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 NL West is up for grabs.
With their seventh straight win, the Rockies closed within two games of the idle Dodgers for the division lead on Thursday.
Colorado downed Cincinnati 5-1 with a five-run third inning and six scoreless innings from its bullpen after starter Jose Contreras suffered a strained quadriceps running to first base.
By sweeping four games from the Reds, the Rockies wrapped up a 9-1 homestand -- one of their best in franchise history. Next, Colorado embarks on a nine-game road trip that includes three in San Francisco.Colorado has picked up four games in 11 days to make things interesting in the NL West.
"We are playing great baseball," Jason Giambi said. "I'm excited that we are doing the little things, moving runners, getting big hits when we need it and getting great pitching. That's what you want to do down the stretch."
If the Rockies can pass the Dodgers (they finish the season against each other, Oct. 2-4), then it seems likely Colorado would open the playoffs against Philadelphia and Los Angeles would lose home-field advantage and have to go to St. Louis.
From the Trainer's Room ...
Colorado ace Ubaldo Jimenez will not start again until Tuesday. Jimenez -- 13-10 with a 3.32 ERA and 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA since June 2 -- suffered a strained left hamstring last Monday while running the bases.
[Manager Jim] Tracy said he simply did not want to risk losing Jimenez for the season on a "quick-twitch" play such as a fielding play.Esmil Rogers will make his big-league debut Saturday against San Diego in Jimenez's place. Rogers, a 24-year-old right-hander, was 11-7 with a 4.41 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A.
"Could he pitch on Saturday? Yeah, he could," Tracy said. "Would we be taking a little bit of a chance? Yes, I think so."
Numbers Game ...
Roy Oswalt still has yet to get a win against the Braves in the regular season (seven starts). Atlanta hammered the Houston ace for six runs on 10 hits in two innings, dropping Oswalt to 8-6 with a 4.03 ERA. Before this season, Oswalt had never had an ERA worse than 3.54 or a record worse than five games over .500.
In Their Own Words ... "It's a game we needed to win, and we didn't do it. That's why we're a .500 team.'' -- Minnesota's Justin Morneau after a 3-2 loss at Toronto.
Advance Scouting ...
The Giants, trying to climb back into the wild-card race, open a three-game series against the Dodgers in San Francisco (10:15 PM ET). Matt Cain is scheduled to start for the Giants, who are 5-7 against Los Angeles this year. The Dodgers plan to go with Hiroki Kuroda, in his second outing after a line drive off his head put him on the disabled list.
