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 Mets not only snapped their five-game losing streak, but they did their part to save the world on Wednesday. After manager Jerry Manuel's team meeting in the wake of Tuesday's loss, the Mets all came to the ballpark on Wednesday on buses, instead of players arriving individually in cabs. Although the team-building experience may have actually done more to save on fuel than to actually bond, the result was a 1-0 victory.
Manuel wasn't going to take credit for his speech firing up the team, especially since pitcher Mike Pelfrey missed it. Pelfrey had left the ballpark early Tuesday night to get some rest.
"I told him, 'If he'd been at the meeting, he would have thrown a no-hitter,' " Manuel joked.
From The Trainer's Room ...
Arizona ace Brandon Webb is not having surgery, which keeps hope alive that Webb will be able to return sometime this season. Webb had consulted three specialists, in addition to the Diamondbacks' doctors, to get a diagnosis for his shoulder. Surgery would have ended his season.
"After meeting with several doctors, 'Webby' has decided to proceed with a conservative course of treatment," Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes said in an e-mail message. "We are optimistic that this will give him the best chance to return to pitching."Numbers Game ...
As Tweeted by FanHouse's Ed Price, the Marlins improved to 9-0 this season against the Nationals, winning the last six games in their last at-bat. After Wednesday's 5-3 victory, Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez had this explanation: "We've been lucky."
In Their Own Words ...
"He reached rock bottom. There was really nowhere to go but up and that probably freed his mind a little. Alex is a notorious over-thinker, but at some point you can't really analyze going 1 for 27. You can just go out and do something about it." -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi, on revitalized slugger Alex Rodriguez, whose two-run homer lifted the Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Mariners. Rodriguez, who a few weeks ago was going so badly he was benched for "fatigue," has 10 hits in his last 24 at-bats.
Advance Scouting ...
The Cubs and Brewers, two of the teams that figure to be battling all season in the NL Central, will meet at Wrigley Field for the first time in 2009 (8:05 PM ET). The teams have split six games in Milwaukee. Seth McClung, who is trying to fill a void in the Brewers' injury-riddled rotation, will make his second start of the season. Ryan Dempster takes the ball for the Cubs.
