in no particular order:
1. eckstein did it again: third inning, men at 2d+3d, one out ---- zambrano throwing nothing but strikes, so eckstein didn't screw around: he hacked at the first strike he saw, the 0-0 pitch. laid good wood on it too, but it went right to ramirez and they cut down mahoney at the plate. wrong result, but right approach by eckstein. 3d game in a row . . . .
2. marquis' velocity was back in the low 90s, a very good sign. i give him loads of credit for his effort today. he shoulda departed after six innings (and i said so at the time), and his line would've read:
6ip, 7h, 1er, 3w, 2k
maybe duncan and la russa are just pushing him now so he'll be ready for the playoffs --- exposing him to tough situations so he can handle the pressure. i thought he'd had enough tough situations in the first six innings . . . .
3. john rodriguez is hurting the team. he's not hitting anymore ---- a .243 average in his last 10 starts, with 1 walk and 1 extra-base hit --- and his fielding and baserunning blunders negate whatever value his bat may possess. what does la russa have against mabry?