Starting Five: This Rockie Is the Marquis Of Wins

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

You Oughta Know ...
Jason Marquis is three wins shy of his career high.

Marquis won Sunday for the Rockies, giving him 12 for the season, most in the majors. Not bad for a guy the Cubs essentially dumped in the offseason so they could sign Milton Bradley.

Against the Padres on Sunday, Marquis got 16 ground-ball outs in eight innings, allowing five hits and walking none -- despite a blister on his middle finger.

"If today is any indication of what the second half is going to be like for Jason Marquis, we will take that," manager Jim Tracy said. "He's one of the best in our league when he's pounding the strike zone early in the count like he was today."

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

No Rockies pitcher has ever led the NL in wins.

Meanwhile, Padres All-Star Adrian Gonzalez, 1-for-4 Sunday, is batting .140 in July, with no homers, a .175 slugging percentage and four RBI.

From the Trainer's Room ...
The Mets' injury woes continue. Fernando Nieve, who replaced John Maine (shoulder weakness) in the rotation, left Sunday's game with a strained right quadriceps. He suffered it in the top of the second inning running to first base after hitting a ground ball. Jon Niese, who has struggled in the majors but is hot at Triple-A, could replace Nieve next time through the rotation.

Numbers Game ...
Tampa Bay came from behind and took the lead in the eighth inning of all three games of its series at Kansas City, scoring two runs on Friday, three on Saturday and two on Sunday. The Royals have allowed 69 eighth-inning runs, second most in the AL to Cleveland's 70.

In Their Own Words ...
"All the other old-timers are older than I am. But it's OK. I'll be an old-timer the rest of my life." -- Mike Mussina, who, in the first year of retirement at age 40, allowed hits to the first four batters he faced in the Yankees' annual Old-Timers' Game

Advance Scouting ...
In his first outing since his July 10 no-hitter against the Padres, Giants left-hander Jonathan Sanchez tonight draws the Braves (7 PM ET). Atlanta is 18-14 when facing a southpaw starter, but one of Sanchez's three wins this year came against the Braves on May 25.