What I wrote about Lowry in the previous mailbag serves as an unfortunate example of how rumors start. Never did I say that Lowry's on the trading block, although the e-mails I subsequently received from numerous fans indicated that they interpreted this to be the case. I simply expressed my opinion that the Giants might be willing to part with Lowry if they could obtain a legitimate bat in return. But since starting pitching is the Giants' leading strength, keeping the rotation intact makes sense, as John urged.

Why trade Lowry at all? Barry Zito is entrenched in San Francisco, considering all that the Giants have invested in him. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, both potential aces, are staying put. Morris is enjoying an excellent season, but has limited trade value. He's 32, he's slated to earn $9.5 million in the final season of his contract next year and is owed a $2 million bonus at the end of that deal -- not to mention a $1 million buyout if his 2009 option isn't picked up. That leaves Lowry, who's 26, left-handed, proven and relatively affordable ($1.115 million this season, $2.25 million next year, $4.5 million in 2009).

Allow me to reiterate that while this makes Lowry marketable, he's not going anywhere unless another team wants him in return for a big bat that the Giants decide they must have. Guys like Jacque Jones and Wily Mo Pena, to cite a couple of players who allegedly might be shopped, won't be enough to pry Lowry from the Giants.

Why did the Giants throw millions at Dave Roberts when they had virtually the same player, only younger, in their Minor League system in Fred Lewis?
-- Ryan M., Palo Alto, Calf.

As left-handed-batting outfielders with speed, Roberts and Lewis indeed fit the same profile. But they're not the same player, for the simple reason that Roberts has proven he can be a productive Major Leaguer. Roberts hit .275 and .293 in 2005 and '06, respectively, with San Diego; Lewis hit .273 and .276 in those same seasons at Double-A and Triple-A.

I'm oversimplifying things by citing only batting averages; I could mention Roberts' excellent stolen-base ratio in '06, Lewis' defensive struggles and the Giants' perennial win-now philosophy that leads them to pursue veterans instead of taking a risk with younger players. I will say that while Roberts mends his left elbow, Lewis has a fabulous opportunity to prove that he belongs with San Francisco.

So how does management feel about Jeremy Accardo now? Joe Nathan, anybody?
-- Dan N., Danville, Calif.

Management probably feels ill each time a box score gets printed with all those zeroes after Accardo's name. He finally allowed his first runs of the season on Saturday after opening the season with 19 scoreless appearances (as Dan pointed out in his e-mail). The Giants sensed that Accardo had this in him when they dealt him to Toronto last July for Shea Hillenbrand.

But, at that time, they had a shot to win the National League West, and they thought Hillenbrand would give the offense the nudge it needed. They also believed they had plenty of young right-handed relief depth with Kevin Correia, Brian Wilson, Merkin Valdez, Billy Sadler and Vinnie Chulk, who Toronto included in the deal. Obviously, the aftermath wasn't quite what the front office envisioned.

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I was just curious how the deplorable actions of Armando Benitez go seemingly unnoticed by management. I can't imagine that his teammates like him one bit with gems such as (last Friday's) "I did my job; I got three ground balls. It happens. We had opportunities to win the game; how many times we got somebody on base and nobody moved [up] a base? Somebody has to pay. Today, it's me."

Constantly blaming your team for your screwups is mind-boggling to me, and I am unsure how he is not being run out of town by management as well as the fans who have already shown their disapproval. Is there some great side we don't see to Armando that he is somewhat liked on the team? If he is not, I don't see how he could stay, with his poor performance and blaming everyone but himself. I just don't get it.
-- Matt F., Philadelphia

Rewind to Spring Training. The Giants were prepared to trade Benitez then, but the market for him dried up and Wilson couldn't pitch well enough to inspire any confidence that he could close games. Moreover, Benitez began performing adequately. Considering all these factors, along with the intangible element of this being the final year on Benitez's contract, which should stimulate him to excel, the Giants elected to keep him.

Some demand for him might arise before the July 31 trade deadline, but no obvious suitors exist right now. Whenever you're sick of a certain player, ask yourself, "What's the alternative?" Unless the Giants find a palatable alternative, Benitez will remain a Giant this season.

Did the Giants consider bringing Dusty Baker back? Because Bruce Bochy doesn't fit in.
-- Bobby W., Salinas, Calif.

I've received extremely few e-mails criticizing Bochy. I'm running this one not to expose Bobby, but to express my respectful disagreement with him. No, the Giants didn't think about rehiring Baker, largely because -- as one NL general manager told me -- by signing Bochy, they obtained the best man available for the job. I believe that Bochy is just starting to get the most out of the bullpen, which is inexperienced overall, by giving each reliever legitimate chances to succeed. He convinced Barry Bonds to try batting third; Bonds never griped, demonstrating his respect for Bochy. That in itself was impressive. Bochy doesn't fit? On the contrary, he fits superbly.

Hey, buddy, what is the deal? You gotta do a better job with the mail. I look forward to it every week, and you're sleeping on me?
-- Mike K., Los Angeles

Mailbag runs every other week, my man. Supervisors' sorders. I'll say this: Thanks to fans like you, I could write one almost every day.