Notebook | Pitcher Rhodes had the Marlins at one batter

Mariners fixture Arthur Rhodes, traded to Florida on Thursday, first caught the Marlins' eye during an interleague trip to Seattle in mid-June.

Florida general manager Larry Beinfest, a former Mariners executive, said the Marlins were quite impressed with Rhodes.

And it took just one batter. That's all Rhodes faced on June 17 in the eighth inning of a 5-4 Mariners win at Safeco Field. Rhodes struck out Cody Ross on three pitches.

"We were like, man, did you see Arthur tonight? He was blowing," Beinfest told Florida reporters. "That was impressive. We put him on the list immediately if we needed to get some help."

Rhodes could play a vital role for the Marlins, who are battling the Mets and Phillies in the NL East.

He will be asked to neutralize left-handed sluggers like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Carlos Delgado within the division.

Renyel Pinto has had that task, but with 58 appearances, tied for most in the majors, he could be overtaxed. And southpaw Taylor Tankersley, a former No. 1 pick, has been demoted to Class AAA for the third time this year.

"Not trading for anybody"

Among the contending teams that did little at the trade deadline, a few are hoping that their impact additions will come from the disabled list or the minor leagues.

The Twins will dip into both categories, in fact, with former phenom Francisco Liriano (10-0, 2.67 earned-run average in his last 11 starts) finally coming up from Class AAA to join the rotation, at the expense of Livan Hernandez, designated for assignment despite 10 wins. They also have outfielder Michael Cuddyer close to coming off the DL.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, expect a big boost from the return of former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter to the rotation, with Adam Wainwright close behind.

"Everybody asks what it's like not trading for anybody," outfielder Skip Schumaker told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Well, we just traded for Chris Carpenter for nobody.

"We got a front-line starter, a Cy Young Award winner, for nobody. Not a lot of teams can say that."

Notes and quotes

• Did you catch the classic belittling quote by Baltimore's Kevin Millar after a beanball by Yankees pitcher Edwar Ramirez last Wednesday? As background, note that Ramirez — ejected after the incident at Yankee Stadium — is listed as 6 feet 3, 150 pounds.

"I was upset they threw him out of the game because he's really good hittin'," Millar told Baltimore reporters after the game. "He's a cute little fella. He doesn't throw that hard and doesn't have very good stuff."

Millar added that he was hoping to take his licks off Ramirez.

"In that at-bat I was looking to go to Monument Park out there in left-center.

"I love facing him. He doesn't have many out pitches. He should be fortunate he is in the big leagues.

"Ramirez is a cute little fella, like I said. He tries his little heart out, but it is good hittin'."

• Jose Guillen strongly denied an ESPN Deportes report in which an anonymous source said Guillen doesn't talk to manager Trey Hillman, characterized Kansas City as "a living hell" for Guillen, and said he couldn't wait to leave.

"This is completely catching me by surprise," Guillen said. "This isn't coming from me. Trey and I are fine right now, and I've never said I wanted out of Kansas City."

• The Phillies are another team that could get help from down below. They called up left-hander J.A. Happ and put him in their bullpen, but manager Charlie Manuel indicated Happ could soon be in the rotation. That would behoove Brett Myers and/or Joe Blanton to step it up, it would seem.

• Speaking of the Phillies' rotation, Adam Eaton became the second veteran member to accept an assignment to the minors this year.

Eaton, who is from Snohomish, follows Myers in taking a stint in the bushes.

"I think it's about the only thing we could do," Manuel told reporters. "We stuck with him for a long time, and he wasn't getting any better. This is going to help him. This is going to give him a chance to get back on the right track."

Eaton is in the second year of a three-year, $24.5 million contract, which he will continue to earn in full. Blanton's acquisition knocked him out of the rotation.

Eaton is 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA in 21 appearances (19 starts) after going 10-10, 6.29 last year.

The minor-league assignment will be tailored to be as convenient for Eaton as possible. He will pitch at either Lehigh Valley, Reading or Lakewood, all nearby, depending on which is at home.