Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That you can add the Marlins to the list of fringe contenders fading away with three weeks to go in the season.
Florida wasted an opportunity to gain on wild-card leading Colorado, which lost in San Francisco, in an 11-6 loss to the Cardinals. The Marlins fell behind 4-0 in the first, but managed to take a 6-4 lead by the fourth inning, only to squander that lead in large part due to Ricky Nolasco's five-inning, seven-run outing.
Poor starting pitching has been a big reason why Florida hasn't been able to make a run.
From the Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi:
The Marlins haven't had a starter pitch at least seven innings since Aug. 18, when Nolasco threw a complete game.Florida is 5 1/2 games behind the Rockies with 18 left to play.
"For us to get back into this thing and go forward and get into the playoffs, we need to improve it right now, as soon as possible," [Marlins manager Fredi] Gonzalez said.
From the Trainer's Room ...
A severe fever forced the Astros to quarantine closer Jose Valverde in the team's clubhouse Sunday and also kept him from joining the club on the first day of its road trip in Cincinnati. Valverde had a temperature of 101 degrees over the weekend.
"They're treating him, and he has some type of virus," [Houston GM Ed] Wade said. "Hopefully it will run its course and he will be able to get here [Tuesday]."Numbers Game ...
Believe it or not, Oakland's Brett Tomko is a 100-game winner. The journeyman, who has played for nine different teams, reached the milestone by throwing a five-hit shutout against the Rangers, dealing another blow to Texas' rapidly shrinking playoff hopes.
"We want to put ourselves in as good a position as possible and we haven't done that the last two days," [Rangers losing pitcher Scott] Feldman said. "Regardless, we're still in this thing. We just need to show the character we've shown all year and move on."Texas is now 4 1/2 games back of Boston in the AL wild-card race. The shutout was just the second of Tomko's career and his first since 2004.
In Their Own Words ...
"Sleep is more tranquil, food tastes better and I like my dog a whole lot more." -- Rays manager Joe Maddon after his team avoided becoming the first team to lose 12 straight games the year after appearing in the World Series by beating the Orioles 8-4.
Advance Scouting ...
In a potential ALDS preview, the Angels head to Fenway Park for a meeting with the Red Sox (7:10 PM ET). Los Angeles' starter, John Lackey, has thrown back-to-back complete games and appears to be rounding into form, but his struggles in Boston -- he has a 6.34 career ERA there -- are well known. Lackey will take a backseat in the intrigue department to Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, though. The enigmatic Matsuzaka has an 8.23 ERA this season and hasn't appeared in a Boston uniform since June, but with a strong finish to the year, it could still be possible for him to work his way into the Red Sox playoff rotation.
