Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That it's quite a luxury to have a dependable setup reliever with closing experience such as J.J. Putz or Carlos Marmol. Just ask the Royals or the Tigers or the Astros or the Red Sox.
Kansas City's Kyle Farnsworth, right, Detroit's Brandon Lyon and Houston's LaTroy Hawkins -- all signed to contracts in the offseason -- each allowed a tying or go-ahead homer in the eighth inning of his game. Boston's Hideki Okajima gave up a pair or runs to turn a 5-1 game into a tight one.
From the Trainer's Room ...
Cubs starting catcher Geovany Soto, the 2008 NL Rookie of the Year, left Tuesday night's game in Houston after six innings with a sore right shoulder and is expected to miss at least one game. He said:
"As long as I stay in good shape and do my exercises, it won't happen again all year."The Cubs opened this season with no players on the disabled list, the first time they had done that since 1986.
Asked who was the backup to back up Koyie Hill, [manager Lou Piniella] jokingly replied: "Me."
Numbers Game ...
Since 1996, there have been 90 times a team has started the season 2-0. None of those teams have been the Cubs. None. Every franchise except the Cubs has had at least one 2-0 start in the past 14 seasons.
In Their Own Words ...
"I was going to go out there and Babe Ruth it. Yesterday, I was the bullpen coach [in place of the ill Rick Stelmaszek]. Today I was going to be the right fielder. This is a heck of an organization." -- Twins pitcher R.A. Dickey, who was set to be an emergency outfielder if Tuesday night's win over Seattle had gone extra innings
Advance Scouting ...
The Braves try to put the Phillies three games out in the NL East, sending Javier Vazquez against Joe Blanton (3:05 PM ET). Philadelphia was never more than 3 1/2 games back of first place all last season. Since the start of the 2003 season, Atlanta has swept just one series (three or more games) at Philly, in April 2007.
