Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That Colorado has cycled back to the top of the NL wild-card standings.
Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle Tuesday as the Rockies bashed the Cubs, 11-5. By taking three of four in the series, Colorado moved a game ahead of San Francisco.
According to STATS LLC, Tulowitzki joined John Valentin as the only players ever to hit for the cycle and turn an unassisted triple play.
Tulowitzki ended up 5-for-5 with a career-best seven RBI, and he nearly had a two-homer cycle but replay upheld a foul ball ruling.
He homered in the first inning, had a potential grand slam in the second ruled foul upon review before settling for a two-run single and then doubled in the fourth.
So he came up in the plate needing a triple. And he got it.
"We were sitting on the bench together and [teammate Brad Hawpe] was telling me, 'If you get anywhere close to getting a triple you better go,' " Tulowitzki said. "I honestly think if it weren't for him I would have stopped at second."Tulowitzki also singled in the eighth inning.
... "I don't know if I'll ever have a game like this ever in my career," he said. "Not too many people can say they had a cycle in the big leagues."
It was the sixth cycle in the majors this year, the fifth cycle in Colorado's 17 seasons and the eighth all-time at extra-base friendly Coors Field.
From the Trainer's Room ...
In his first game action since March 27 open-heart surgery, Aaron Boone played five innings at third base for Double-A Corpus Christi (Texas). Boone, who is working toward a September return with Houston, went 0-for-2 with a foul out and a popup and handled two chances in the field.
Numbers Game ...
The Angels' Kendry Morales had his third two-homer game in two weeks as Los Angeles outlasted Tampa Bay, 8-7. Morales has 10 homers since the All-Star break, most in the AL, and 25 on the season. The Angels record for homers by a switch-hitter is 28, by Chili Davis in 1996. Vladimir Guerrero also homered twice Monday, giving him 400 for his career; his .322 career average is the highest for a 400-homer player since Stan Musial.
In Their Own Words ...
"I was sitting in the tunnel the whole time, trying to get away from that heat. It was like fighting fireballs. I was throwing water on my face, ammonia towels, trying to cool down a little bit.'' -- Oakland's Gio Gonzalez, who pitched six scoreless innings for a win at Baltimore, where it was 93 degrees at game time
Advance Scouting ...
The Marlins, just three games out in the NL wild-card race, will try tonight for their fifth straight win, at home against the Astros (7:10 PM ET). A victory would give Florida its first 14-6 stretch since May 2008. For Houston, the game marks the return of ace Roy Oswalt, who has not pitched since July 28 because of a sore back. Over his past seven starts, Oswalt is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA and .180 average allowed.
