Starting Five: Victorino Center of Attention

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 possible to get ejected by the home plate umpire when you're standing in center field. That's exactly what happened to Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino, who questioned a call by Ed Rapuano in the seventh inning of Philadelphia's 12-3 loss to Florida by gesturing and jumping up and down in center and was then run from the game.

After Rapuano threw Victorino out, the speedy outfielder known as the Flyin' Hawaiian sprinted all the way to the infield to challenge his decision. It appeared he was going to make contact with the umpire, but he denied that was the case, explaining:

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"I'm not trying to show anybody up," Victorino said after his first ejection in the big leagues. "Things got built up from the half-inning before that. It was one of those things. I let my emotions get the best of me. I love Ed and when it happened I came sprinting in and figured I'd get my money's worth. I had no intentions of touching him. He's one of those guys you can have fun with on the field. My first ejection from a game."

For all of Victorino's levity, it had to be an awfully frustrating weekend for the Phillies. They were swept by the Marlins, trimming their NL East lead over Florida to four games. Despite the addition of Cliff Lee at the trade deadline, Philly has lost eight of its last 11.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Reds third baseman Scott Rolen is unlikely to play in his club's next series against his former team, the Cardinals. Rolen has played sparingly since he was hit in the head by a Jason Marquis pitch a week ago because of post-concussion symptoms.

Numbers Game ...
The Nationals won their eighth straight game Sunday, beating the Diamondbacks 9-2 and securing the club's longest winning streak since June 2005. Washington's run essentially ends any serious thought that the team could challenge the 1962 Mets' all-time record of 120 losses in single season.

"This is what I expected from day one, and that's why it's so frustrating," [Nationals slugger Adam] Dunn said. "Because I knew we were capable of playing like this. I wish we would have played this loose and had this much fun earlier in the year and we wouldn't be however many games back."

In Their Own Words ...
"I think [the umpire] read it exactly right. I think it was an intentional hit. And there's no doubt in my mind it came from the bench. I really believe it didn't come from the manager. Don't ask me to expound on that. That's my comment. It was intentional. It came from the bench, it wasn't the manager who ordered it. The umpire handled it properly." -- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa on the ejection of Pirates closer Matt Capps after he plunked Albert Pujols in the eighth inning of Pittsburgh's 7-3 loss. The St. Louis slugger said he didn't think the pitch was intentional.

Advance Scouting ...
The slumping Dodgers, who were swept by the Braves at home over the weekend, head to San Francisco to play the rival Giants (10:15 PM ET). If all goes well for San Francisco, the NL West -- which Los Angeles had run away with for most of the season -- could suddenly get interesting. Jonathan Sanchez takes the hill for the Giants, who trail the Dodgers by 5 1/2 games in the standings entering play Monday.