Jason Middlebrook is 0-1 with a 7.04 E.R.A. in 11 innings after a rocky outing Wednesday.

And, except for the occasional rocky outing, is pitching better then he ever has.

But Rogers, who had some rocky outings this spring, kept asking Torre what he did wrong.

Quarterback Browning Nagle, the second-year quarterback in his first season as a starter, experienced his second rocky outing in three starts this season.

The Yankees held on for Leiter in the ninth, overcoming a rocky outing by Tom Gordon and a wild throw by Robinson Cano on a double-play ball.

The Mets pulled to a season-high 16 games over .500 despite another rocky outing from Yoshii, who allowed seven hits and four runs in five and a third innings.

While the Braves' rotation is regarded as the best in baseball, success wasn't achieved without early rocky outings that were similar to what the Mets' youngsters have experienced this season.

After the rocky outing, Showalter announced that Perez will make at least three more starts in Florida, including an extended spring training game on April 5.

Pavlik (9-1) continued to enjoy outstanding run support, overcoming a rocky outing for the best start by a Texas starter through 10 decisions.

After a few rocky outings, she was traded within the league by the first-place Saints to the last-place Duluth Dukes.