NATIONAL LEAGUE UPDATE: DIAMONDBACKS CALL ON CLARK IN A PINCH.

Byline: Tony Jackson Staff Writer

That the Arizona Diamondbacks were 10 games better through 80 games than they were last year - and that they arrived in town for this weekend's three-game series at Dodger Stadium with the home team looking up at them in the standings - can be credited to a lot of factors. At 6-feet-7, 245 pounds, Tony Clark was one of the biggest, both literally and figuratively.

The veteran first baseman has more or less resurrected his career since joining the Diamondbacks in January as a free agent, and he has done it primarily by coming off the bench.

Clark, 33, entered the Dodgers series hitting .458 (11 for 24) as a pinch hitter, with three home runs, two walks and 13 RBI. He also was hitting .300 as a starter, making for a remarkable resurgence by a former All-Star who, since being waived by Detroit after the 2001 season, had played for three clubs the past three seasons and not batted higher than .232 for any of them.

``It can be called whatever it wants to be called,'' Clark saidbefore Friday night's series opener. ``I don't spend much time thinking about whether it's a renaissance. The key more than anything was that I got off to a good start. I'm also surrounded by an outstanding group of guys, and I have involved myself a lot with (hitting coach) Mike Aldrete. I'm burning his ears up every day, because I'm constantly asking him questions.''

Clark has spent most of his decade in the big leagues as an everyday player. He had very little experience pinch hitting until two years ago when he was with the New York Mets, and even then he wasn't especially good at it. He entered this season with a career .187 average as a pinch hitter, but his best weapon has been his experience, and over time he has developed an in-game routine for nights when he isn't in the starting lineup that has helped him excel at what almost every player in baseball would agree is the game's most challenging role.

``Usually, the first two or three innings is a feel time, getting used to how the game is going and getting an idea for how certain guys are being pitched, especially in particular situations,'' Clark said. ``By the fourth inning, I'm usually starting to get loose and ready. From the fifth inning on, I'm preparing for that one at-bat. Pinch hitting is difficult, because you have one chance to do something, and most of the time you're not successful.''

Clark has gotten so good at pinch hitting that he has become something of a guru in the Arizona clubhouse. Veteran shortstop Royce Clayton said youngsters Matt Kata and Scott Hairston, who were optioned to Triple-A Tucson (Ariz.) last week, routinely would follow Clark around the clubhouse, picking his brain about how to prepare for that single at-bat that almost always comes at a critical time.

``It was like Mother Hen and all her chicks,'' Clayton said. ``I don't know that I have ever seen anything like (Clark) in all my years of playing. He comes off the bench and just keeps delivering, game-tying hits, game-winning homers, doubles, you name it. It's a tremendous asset to the ballclub, and it's not only that, but it's also what he brings to the clubhouse with his preparation and the example he sets for the younger guys.''

--Brutal Billy: With Philadelphia having dropped 11 of 15 after losing Thursday to the New York Mets, closer Billy Wagner openly expressed his disappointment with his club. The tirade started when Wagner was asked if the Phillies had a shot at the playoffs.

``No chance,'' he said. ``We ain't got a chance to get there right now.''

Asked to specify what was missing, Wagner was just as candid.

``The know-how to win,'' he said. ``You have got to know how to win before you can start thinking about the playoffs. There are a lot of reasons to have faith. This ain't over. But anybody who says we have a clear shot to the playoffs right now is fooling themselves. ... Adding pieces isn't going to make us any better. If you don't learn to win and show some fight, it doesn't matter. ... We win, we lose, we play tomorrow. There's not that drive. There's not that focus all the time.''

--Lopez surging: In the three seasons since Cincinnati acquired him from Toronto in a four-team deal that sent current Dodgers pitcher Elmer Dessens from the Reds to the Diamondbacks, shortstop Felipe Lopez has gone from an enigma with poor work habits to a potential All-Star. He is on pace for the best offensive season in history by a Reds shortstop, a position that has been manned by, among others, Dave Concepcion and Barry Larkin.

St. Louis manager Tony La Russa, who will manage the National League All-Star team, has been impressed. Lopez has not been among the leaders in fan balloting but already has posted career highs in home runs (13), RBI (45) and slugging percentage (.550).

``Right now, he has got so much confidence in his whole game,'' La Russa said. ``The at-bats he is taking, the way he is moving on the field, catching the ball, throwing it, and he can run the bases. He is a very complete player ability-wise, and now he is playing like it.''

--Revival redeux: Houston's annual return from the dead, which didn't come last year until manager Jimy Williams was replaced by Phil Garner at the All-Star break, got started early this year. Since May 26, when they were 15-30 and 14 games behind the Cardinals in the Central, the Astros have won 21 of 32, putting them just 6 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the wild-card standings entering Friday.

``We don't consider ourselves dead,'' said Craig Biggio, who tied Don Baylor's modern-day hit-by-pitch record last week. ``Guys that have played the game for a long time understand it's a long season. We dug ourselves a humongous hole at the beginning of the year, and we know that. We have had a lot of changes and a lot of adjustments, but now I think we're really starting to understand our club and we're starting to play better.''

Last year's revival left the Astros one win short of the World Series.

Tony Jackson, [phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com