Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That it's Aug. 17 and the Rangers -- the Texas Rangers -- are in the wild-card lead.
They took it over by beating the Red Sox 4-3 Sunday afternoon.
"I'm not worried about leading anything," third baseman Michael Young said. "The big thing is, the fans are coming out; they are really enthusiastic and really into it. The team has a ton of confidence. We know we are a good team. We can bounce back from a tough loss and go right back out there. This team is really playing with confidence."
Texas finished its season series against Boston, its direct competition for the wild card, 7-2 and is in playoff position the latest in a season since 1999, the last time it made the playoffs
From the Trainer's Room ...
Marlins first baseman Nick Johnson is day-to-day after straining his right hamstring during the first inning of the first game of Florida's doubleheader against the Rockies. The Marlins are 9-6 and have averaged 6.6 runs per game since they acquired Johnson on the July 31 deadline. They averaged 4.5 runs per game before that, a partial testament to what the patient Johnson has brought to the Florida lineup.
"He's a big part of this team," [Marlins outfielder Chris] Coghlan said. "We need him."Numbers Game ...
As if we needed more confirmation of Derek Jeter's greatness. The future Hall of Fame shortstop set the all-time hits record at his position Sunday, passing Luis Aparicio for the No. 1 spot with his 2,674th hit, an RBI double in third inning of the Yankees' 5-3 loss to the Mariners.
In Their Own Words ...
"The best part about watching what he did today, he just kept them off the fat of the bat. Took a little off. Put a little on. Threw a lot of strikes. Probably got a little tired from being on the bases." -- Dodgers manager Joe Torre on Randy Wolf's one-man show against the Diamondbacks. The left-hander struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings on the mound and fell a triple short of the cycle in the batter's box in Los Angeles' 9-3 win. The victory snapped a three-game losing skid for the Dodgers.
Advance Scouting ...
The Cardinals and Dodgers will give the dog days of summer an autumn feel (10:10 PM ET) when they open a series Monday night in Los Angeles. Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger will make his first start in the majors this season for L.A. against NL Central-leading St. Louis. The NL West leaders were forced to push Chad Billingsley back to Tuesday as he continues to recover from a sore left hamstring.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-17-2009 @ 12:54PM
papam11 said...
As long as Francona cares more about a player's "feelings" than fielding the best players, the Sox are done. I'm so sick and tired of hearing that Varitek is so "important" to the pitching staff. Beckett is the only one who's really winning and I'll bet the rest of the players don't think "Tek" is an "important" part of their offense when he continually waves at pitches and leaves mega runners on base. If you listen to Varitek's "friends" in the Boston sports media, Sox pitching can't do without him. Wonder if they feel the same about his importance when they lose with him behind the plate. What a farce. It never mattered to me who caught me. The pitcher throws the ball, not the catcher. Time for Tito to get his head out of his ass and play the best--which doesn't include Tek, Ortiz or Nancy Drew. When Youk gets back, play him at third, Kotchman at first, Martinez behind the plate and Lowell at DH. Don't want to listen, then see ya next year.
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