Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That Jose Contreras and Manny Parra took a day between Triple-A assignments to share a mound in Milwaukee. Parra and the Brewers can only hope that he emerges from his demotion as well as Contreras did.
The White Sox veteran righty pitched eight scoreless innings to beat the Brewers on Saturday. In two starts since returning from his voluntary Triple-A assignment, Contreras has not allowed a run in 16 innings.
"I know what Jose went through during the last eight months, and going to the minor leagues was a great thought by him," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Before he left, he told [White Sox general manager Kenny Williams] and myself, 'I need to pitch, I need to go out on the mound, I need to get stronger. When I come back, I'll come back fine.' "He's stepping up to his word, and he's just throwing the ball good."
Parra, who was on the losing end of Saturday's game, was ticketed for his Triple-A demotion. Parra, who gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings, has a 7.52 ERA, including going 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in his last five starts.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin actually delivered the news to Parra that he was being sent down before Saturday's game was over.
"[Parra] was not surprised [by the demotion]," Melvin said. "He expected it. His confidence level is pretty low. He said he doesn't feel confident throwing strikes with any one of his pitches."From the Trainer's Room ...
A day after Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay had to come out of his start with a mild groin strain, Halladay remained on the active roster. Halladay is day-to-day. Because the Blue Jays have an off day on Monday, they can wait until next Saturday before they need Halladay to start again.
Numbers Game ...
It was a milestone sixth inning for the Astros. Miguel Tejada collected his 2,000th hit, and Lance Berkman followed him by hitting his 300th homer. Berkman became just the sixth switch-hitter ever to reach 300 homers.
In Their Own Words ...
"I couldn't look at anybody. I couldn't acknowledge the crowd. I apologize. You know the old saying, 'There's no crying in baseball,' so I just kept my head down." -- Diamondbacks reliever Scott Schoeneweis, who got a standing ovation after appearing in his first game since his wife Gabrielle was found dead in their home on May 20.
Advance Scouting ...
The Dodgers and Rangers, the top teams in the NL West and AL West, respectively, will play the rubber game of their series (3:05 PM ET). The Dodgers will send Chad Billingsley to the mound. Billingsley is tied for the NL lead with eight victories.
