Then Eugenio Velez was the golden child, enjoying a solid spring training, especially on the bases -- he swiped a majors-leading 16 bags. But the regular season exposed Velez, who not only struggled at the plate and in the field but also on the bases.

With Velez optioned to Class AAA Fresno and shortstop Omar Vizquel coming off the disabled list, the next candidate to emerge was Emmanuel Burriss, a shortstop by trade but a possible second baseman of the future.

But guess what? Ray Durham's outlasting everyone.

Durham, who was supposed to be pushed aside by now, is hitting .289 after his 2-for-5 effort Wednesday. He homered and added a three-run double in an 11-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

He hit just .257 through April, but his May average is .345. If he keeps hitting and puts up numbers as if it's 2006, it'll be tough for manager Bruce Bochy to go young at the position, whether it's with Burriss or Travis Denker or someone else currently in the minors.

The Durham era, which began in 2003 -- he was signed to replace Jeff Kent -- is expected to end after this season when his contract expires.

GIANTS 11, DIAMONDBACKS 3: The Giants led 10-0 after scoring four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings and wound up with their season-high in runs. They had 14 hits, and only Randy Winn among the players in the starting lineup went hitless. However, Winn scored twice. Fred Lewis was among the busiest Giants, reaching base four times and scoring three times.