--1B Ryan Garko is hitting .416 with two home runs and 13 RBI since Aug. 6, the day he was benched for a lack of hustle in a game at Tampa Bay.
--C Kelly Shoppach has struck out 20 times in his last 38 at bats. "He's slipped away from his approach," manager Eric Wedge said. "He needs to get back to the right approach and trust it 100 percent of the time. Other teams have more reports on him now, and they are going to keep attacking him in a certain way until Kelly makes some adjustments." --OF Grady Sizemore's home run Tuesday was his first since July 31. Sizemore went 61 at-bats between home runs, hitting .164 in that span.
--C Victor Martinez played six innings at catcher for Class AAA Buffalo in a rehab appearance Tuesday. It was Martinez's first appearance behind the plate since undergoing elbow surgery on June 13. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs.
--2B Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .400 (14-for-35) in his last 10 games, with one home run and six RBIs.
BY THE NUMBERS: 5 -- Pitchers since 1970, besides Cliff Lee, who have started a season 17-2. The others, according to the Elias Sports Bureau: Ron Guidry (1978), Roger Clemens (1986), Greg Maddux (1995), Randy Johnson (1995), and David Wells (1998).
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're going to have to re-evaluate him." -- Manager Eric Wedge, after Edward Mujica had a 32.40 ERA over a run of five consecutive relief appearances through Aug. 17, during which he gave up 12 runs and 12 hits in 3 1/3 innings.
