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 Marlins and Tigers are on fire.
Exactly two weeks ago, Florida was eight games behind Philadelphia. Since then the Marlins have gone 9-3, all in interleague play, to close within a game of first place. The hot streak includes four one-run wins and Thursday's 11-3 victory that sealed a sweep of the Orioles and ran Florida's win streak to five.
During this 12-game stretch, Hanley Ramirez has batted .400 with three home runs (one of them a grand slam Thursday) and 19 RBI while Cody Ross has hit .400 with five homers and 12 RBI.
"I have [Jorge] Cantu behind me so I know they have to pound the zone," Ramirez said. "I think our starting pitching has been going deep in games. That's the key to take us to a different level."Meanwhile, Detroit has won seven straight to go five up in the AL Central, the second-biggest advantage of any division leader. The Tigers finished off a sweep of the Cubs on Thursday, as freshly shorn Magglio Ordoñez (above) homered for the first time since April 27.
"We're playing pretty good, but it's June 25th so I'm not getting excited about that," [manager Jim] Leyland said.From the Trainer's Room ...
Already seeking an upgrade for their rotation, the Phillies lost Antonio Bastardo on Thursday with a strained left shoulder. Bastardo has gone 2-3 with a 6.75 ERA in five starts since being called up to replace the injured Brett Myers.
If Bastardo can't make his next scheduled start Wednesday in Atlanta, the Phillies could pitch without a fifth starter until July 4 against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park.Numbers Game ...
If Bastardo can't pitch and Philadelphia wants to keep five starters through the All-Star break, it has options. It is worth mentioning that right-hander Kyle Kendrick (4-4, 3.97 ERA) pitched Thursday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, which means he could pitch for the Phils on normal rest. He allowed five hits and four runs in six innings against Indianapolis. It's also worth noting that right-hander Kyle Drabek (4-0, 2.43 ERA) pitched Thursday for Double-A Reading, giving up six hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings against New Hampshire.
With a first-inning single, Teaxs' Omar Vizquel reached 2,678 career hits, setting a record for a Venezuelan-born player. Luis Aparicio had held the record; the rest of the top five includes Andres Galarraga, Dave Concepcion and Bobby Abreu.
In Their Own Words ...
"The beautiful thing about baseball is there's always a new day, always a game. It kind of parallels life. It was nice feeling good without thinking about the problems I've been having. I felt like yesterday was a good step and today was even a better step." -- Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI against his hometown Blue Jays in his third game after missing time to cope with the passing of his father
Advance Scouting ...
When the Rays and Marlins met in the first all-Sunshine State series of the year, Florida was 19-23 and Tampa Bay was 21-22. Now both teams have winning records – just the third time they have begun a series while both over .500 (also both times last year). The teams' aces face off tonight (7:38 PM ET) in St. Petersburg: Florida's Josh Johnson is 4-0 with a 2.82 ERA and .202 average allowed over his past six starts while Tampa Bay's James Shields is 3-1 with a 2.86 ERA in his past five outings.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-26-2009 @ 9:44AM
dragon52493 said...
The stats you have for the marlins isn't extremely accurate! Hanley Ramirez has had three home runs during the 12 game stretch, but 2 of them were grand slams! Both against the Orioles. And our Josh Johnson has a 2.66 ERA and is 7-1, not 4-0 and a 2.82 ERA. Where'd you get those stats from, the beginning of the season?
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