LOS ANGELES -- Early in Joe Torre's storied managing career, when he wasn't quite sure about the intricacies of managing October baseball, veteran bench coach Don Zimmer instilled in him one of the key differences between the regular season and the playoffs.
You pull your starters early.
"I usually have the starter decide his own fate, but Don Zimmer taught me that this postseason stuff is all about not being patient, and doing what you feel you need to do at the time you need to do it," Torre said.
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's probably going to take some time to sort out the NL wild-card race. The Rockies, 34-15 since the beginning of June, are two games up on a mass of teams, including the Giants, the team they beat Sunday and the team that was leading the race just a few weeks ago.
There are six teams within five games of the wild-card lead, the same number of clubs that are more than five out, and it's hard to ignore any of them. The Cardinals, trailing Colorado by 2 1/2 games, added Matt Holliday on Friday, for example. And the Braves, who made a big trade of their own in acquiring Nate McLouth from the Pirates, have won eight of 11 since the All-Star break.
The Mariners are still hanging around in the AL West, though, so it's not exactly a sure thing they'd be willing to part with Washburn. He does make quite the hefty salary, but his contract is up at the conclusion of this season, so moving him wouldn't really save the Mariners much money.
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 Angels and Cubs -- two overwhelming favorites to win their division entering 2009 -- finally seem to have their mojo back.
A day after Chicago rallied from four down in the eighth inning to beat the White Sox, they climbed out of a 7-0 fourth-inning hole to beat the Indians, thanks in part to another dramatic home run from Derrek Lee -- a drive that came off of longtime Cub Kerry Wood no less.
Not to be outdone, the Angels' Juan Rivera snapped a 4-all tie in the eighth inning of the Freeway Series opener with a decisive solo home run. The Halos have now reeled off seven straight wins, and, despite all the hard luck (and tragedy) they've had to deal with so far this season, are a 1/2 game behind the division-leading Rangers in the AL West.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
With the recent news that Mark DeRosa is on the trade block and the White Sox have possibly landed Jake Peavy, junkies of major league baseball trade rumors got an early glimpse at what promises to be a very interesting July. It's far to0 early to know exactly who will be in the market for what -- or who can afford to take on temporary payroll in this economy -- but it's certainly fun to speculate. Let's do it.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
At least we know Alex Rodriguez will have plenty of help from Yankee Stadium as he makes his way back from hip surgery.
Just ask Johnny Damon, who's suddenly turned into one of the hottest power hitters in baseball after hitting only 17 home runs all of last year. Damon has already knocked seven out this season, including three this month. The Rays joined in on the ball-smashing fun Thursday, launching six homers as a team. So is a trip to Yankee Stadium the same as visiting Arlington now?
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
After having some problems his last two starts, Tuesday night Rick Porcello looked like the phenom the Tigers drafted. The 20 year-old upped his record to 2-3 after hurling 7 scoreless innings against the Twins. He allowed 7 baserunners in as many innings, struck out 3, and -- most importantly -- kept the ball in the yard. In his first four starts, Porcello allowed at least 1 home run per game, 6 total. Tuesday night, Porcellos allowed only three fly balls to the outfield.
You know that weird, empty feeling you've had the last year or so while watching baseball? You don't have to worry anymore because that feeling is going away. The Dodgers have called Jeff Weaver up from Triple-A Albuquerque. The circle of baseball life is complete once again.
Though it could be argued Jeff Weaver has made a career out of underachieving, you have to at least give him credit for being a survivor. He once parlayed a 5.76 ERA regular season into being one of the Cardinals postseason heroes en route to a World Series Championship.
Pedro Martinez, a 37-year-old in the twilight of his career, is still searching for big league work this season. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight time All-Star has been spending his time pitching for the Dominican Republic. Thanks to a rousing upset at the hands of the Netherlands, though, the Dominican is done playing.
LOS ANGELES -- Early in Joe Torre's storied managing career, when he wasn't quite sure about the intricacies of managing October baseball, veteran bench coach Don Zimmer instilled in him one of the key differences between the regular season and the playoffs.
As 
Starting Five
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
You know that weird, empty feeling you've had the last year or so while watching baseball? You don't have to worry anymore because that feeling is going away. The Dodgers have called 
Though it could be argued Jeff Weaver has made a career out of underachieving, you have to at least give him credit for being a survivor. He once parlayed a 5.76 ERA regular season into being one of the Cardinals postseason heroes en route to a World Series Championship. 
