Worth noting

• Jeff Karstens (shoulder inflammation) may not be on the forefront of pitchers recovering from injuries, but he also made progress on Thursday with a 30-pitch bullpen session in which he went through his entire repertoire.

"It was as good as I'd hoped it would be," Karstens said. "I'm where I need to be. No sense feeling frustrated about not yet being able to contribute. All I can do is move forward from where I'm at."

• Primary setup reliever Mark Melancon has made six of his nine appearances in the eighth inning, and he has retired all 18 men he faced in that frame.

• Ducky Schofield, utility man extraordinaire, had his 1960 World Series ring stolen in a recent burglary of his home in Springfield, Ill., according to grandson Jayson Werth, per CBSSports' Jon Heyman.