Starting Five: New Dodger Garland Garners Win Over Former Team

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

You Oughta Know ...
Jon Garland couldn't beat them. So he joined them. And then he beat the old them.

Traded from the fourth-place Diamondbacks to the first-place Dodgers earlier in the week, Garland on Friday faced Arizona in his first start for Los Angeles.

"It was fun. I grew up coming to games here, and getting a chance to pitch for this team is definitely a dream come true," Garland said. "It's kind of awkward the way it happened -- but nevertheless, it did -- and I was able to throw a good one up. I didn't leave too many tickets. I cut the phone off and told people if they want to come, they can pay for it and support the team."

---

---

Garland allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings, retiring the final 14 batters he faced, as the Dodgers won 4-2.

"I think it was more uncomfortable because I was in that other dugout the first game and then came over," Garland said. "I mean, if it would have been like a week or two weeks down the road, it would have been a little bit different. But the fact that it was in the same series, there was a little extra the first few innings."

... "Being able to go out there and give this team a good quality start, coming out of the game with the lead and ending up winning it, I couldn't have asked for much more," Garland said. "Once I finally calmed down and got my feet underneath me, the ball started moving a little bit more and I was getting more ground balls and we got off a nice little run."

The Dodgers expanded their lead in the NL West to 5 1/2 games; their magic numbers are 22 to eliminate the Giants and 23 to eliminate the Rockies.

Garland became the 12th different starter used this year by the Dodgers, one shy of the L.A. team record set in 1964. And the Dodgers have gotten a win from 21 different pitchers, most in the majors since the 2007 Rockies and Yankees had 22.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Not only did the Rays fall six games out in the wild-card race with 29 to play by losing 6-3 to the Red Sox, but center fielder B.J, Upton left the game with a sprained left ankle. Upton collided with left fielder Carl Crawford in the fifth inning and will miss at least two more games.

Numbers Game ...
Mets lefty Pat Misch, in the rotation because of injuries to Oliver Perez and Johan Santana, got his first big-league win in his 55th career appearance (13th start). Misch, who held the Rockies to two runs in seven innings, was the first southpaw to go winless in his first 12 starts since Mike Mohler of the 1993-97 A's.

In Their Own Words ...
"In our immediate-gratification society, everybody wants to point fingers. But from what I've seen from everything that goes on in this organization, Trey Hillman's leadership is one of the strengths of our organization. People can debate that, and I know they will, but it's one of the strengths of our organization because the guy is a winner and he works and he cares." -- Royals GM Dayton Moore, four-year extension in hand, saying that manager Trey Hillman will be back in 2010 as well.

Advance Scouting ...
Adam Wainwright can add to his case for the Cy Young Award -- he's right there, along with teammate Chris Carpenter and San Francisco's Tim Lincecum -- as St. Louis visits Pittsburgh (7:05 PM ET). Wainwright (16-7, 2.47 ERA) is tied for the major league lead in wins and is third in the NL in ERA. His streak of 12 starts going at least six innings while allowing no more than two runs is the longest since Greg Maddux had 13 such games in a row in 1995.