Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what's ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That even if Brandon Webb was healthy, he wouldn't be the Diamondbacks' ace. Dan Haren continued his blistering start to '09 with a three-hit gem Monday night. Haren went the distance and had 10 strikeouts and no walks in the outing, and his ERA now sits at 1.54.
What changed? Haren finally got some run support. Arizona had averaged 0.77 runs in his first four starts of the season -- not a huge surprise given that it ranks last in the NL in runs -- but a shame considering how well he has pitched. The Diamondbacks scored seven runs for Haren Monday night, two of which he drove in himself, as he moved to 2-3 on the year.
Haren has pitched at least six innings and hasn't allowed more than two runs in every start this season. If he keeps performing like that, he'll run away with the Cy Young Award.
From the Trainer's Room ...
Phillies closer Brad Lidge is day-to-day with inflammation in his right knee. The Phillies do not expect to have to put Lidge on the disabled list, but they are monitoring the situation closely.
"Based on the MRI, I'm not overly concerned," Lidge said. "It didn't show any tears. I'm concerned on a small level because it's not feeling great."Lidge's balky knee was operated on twice last year. Setup man Ryan Madson picked up the save Monday night in Lidge's stead.
Numbers Game ...
Rockies rookie Dexter Fowler stole five bases -- in the first five innings, no less -- of Colorado's 12-7 victory over the Padres Monday night. Fowler is just the 17th player since 1954 to swipe five or more bags in a game, according to baseball-reference.com. Interestingly enough, he doesn't hold the franchise record for steals in a game, nor is he the only Rockie to accomplish that feat in the last calendar year. Eric Young stole six bases on June 30, 1986, and Willy Taveras had a five-steal game on June 14 of last year.
In Their Own Words ...
"There's going to be a bounty out on me." -- Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay after hitting the decisive three-run homer off of Indians closer Kerry Wood in Boston's 3-1 win, its 11th straight. Bay hit a two-out, two-run home run in the ninth off of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera Friday night to push that game to extra innings and keep the Sox's winning streak alive.
Advance Scouting ...
How about two for the price of one? The White Sox and Mariners will play an old fashioned doubleheader Tuesday after their Monday night game was postponed because of rain. Seattle's Chris Jakubauskus will face Chicago's Bartolo Colon in the opener (5:05 PM ET), but the real doozy comes 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game when John Danks puts his 0.95 ERA on the line against Felix Hernandez.
