PHILADELPHIA -- Reliever Brendan Donnelly said he didn't deserve credit for the save in Wednesday's victory in Atlanta.

``Ronny Paulino should get the save for that one,'' Donnelly said of the catcher.

Donnelly notched the save by throwing one pitch but without retiring the batter. That's because the pitch was in the dirt and rolled several feet past Paulino.

But Paulino found the ball in time and threw to third to pick off Matt Diaz, who had made it halfway down the line before realizing he wasn't going to make it all the way to the plate with what would have been the tying run.

``I don't think anyone's ever done that,'' Donnelly said of the unusual ending.

SLUMPING RAMIREZ GETS DAY OFF

As expected, manager Fredi Gonzalez gave Hanley Ramirez the day off Friday.

The National League batting leader was 1 for his last 19 entering the final series of the season.

``I haven't seen him look this bad in three years,'' Gonzalez said of Ramirez, who is 11 for 62 since Sept. 14. ``The only thing I see, like any prolonged slump, is he starts swinging at pitches out of the strike zone.''

Gonzalez said Ramirez would be back in the lineup Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, it appears that outfielder Cody Ross, out with a bruised left wrist, will not play again this season. Ross did not sound optimistic when discussing the injury, and he has not been able to take batting practice.

``If it felt 80 percent, I'd run out there and play,'' Ross said. ``I don't even think I can swing a bat at the moment.''

• First baseman Nick Johnson returned to the lineup Friday for the first time since Sept. 25 when he became ill with the flu.

NICE CONSOLATION PRIZE

Pride isn't the only thing the Marlins are playing for. If they overtake the Braves for second place in the National League East, each player stands to rake in more than enough to pay for a week's vacation.

Last season, players on the four second-place teams that didn't win wild-card berths each received consolation payouts ranging from $9,000 to $11,000 depending on how each team divvied up the loot.

-- CLARK SPENCER

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@