on Friday for their eighth win in 10 games and yet another resounding statement that they are not some fleeting contender, a summer pest that has plenty of buzz and no life expectancy. First baseman Joey Votto has emerged as the second-best first baseman in the division and a true challenger for MVP. In the triple crown categories, only Albert Pujols can match Votto's rankings as of Friday. Votto was tied for first in homers (19), third in average (.314) and fourth in RBIs (57). Pujols was tied for first in homers (19), fifth in average (.309) and third in RBIs (58). Not to mention the infusion of young-gun pitchers the Reds can deploy. Know your rivals:

Pitcher Age Skinny

RHP Mike Leake 22 Rookie is 5-1 with 3.30 ERA after skipping the minors.

RHP Travis Wood 23 Pitched seven innings, two hits in debut Thursday

RHP Edinson Volquez 27 Storming back from Tommy John surgery.

LHP Aroldis Chapman 22 X-factor has 84 Ks, 70 1/3 IP at Class AAA.

FOUNDING FEATHERS

Thomas Jefferson Dowd — better known as Buttermilk Tommy — was a .323 hitting outfielder for the St. Louis Browns in 1895 and later served as the club's player manager for a couple of seasons. Within a decade, those Browns became the franchise we know today as the Cardinals, and, in honor of Independence Day, here are four — get it, four? — more connections between the Redbirds and the national holiday:

• Jose Oquendo: Born on July 4, 1963

• Keith McDonald: Hit a home run in his first major-league at-bat on July 4, 2000. All three of the hits in his major-league career were homers.

• Albert Pujols: Grew up in Independence, Mo.

• Cardinals RP Ryan Ray Franklin and C Yadier Benjamin Molina: The Benjamin-Franklin Battery

WHO'S DOWN

Snakes bite

In a sweeping and biting indictment of the shape of their franchise, Arizona Diamondbacks ownership shredded the leadership of its team by firing general manager Josh Byrnes and manager A.J. Hinch on Thursday. The moves come three years after the Diamondbacks were on the brink of the World Series. Make that three unsatisfactory and ramshackle seasons that could lead to a few more. Since May 2008, the D-Backs were 163-212. Last year, Byrnes fired manager Bob Melvin and replaced him with Hinch, who had never managed at any level. Byrnes, one of baseball's Young Turk GMs, then signed Hinch to a four-year contract. After all, he knew something about long deals. Ownership had given him an eight-year deal, guaranteed through the 2015 season. Consider only one player had a contract that long (Justin Upton) and only four players had deals that matched or surpassed their manager's. Sure, Arizona was supposed to be built around self-cultivated talents, several of whom hadn't hit their paydays yet and some of whom were underachieving, but the security seemed inverted. Ownership may have made a short-term, snap decision Thursday, but it was caused by long-term mistakes already in place.

RUMOR MONGERING

With Arizona still staggering from the front-office upheaval, the interim GM, Jerry DiPoto, will find himself fielding offers for infielders Kelly Johnson and Stephen Drew, along with short-termers like relievers Aaron Heilman and Chad Qualls. ... Cleveland's Jake Westbrook is coming off a 3-1, 4.54 ERA month of June, and his reliability (six or more innings in seven of his previous 10 starts) will be a commodity, even in an overheated starting pitcher market. The Indians also have closer Kerry Wood to deal. ... Among the most attractive players available in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline could be Ty Wigginton, the Orioles infielder who has 14 homers and 42 RBIs to go with a versatile glove. The Phillies, riddled with injuries to infielders, could be calling. ... According to The Washington Post, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman used the approaching trade deadline as motivation. He told the team: "Let's get this going so we're not taking this team apart."

Sources: Post-Dispatch research, Baseball-Reference.com.