Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That Matt Holliday is looking like the best midseason acquisition in history. Well, it's probably a little early to make that statement, but his first week-plus as a member of the Cardinals has been remarkable.
Holliday hit two homers among his three hits on Saturday, leading the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Astros. Since Holliday was traded by the A's to the Cardinals on July 24, he's 20-for-33 (.606). Those are high school baseball numbers. Holliday, who actually started heating up in his final few weeks in Oakland, is up to Holliday-like numbers for the season: .314 with 14 homers, a .404 on-base percentage and .507 slugging percentage.
An impending free agent, Holliday is making himself a lot of money these days.
From The Trainers' Room...
Cubs right-hander Carlos Zambrano knocked Hanley Ramirez out of the game, then he had to leave. Zambrano hit Ramirez in the left knee with a pitch in the third inning, causing the Marlins' All-Star to come out of the game. Ramirez was walking normally after the game, so the injury is not considered serious. Later in the same inning, Zambrano had to leave with a stiff back. He said the sore back came from sleeping wrong, and he expected to make his next start.
By The Numbers...
Andrew McCutchen had a three-homer game for the Pirates in just his 51st big-league game, the shortest big-league tenure for any player to have a three-homer game since 2001, when Jose Ortiz of the Rockies hit three homers in his 36th game in the majors.
In Their Own Words...
"That's me being an idiot. It will happen every once in a while, but hopefully not for the rest of this year. I just kinda lost track, I started talking to Derek Jeter and didn't realize I was still playing a baseball game." -- White Sox rookie third baseman Gordon Beckham, who drifted off third base, thinking the inning was over, only to be tagged for the third out.
Advance Scouting...White Sox lefty Mark Buehrle takes the mound again, this time against the Yankees (2:05 PM ET). Buehrle set a major league record in his previous outing by retiring his 45th consecutive batter, including a perfect game on July 23. This time he'll face a franchise he's struggled against. Buehrle is 1-5 with a 6.11 ERA against the Yankees. New York will send CC Sabathia to the mound.
