Worth noting

By Tom Singer

September 23, 2013

• Russell Martin was back behind the plate after being pulled in the fifth inning of Sunday's game with "left knee discomfort," apparently triggered by a swing while batting.

"He's good enough to play," manager Clint Hurdle said, implying Martin had talked his way back into the lineup. "He wants to play. We had a chat, and he said he feels good. I trust our guys."

• Three homers in his last four games before Monday's left Neil Walker within one of the career high of 14 he set last year. Walker then hit No. 14 in his first at-bat Monday night.

• Rookie catcher Tony Sanchez has become a verb since his daring, leaning, tumbling-into-the-dugout catch of a foul pop Thursday afternoon in PNC Park. "Sanchezing" now means flying through the air to unknown landing spots. The Oxford dictionary people have yet to been heard from.

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer.