Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what's ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That it's awfully hard for K-Rod to earn his money if J.J. Putz isn't doing his job ahead of Rodriguez. For the second straight day, Putz had a rocky outing. He surrendered two runs in a touch and go eighth inning Sunday against the Marlins (the Mets still won the game) and followed that Monday by allowing four runs and taking the loss against the Pirates.
Putz gave up four consecutive singles during Pittsburgh's rally, and attributed much of his performance to misfortune.
"A couple hoppers up the middle," Putz said. "They hit groundballs; they just hit them to the right spot.
"There's not much you can say about that. There's a little bit of bad luck involved."
Maybe so. But Putz's strikeout rate is way down, he's walked as many hitters as he's whiffed and his ERA has risen from 3.21 to 4.76 in less than 48 hours. It is a major concern.
Remember, last year the Mets bullpen was a problem even before Billy Wagner was sidelined for the season and strengthening it was GM Omar Minaya's primary focus over the winter. Putz's struggles throws the formula New York was hoping to ride back to the postseason into doubt.
"That's how we're designed, map it out the way we did tonight, to try to get to that point," manager Jerry Manuel said. "And when you get there and it happens like that, it's a little tough to overcome."From the Trainer's Room ...
Edinson Volquez's return from a stint on the disabled list lasted all of one inning. The Reds right-hander departed his start against the Cardinals after throwing 24 pitches with numbness in the pinky and ring fingers on his throwing hard. That's a far more ominous sign than the back spasms that put him on the shelf initially. Numbness in a pitcher's throwing hand could be a "prime symptom" of the type of damage that eventually requires Tommy John surgery to correct.
Numbers Game ...
The Yankees set a major league record Monday night by playing their 18th consecutive game without committing an error. New York broke a record set by the rival Red Sox in 2006. The improved defense is a big reason the Yankees are in first place. Surely, Mark Teixeira and the additional pitching depth in the rotation has helped, but the Bronx Bombers' improved glovework is making a difference. In addition to the mistake-free defense, they' re catching the ball more, ranking 13th in Baseball Prospectus' team defensive efficiency ratings. They ranked 25th last season.
In Their Own Words ...
"No, not in a 'W,' not in a win. You like to contribute. You like to put the time and work in. When you see success, it means a lot." -- White Sox designated hitter Jim Thome when asked if he ever tires of playing the role of hero. Thome belted his 550th career home run in a 6-2 win over the A's.
Advance Scouting ...
There's plenty to choose from, including the major league debuts of Oakland's Vin Mazzaro and Philadelphia's Antonio Bastardo, but the top choice is a meeting of two pitchers going in opposite directions. The Red Sox travel to Detroit (7:05 PM ET) to face 20-year-old phenom Rick Porcello, who has won five straight decisions. Opposing him will be Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is yet to escape the sixth inning in four starts this year. Boston hasn't won a game he has started in 2009.
