Freddy Sanchez is batting a cool .358, but it took a call from his father to make him aware of his position in the NL batting race.

"To tell you the truth, I don't even look," Sanchez told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "If it wasn't for my dad ..."

His dad recently called him to let him know where he stood in the batting race.

"I bought him the MLB Extra Innings package the other day, and it's, like, the greatest thing in his life because he can see all our games on TV instead of just the computer," Sanchez said. "But he has to remind me of every little thing now, hitting streaks and being up there in the leaders. He's calling and saying, 'Hey, look, second in the league!' I didn't even know."

But as nice as that is, he's more concerned with the Pirates playing better baseball.

"It does feel good to get the hits but, honestly, it feels so much better that the team is getting back on the right track."

Borchard continues an eventful year: It's been an eventful year for Joe Borchard, who began the season with the World Series champion White Sox and now finds himself on the rebuilding Marlins, with a stop with the Mariners mixed in between. One of the ways Borchard relaxes is by reading.

"My wife is to blame," Borchard told the Miami Herald. "She reads a heck of a lot more than I do. She'll get done with a book and say, 'This one's pretty good. You ought to read this.'

"It's good entertainment if you ask me."

Borchard was designated for assignment by the Mariners and he took solace in books.

"You can read a James Patterson book and you can feel a little uplifted by it," Borchard said. "It can help you in a number of ways. When you're reading, the best thing you can do is get involved with the characters and just focus on the characters and how they develop and grow.

"Personally, I can relate to a lot of things the same way."

He was claimed off waivers by the Marlins and has responded with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 24 games.

"It doesn't matter if he's starting or he's coming off the bench," hitting coach Jim Presley said of Borchard. "He's valuable because if you're down a run, you pinch-hit this guy [and] he can put us ahead like that. His attitude, that's the other thing. His attitude is far superior [to] a lot of guys in his position."

Kemp is latest Dodgers farmhand to succeed: Injuries have hit the Dodgers hard this season. Fortunately for them, they have one of the top farm systems in the Majors and they have gotten solid play from youngsters called up from the Minors. The latest to pay dividends is Matt Kemp, who was called up from Double-A on Sunday and found himself batting second on Thursday.

"Take a look at that. You're moving on up in the world," Derek Lowe told Kemp prior to Thursday's game against the Phillies. "You're like George and Weezy from the TV show `The Jeffersons.' Movin' on up."

Later Lowe, the starting pitcher in the game, would be happy for Kemp's spot in the lineup, as the rookie blasted a three-run homer to help Lowe and the Dodgers to a 7-2 win. Meanwhile, Kemp was just adjusting to life in the Majors.

"Without a doubt the nicest stadium I've ever played in," Kemp told the Los Angeles Daily News. "And the biggest, of course."

Milledge nearly missed his debut: Finally arriving in New York after a two-hour flight delay, Lastings Milledge was greeted by a throng of reporters in the New York Mets clubhouse Tuesday night. Welcome to the Big Leagues.

"You're like Elvis, man," said new teammate Paul Lo Duca.

Milledge, one of the top prospects in the Mets organization, was called up from Triple-A when Xavier Nady was placed on the disabled list. Milledge was just hoping his flight from Providence would eventually take off in order for him to arrive in time for his first game as a Met.

"It went through my mind [that he wouldn't arrive in time]," Milledge told Newsday. "It would have been a bad day if I couldn't get on my plane."

When Milledge made his first plate appearance, he was greeted by a standing ovation and it looked as if he was going to get his first Major League hit in that at-bat. Milledge ripped a line drive off pitcher Miguel Batista, only to see it caught by shortstop Craig Counsell.

"Any other time, you can catch that, but not this time," Milledge said with a laugh. "But I was pretty pleased at the swing I put on it."

However, Milledge finally collected his first hit when he smashed a double into the left field corner in the seventh inning. Coming into second base, Milledge said he was "thinking about not falling down."

"I got that [his first hit] out of the way. I was real thirsty for my first hit," he said. "I didn't know how the crowd would react. I was excited but they calmed me down."

