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 was a good day to state your Cy Young case.
There was Adam Wainwright picking up his major league best 16th win of the season over the Nationals. And Justin Verlander throwing 125 pitches over eight innings for his 15th victory. And Zack Greinke one-hitting the Mariners for his 13th win, third shutout and sixth complete game.
All three will certainly be in the hunt for the Cy over the final month of the season, but Wainwright's stunning run is worth looking at in more depth.
Wainwright hasn't pitched fewer than six innings in a start since April, and hasn't allowed more than two runs in a start since June 21. He's 8-3 with a 1.33 ERA since then.
"Adam by far is the best pitcher I've faced this year," Nationals leadoff hitter Willie Harris said. "That's why he's where he is right now."From the Trainer's Room ...
Diamondbacks closer Chad Qualls dislocated his left kneecap on the final play of Arizona's 4-3 win over the Astros Sunday, when he dodged and deflected a comeback liner by Jason Michaels to shortstop Stephen Drew, who assisted on the last out of the game. Qualls had to be helped off the field and will have an MRI in the near future.
"You could see the dislocation," said Arizona manager A.J. Hinch. "The trainer popped the kneecap back in place, but now we'll just have to wait and see how much damage there was."Numbers Game ...
John Lackey became the fifth pitcher in Angels history to win 100 games for the franchise in Los Angeles' 9-1 win over the lowly A's. Lackey joins Chuck Finley, Frank Tanana, Mike Witt and Nolan Ryan in the team's century club. The right-hander, who is due to be a free agent at season's end, would need 65 wins to tie Finley for the all-time team lead.
In Their Own Words ...
"I'm throwing to a 13-and-under team and the Red Sox called and I say, 'I don't know how long I'll take to get ready.' ... I'm just so excited to be back. I want a World Series ring. Hopefully I can help this team get there. I'll clean toilets if I have to, and I told them that." -- Paul Byrd, who returned to Boston weeks after signing a minor-league deal with the team, and threw six shutout innings in the Red Sox' 7-0 win over the Blue Jays.
Advance Scouting ...
The White Sox and Twins open a critical series with the AL Central-leading Tigers beginning to pull away in the division. Gavin Floyd will take the mound for Chicago (8:10 PM ET) against Minnesota's Nick Blackburn. Though both clubs are staring up at Detroit, they appear to be headed in opposite directions. The Twins have won seven of their last 10, while the reeling Sox have dropped eight of their last 10 games.
