Alou Might Play Tonight

Not all the MRI exam news was bad for the Florida Marlins on Thursday.

After learning that right-handed starter Alex Fernandez has a torn rotator cuff, the Marlins were pleased to hear later in the day that an MRI of Moises Alou’s injured left wrist was negative.

The Florida outfielder sprained his wrist trying to catch a home run by Atlanta’s Ryan Klesko in the sixth inning of Game 1 on Tuesday. Alou, who did not play in Game 2 on Wednesday, received a cortisone shot Thursday and is listed as day-to-day for the rest of the series.

“We will play it by ear,” Florida Manager Jim Leyland said. “We didn’t think it was anything significant but we needed to have it checked out.”

Leyland added that Alou’s absence Wednesday wasn’t a factor in the Marlins’ 7-1 loss.

“He was our leading RBI guy, but the last thing we are going to do is point to that and say that affected the team because it did not,” Leyland said. “I’ve always been a guy to concentrate on what you have, not what you don’t have.”

General Manager Dave Dombrowski hopes the Marlins follow Leyland’s lead where Fernandez is concerned.

“I think this club will bounce back,” Dombrowski said. “I think they will definitely come back hard and give the Braves a battle.”

*

Marlin left-hander Tony Saunders said you can’t admire your opponents on the field, but he makes an exception for Brave left-hander Tom Glavine.

The Florida rookie, scheduled to start Game 3 of the NL championship series tonight, has patterned his pitching style after Glavine, the winningest left-hander in baseball during the last 10 years with 151 victories. Glavine has counseled Saunders on his approach to pitching.

“We had a chance to talk the day after my last start [in Atlanta], which was something I really enjoyed,” said Saunders, who was 3-0 with a 1.65 earned-run average against the Braves during the regular season.

“I watch him pitch whenever I can. He’s aggressive on the mound and just a pro at his job. Looking at him pitch, you can’t tell if he is ahead 10-0 or behind 10-0. If I had a son, I’d like him to be just like him.”

How does Glavine feel about the rookie’s praise?

“It makes me feel old,” Glavine said. “It makes me feel real old.”