Once the game was over, Milledge was able to reflect on his first day as a Major League ballplayer. For him, it will be a night he will always remember.

"There's not a greater moment in my life than to have Tom Glavine say, 'Welcome.' It was very exciting," he said. "What a feeling. It's fabulous to be in New York."

Zito credits Kendall: Barry Zito continued his strong pitching Thursday, as he threw seven shutout innings in the A's 4-0 win over the Twins. In his last seven outings, Zito has allowed just six runs in 48 innings.

"Me and (Jason) Kendall are locked in," Zito told the San Jose Mercury News. "He's calling a great game. He knows what the hitters are looking for. You've got to give the guy credit. I couldn't be doing any of this stuff without him."

Zito recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in the game.

"It's great," Zito said. "I'm going to play a long time. One day I hope I have a shot at a bigger number."

The game also had a humorous moment for Zito. The lefty hit Tony Batista with a pitch. Batista acted as if he was going to charge the mound but took a turn and headed for first base instead.

"That's just Tony," Zito said. "He wants to fake charge. He got a laugh out of me. He's one of the most entertaining guys in baseball. I look forward to his antics at third base."

Nevin, Hairston find new homes: Phil Nevin and Jerry Hairston Jr. swapped homes this week.

Looking to boost their struggling offense, the Chicago Cubs acquired Nevin. Manager Dusty Baker says this was a move the team had to make.

"It's a much-needed deal for us," Baker told the Chicago Tribune. "We needed some right-handed sock, and he can play first base, third base, and I haven't seen him in the outfield, but we'll probably work him out there. The guy can hit. He has been hitting for a long time."

Nevin says he is excited about playing for the Cubs.

"The first reaction to the trade was the tradition of Wrigley Field, everything that's going on there," he said. "It's probably my favorite place to visit, and I have had some success there offensively. It's a team that has struggled, but it also has one of best pitching staffs in baseball and a great manager."

Hairston adds versatility to his new team, the Texas Rangers.

"Hairston is that type of player that can play both the infield and the outfield," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It gives us some flexibility with our lineup. ... This also provides a situation for Phil to get the chance to play more, and I think he is excited to get that chance in the National League, with the injury to [Cubs first baseman] Derrek Lee."

When Hairston joins the team, he will already have a friend in center fielder Gary Matthews Jr., who played with Hairston in Baltimore and has known him since childhood.

"He's a versatile player," Matthews said, "and a guy who can do his thing with some athleticism. He's definitely one of my best friends in the game. I just hope he looks at coming here as a fresh start. Working with [Rangers hitting coach] Rudy Jaramillo has turned a lot of guys' careers around."

Birkins at home in Orioles' bullpen: Kurt Birkins is making his mark in the Baltimore Orioles bullpen with a 1-0 record and an ERA of 0.61. As he has improved and dominated, though, he says nothing has not changed anything in his approach.

"I'm not doing anything different than what I did in the past," Birkins told the Washington Post. "This is the first time in a few years I've gone out there with confidence, which is huge."

After being a starting pitcher for his six years in the minor leagues, Birkins says he does not mind pitching out of the bullpen.

"I'm not going to argue with anything as long as I stay up here," Birkins said.

Herges has good news on two fronts: Former Giants pitcher Matt Herges has returned to the Majors with the Marlins, after spending time in the Minors last season.

The comeback by Herges might pale in comparison to the one made by his own son, Bryce, was on life support and spent three weeks in a drug-induced coma earlier this year while battling pneumonia.

Herges' son came home from the hospital healthy this past Sunday. That helped put his demotion to the Minors last season in perspective.

"I wouldn't say it was humbling. It was just more reality," Herges told the San Francisco Chronicle. "The big leagues are not reality. It's wonderful, but it's not the real world. Triple-A and the Minor Leagues, that's the real world. Wake up at 4 o'clock, first flight out, that kind of thing. The one thing I had on my side, I was still under contract so I was still getting paid pretty well."

-- Red Line Editorial

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.