Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That the Cardinals' Big Two has quietly become a Big Three. By now most around baseball have noticed that Adam Wainwright is having an outstanding season behind ace Chris Carpenter, but lately Joel Pineiro has been on a roll, too.
After beating the Astros, 3-2, on Wednesday, Pineiro is 7-0 with a 2.65 ERA in his last 10 starts. The Cardinals have won all 10 games. Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that the Cardinals are 28-3 in games started by Carpenter, Wainwright and Pineiro since July 1.
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 20 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2005 season.
From The Trainers' Room...
Rays outfielder Carl Crawford, who has been out since Monday because of a sore lower back, is improving. Manager Joe Maddon said he expects Crawford to return to the lineup when the Rays play the Tigers on Friday.
By The Numbers...
Marlins right Josh Johnson improved to 19-2 against NL East teams. Johnson, who beat the Mets on Wednesday, improved to 7-0 against New York. Johnson also improved to 32-14 in his career. His .696 winning percentage ranks third among active pitchers with at least 40 decisions (Behind Tim Lincecum's .725 and Jon Lester's .712).
In Their Own Words...
"I don't believe in stats at a time like that. It's just you against him." -- Giants catcher Bengie Molina, who said he was unaware of the fact that he was 3-for-5 in his career against Diamondbacks closer Chad Qualls before hitting a pinch-hit three-run homer against him in the eighth inning. Molina, who came off the bench because he's out with a sore quad, helped the Giants to a 4-3 victory, their second comeback win in a row after Monday's gut-wrenching loss to the Rockies.
Advance Scouting...The Dodgers and Rockies will play the rubber game of their series in Denver (3:10 PM ET), with Vicente Padilla getting his first start for Los Angeles. Padilla, who was released by the Rangers earlier this season, is 8-6 with a 4.92 ERA. Padilla hasn't pitched in Colorado since 2006. The only member of the Rockies with any significant numbers against him is Todd Helton, who is 4-for-9 with 3 doubles. Helton will probably get one in the ribs.
