Starting Five: Friars on Fire

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That the Padres aren't playing like a team ready to have a fire sale. They're just on fire. San Diego won its ninth consecutive game Sunday, a 7-2 defeat of the Cubs in which pitcher Chris Young drove in two runs. The Padres lost 19 of 23 before their current winning streak, which has gotten it all the way back to .500 at 22-22.

San Diego's hot play has it in second place in the NL West, though because of the Dodgers' blistering start it is 7 1/2 games back of the division lead.

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For a team that is supposed to be gutted by July 31, the Friars seem to be enjoying themselves.

"Maybe the most fun experience I have had in San Diego in my four years here," Young said of the winning streak. "Especially given the external distractions ... losing Jody [Gerut] and getting Tony Gwynn and all the stuff with Jake [Peavy]."

From the Trainer's Room ...
Despite some optimism that he could play, it appears that Jose Reyes will once again be out of the Mets lineup again. The speedy shortstop has played only three times in New York's last 11 games with calf tendinitis. An injury suffered by backup shortstop Ramon Martinez Sunday will leave the Mets without a traditional shortstop Monday as they open a series against the Nationals.

Numbers Game ...
Joe Mauer has only played in 22 games this season. Not only is he hitting well above .400, but he's already got more home runs in 2009 (10) than he did all of last year (9). Mauer deposited a Dave Bush offering into the upper deck of the Metrodome Sunday night as Minnesota finished off a sweep of Milwaukee.

The newfound power stroke has some wondering if he's the best player in the game, but for his part, Mauer says he's changed very little about his approach at the plate.

I think, if anything, I'm just getting into good hitter's counts and understanding what pitchers are trying to do to me. And I'm not trying to hit home runs. When I try to hit home runs, that's when I have problems.

In Their Own Words ...
"I'm this close to crying, man. But I'm trying not to. I'm this close, but I need to keep my boys rolling. I figure if I'm down, a lot of people are looking at me and it can get contagious sometimes. I need to keep the same personality and maybe things will start clicking." -- Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz after going 0-for-5 Sunday, a performance that dropped his average on the season to .195. Boston won the game -- 12-5 over the Mets -- and took over first place in the AL East, but is now considering dropping Big Papi down in the lineup.

Advance Scouting ...
There's plenty of day baseball to help you celebrate the holiday (10 games start before 4:30 PM ET), but even if you spend all day outside barbecuing, you won't miss the highlight of the Memorial Day slate. David Price makes his first start of 2009 for the Rays against the Indians (6:05 PM ET). When we last saw Price in the majors, he was playing the role of playoff hero during Tampa Bay's run to the World Series last year.