FanHouse Mlb Milestones

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

You Oughta Know ...
That in a little over 24 hours the Rangers went from in the hunt for the AL wild card to hanging on by a thread. Texas split a doubleheader with the Mariners Sunday and dropped two of three to Seattle over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox -- the team the Rangers are chasing -- swept the reeling Rays, who have now lost 11 straight, including taking both games of a day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park.

Boston doubled its lead in the race -- from two games to four -- with 20 games remaining for each team.

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Soon after Derek Jeter singled into right field to break his tie with Lou Gehrig as the most prolific Yankee hitter of all time, team owner George Steinbrenner released the following written statement praising his pinstriped captain:

"For those who say today's game can't produce legendary players, I have two words: Derek Jeter. Game in and game out he just produces. As historic and significant as becoming the Yankees' all time hit leader is, the accomplishment is all the more impressive because Derek is one of the finest young men playing the game today.

That combination of character and athletic ability is something he shares with the previous record holder Lou Gehrig. It adds to the pride that the Yankees and our fans feel today. Every Yankees' era has its giants. It's thrilling to watch Derek as he becomes one of the greats of his generation, if not of all time."

Baseball has two types of milestones. In 2004, Randy Johnson recorded his 4,000th strikeout. Less than three months later, Johnson got strikeout No. 4,137 to pass Steve Carlton for most ever by a left-hander.

Which got more recognition? No. 4,000 -- because we like our round numbers.

But I always thought the latter was more impressive because to pass someone seems, to me, more significant.

That said, what do we make of Derek Jeter's breaking Lou Gehrig's record for career hits in a Yankees uniform?

NEW YORK (AP) -- Derek Jeter peeked down at third base and saw a huge patch of green grass. There it is, he thought, a perfect opportunity to break out of that slump. So, he took advantage of it. Jeter began the night with a surprising bunt single - and didn't stop hitting until he tied Lou Gehrig.

With three hits on Wednesday, Jeter matched the New York Yankees record of 2,721, a mark Gehrig held by himself for more than 70 years.

"It's just kind of mind-boggling to have my name next to his," Jeter said on the field during a postgame television interview pumped over the Yankee Stadium public address system.

With a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Monday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates clinched their 17th consecutive losing season, a new record for any North American sports franchise. The Pirates haven't had a winning season since 1992, the year that Barry Bonds, Doug Drabek, Andy Van Slyke, and Jim Leyland took the Pirates to 96 wins and a National League East championship.

Since '92, the Pirates have managed no more than 79 wins, reaching that mark just once in 1997. They've currently lost nine of their last 10 and have only 18 wins since July 1. In fact, this record has been a foregone conclusion for most of the season, long before the Pirates traded Nate McLouth, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, and John Grabow in a full-on rebuilding effort.

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

You Oughta Know ...
The White Sox, Rays and Marlins aren't irrelevant yet.

All three teams faced near must-win games Wednesday, and all came through -- late.

Chicago, which would have fallen eight games out in the AL Central and 4 1/2 behind second-place Minnesota, rallied against Twins closer Joe Nathan with four runs in the ninth for a 4-2 victory.

"Hopefully we start playing better and have a little more fun, at least have a little more fun," [Sox manager Ozzie] Guillen said. "You think we're out [of post-season contention]. People think we're out, just go out there and enjoy it. Hopefully things turn around."

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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 Phillies' weakest link is Brad Lidge.

Repeating as World Series champs is going to be near impossible without an effective closer. And Lidge, perfect last year in converting save opportunities, is a mess.

Asked to hold a one-run lead last night against the Pirates, Lidge gave up a single, a wild pitch, a single and Andrew McCutchen's walk-off homer.

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URL-eponymous Dugout star Jim Thome reached another in a series of milestones last night, when he launched a Jeremy Guthrie pitch 412 feet to dead center. That home run was number 564, moving him ahead of Reggie Jackson on the all-time list. Thome, a week shy of his 39th birthday, passed Mike Schmidt earlier this season and continues hitting balls as high and as far as they will go in the patented AL Central "losing effort."

To us, nothing Jim Thome does is a losing effort. We love you, Jimbo, congratulations! Today's Dugout is after the jump.

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

You Oughta Know ...
That Colorado has cycled back to the top of the NL wild-card standings.

Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle Tuesday as the Rockies bashed the Cubs, 11-5. By taking three of four in the series, Colorado moved a game ahead of San Francisco.

According to STATS LLC, Tulowitzki joined John Valentin as the only players ever to hit for the cycle and turn an unassisted triple play.

Tulowitzki ended up 5-for-5 with a career-best seven RBI, and he nearly had a two-homer cycle but replay upheld a foul ball ruling.

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Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

The most significant trade of last winter barely caused a ripple at the time.

The same day the Mets signed Francisco Rodriguez and traded for J.J. Putz, and the day after the Yankees came to terms with C.C. Sabathia, the Tigers sent outfielder Matt Joyce to the Rays for right-hander Edwin Jackson.

Or don't you remember?

Eight months later, Jackson is second in the AL with a 2.62 ERA and leads the league with a .217 opponents' average. Ignore his 8-5 record; Detroit has scored three runs or fewer in 10 of his 22 starts, and more than five runs just twice.