We had a statistical rarity last night - Alan Embree of the Colorado Rockies pitching staff recorded a winning game without throwing a pitch to the batter. The Rockies website has a discussion and video clips here

I don't think too many people, including yours truly, registered what had happened as the play unfolded. We knew, of course, that Embree came in, correctly read the bench coach signing that the runner was likely to take off from first, and was alert enough to end up handling the ball in the pick off/run down play as it unfolded. With closer Huston Street warming up in the bullpen, we were chuckling that Embree did what he was assigned to do {record the third out} without a pitch, but it didn't sink in until the game was over that he was the winning pitcher, courtesy of Clint Barmes at the plate in the bottom of the eighth. The field staff collected the ball from the umpire, and Embree took it home with him as a souvenir.

A second vivid memory will stay with me - that of Washington Nationals second baseman Willie Harris on his knees, clearly in significant pain. Talk about a bad hop on the ball! A grounder out to short right field hit the grass, and bounced up to catch Harris just below the midsection. {I hope I don't have to get too specific here.} It seemed to me that he was praying not to display for the crowd the sunflower seeds he had been munching on in the dugout.

Final score was 5-4 Rox and returned them to five games over .500. With this afternoon's win, they are now six games over.