Quote: "I was trying to establish the inside part of the plate. Maybe I should have established the fastball for a strike first." -- Marlins starter Ryan Dempster, who hit three Pirates in three innings

It's a fact: Robin Ventura stole his first base for the Mets, and only his third in the past four seasons.

Who's hot: The Phillies' 11-1 record in day games tops the majors.

Who's not: The Mets' Bobby Jones has given up 20 earned runs in his past three starts, covering 13 2/3 innings.

On deck: The Brewers complete a stretch of 15 road games out of 18 today. They have played in six cities -- Miami, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Milwaukee (against Florida), New York and Montreal -- within a 17-day period.

Pub Date: 5/23/99