Reliever Hong-Chih Kuo has blossomed into one of the best long relievers in baseball and is sporting a 1.88 ERA, but finding places to use him has been tough. Prior to Wednesday's one inning of work, he had not pitched since June 1.

Manager Joe Torre said Kuo was still not always able to pitch on consecutive days but that he had no problems using him for one inning late in games, though finding the right spot to use him has been tough, especially since the starting rotation has been pitching deeper into games of late and the back end of the bullpen is essentially set.

"Right now, I have enough confidence in his ability to throw strikes, which was the question mark earlier in the season," Torre said. "I wouldn't hesitate to use him anywhere. I wouldn't hesitate in terms of trusting Kuo at all."

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