Starting Five: Gorzelanny's Cubs Debut Another Slap to the Bucs

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That every day Pirates fans seem to suffer another indignity. If it's not seeing their whole team get traded, it's seeing Yusmeiro Petit nearly pitch a no-hitter against the guys who are left, or seeing cast-off Tom Gorzelanny pitch his best game in two years.

Gorzelanny, a once promising lefty, had fallen so far out of favor in Pittsburgh that he spent most of the season in the minors. He hadn't started for the Pirates since last year. The Cubs got him last week, and on Tuesday night he made his debut for his new team. Gorzelanny gave up three hits and one run in 7 1/3 innings.

Of course, it was only against the Reds. Cincinnati, losers of 14 of its past 15, is perhaps the only team going worse than the Pirates these days.

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From the Trainer's Room ...
Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, who has been out since May 26 with a right leg injury, had a setback and returned to New York. Although Mets officials would not comment on Reyes' status until he's re-evaluated, it seems the chances are getting dimmer of him returning to the field at all this season.

Numbers Game ...
Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols hit his fifth grand slam of the year, pulling within one of the major league record, held by Travis Hafner and Don Mattingly. Pujols hit two homers in the game against the Mets, including the 10th-inning slam, to emphatically snap out of his slump. He had hit .207 with no homers in his previous 15 games.

In Their Own Words ...
"He is the real thing. This is one that everybody should take a great deal of pride in for a long time. The night belongs to Matusz in some respects, but it belongs to everybody with the Orioles because certainly a lot of people helped to make this happen tonight." -- Orioles manager Dave Trembley, after touted prospect Brian Matusz won in his big-league debut, just over a year after he was drafted. The left-hander allowed one run in five innings. The Orioles became the first team in modern major league history to have five pitchers win in their debut in the same season.

Advance Scouting ...
Giants right-hander Joe Martinez will make his return to the big leagues, starting against the Astros in Houston (2:05 PM ET). Martinez began his big-league career by making the Opening Day roster, but his second game, on April 9, ended with a frightening incident. He was hit in the head by a Mike Cameron line drive, causing a concussion. He has not pitched in the majors since.