Starting Five: Moyer the Same -- or Better -- In Relief Debut

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

You Oughta Know ...
Jamie Moyer can still win games.

Moyer bristled when the Phillies demoted him to the bullpen in favor of Pedro Martinez, and when a rain delay Tuesday forced Martinez from his start against the Diamondbacks, Moyer took over when play resumed in the fourth inning for his first outing since the decision.

He went the rest of the way, allowing two hits and striking out five in six scoreless innings and earning his first relief win since May 15, 1996, for the Red Sox. (That day he worked two innings in relief of Tom Gordon.)

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The victory kept Philadelphia's lead in the NL East at 4 1/2 games. Moyer was the first 46-year-old to get a win in relief since Jesse Orosco in 2003.

"I didn't know what to expect," Moyer said. "Just go out and pitch. Try to pitch the way I'm capable of pitching and rely on my defense. It was a little different coming into the game from the bullpen. I haven't done this in a long time."

... Martinez was jovial after the game. Moyer seemed dour. He still seems unhappy about the demotion to the bullpen, although he declined to talk about it.

"I'd rather just talk about the game," he said.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Braves infielder Martin Prado, who has hit .329 since June 2, had to leave Tuesday's game against the Mets after a half-inning with "sudden onset headaches." Prado was trying to play for the first time since leaving Saturday's game with dizziness. He was to return to Atlanta on Wednesday for further examination.

"We thought he was good to go," manager Bobby Cox said. "He had a good batting practice, he took groundballs. [Then] it reared up again. ... We're not going to disable him right now."

Numbers Game ...
The Marlins have reached double-figures in hits in 14 straight games, the longest such streak since the 1937 St. Louis Browns and the longest in the NL since the 1929 New York Giants. Since Aug. 4, Florida is 9-5 with a .331 team average and 6.7 runs per game.

In Their Own Words ...
"I don't know if there's a guy hitting the ball much harder right now per at-bat than Carlos Gonzalez. It goes without saying we have one very special player on our hands." -- Rockies manager Jim Tracy on his outfielder, who has hit .380 this month with 11 RBI and five homers, including one Tuesday against the Nationals.

Advance Scouting ...
Locked in a wild-card battle, the Rangers could use Kevin Millwood's first-ever win against the Twins (8:05 PM ET). Millwood is 0-6 with a 6.00 ERA in 10 career starts against Minnesota; he has especially struggled against Justin Morneau (6-for-16, two doubles, three homers, six walks); Michael Cuddyer (8-for-18, three doubles, one homer); and Jason Kubel (4-for-10, three doubles). The Twins, trying to stay within striking distance in the AL Central, are scheduled to start Scott Baker, who, over his past 12 starts, is 6-1 with a 3.58 ERA.