It seems that the pitchers have begun to catch up to Justin Upton in May. Upton has played in 24 games this month for the D-Backs and he is 16 for 77 (.208 avg, .703 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs. But for the season, Upton still has decent numbers. He has played in 51 games for the Diamondbacks this season and he is 49 for 178 (.275 avg, .829 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 6 homers and 24 RBIs. The D-Backs need him to get his swing back soon or they might start to have problems scoring runs.

The Diamondbacks have placed veteran outfielder Eric Byrnes on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain. Byrnes was off to a very slow start this season for the D-Backs. He has played in 46 games this season and he is 40 for 183 (.219 avg, .673 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 6 homers, 23 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Byrnes will be replaced on the roster by outfielder Alex Romero. Romero played in 13 games for the D-Backs early in the season and he was 3 for 11 (.273 avg, .523 OPS) with 3 RBIs. He also has played in 31 games in AAA ball this season and he was 43 for 130 (.331 avg, .812 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 2 homers, 12 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The D-Backs will miss Byrnes’ all out hustle despite him not putting up big numbers this season.

UPDATE: An MRI on Byrnes revealed that he has tears in both of his hamstrings. He will be out indefinately.

The D-Backs are moving rookie Maz Scherzer to the bullpen through no fault of his own and that’s because Doug Davis will reclaim his starting job. Davis was out for a while as he was recovering from surgery to his thyroid due to cancer. He has pitched in 2 games (both starts) for the D-Backs this season and he was 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP. Scherzer might move right into the set up man role for the D-Backs. He has pitched in 4 games (3 starts) for the D-Backs this season and he is 0-2 with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He has whiffed 23 batters in only 19.1 innings which shows what kind of stuff he has. Scherzer’s future is in the starting rotation but he should provide another power arm to the D-Backs’ bullpen for now.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have designated righty reliever Brandon Medders for assignment to make room on the roster for Doug Davis. Medders has pitched in 18 games (0 starts) for the D-Backs this season and he was 1-0 with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. It’s doubtful that Medders will clear waivers based on how he’s pitched in his major league career to this point. He has pitched in 135 games (0 starts) in his career with the D-Backs and he is 11-6 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.

The Diamondbacks weren’t sure who would be the closer for them after they traded Jose Valverde to the Astros but Brandon Lyon has stepped up. He has pitched in 21 games for the Diamondbacks this season and he is 1-1 with 12 saves, a 1.80 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has walked 2 batters and whiffed 15 in only 20 innings this season. If he keeps this up all season, the D-Backs will not miss Valverde one bit.