Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
Micah Owings has no intentions of pulling a Babe Ruth.
So far this year, Owings is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA as a pitcher and batting .400 as a hitter – including the game-winning double Sunday for the Reds. His pinch hit broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning, and Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News isn't alone in wondering if maybe a Cincinnati team batting .210 overall could use his bat more than a few times a week.
Anyway, after Owings' game-winning double Sunday, I approached him said, "Have you ever thought about ...?"From the Trainer's Room ...
That's as far as I got. He knew where I was going with the question and he smiled and said, "Don't even go there, Hal. I'm a pitcher. I know what you're thinking. I'm working on getting ready to pitch Tuesday (in Chicago)."
It's hard to hit when you can't see, and Braves cleanup hitter Brian McCann can't see out of his left eye.
McCann, mired in a 1-for-20 slump, has been plagued by blurry vision and dryness in one eye since opening day. He hopes to get some answers after he's examined by a specialist today in Washington, D.C., where the Braves open a three-game series against the Nationals.McCann last year led Atlanta in doubles, homers, RBI and total bases.
"It's going to be a day-to-day thing," said McCann, who began using a once-daily prescribed antibiotic ointment, along with eye drops six times per day. "It could clear up tomorrow, but it might not. I just don't know yet."
Numbers Game ...
In 1987, there were 26 saves in which the pitcher went exactly 2 2/3 innings. But Todd Coffey's 2 2/3-inning save Sunday for Milwaukee was just the third since the end of the 2004 season.
In Their Own Words ...
"We're still human, no matter what,. You try to be professional, but it's hidden inside. We're still kind of down in the clubhouse. No music is playing. Guys are kind of quiet and moseying around. You try to bring some life to the clubhouse, but it is what it is." – Outfielder Torii Hunter on the Angels, who are 3-6 since the death of Nick Adenhart
Advance Scouting ...
The annual Patriot's Day early game in Boston (11 AM, ET) is notable as the first start for Justin Masterson, who is taking Daisuke Matsuzka's spot in the Red Sox rotation. It will be Masterson's first start since July 5. The Orioles counter with Mark Hendrickson, who is 0-4 with an 8.42 ERA for his career at Fenway Park. Boston has won 26 of its past 32 home games against Baltimore and last swept a four-game home series between the two in August 1995.
