SUNDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Matt Franco Had a career-high four hits in the Braves' 9-1 rout of the White Sox. AB H RBI HR 5 4 2 1 Hero of the day Damion Easley homered with two outs in the ninth inning to lead the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Marlins. It was only Easley's fourth hit in his last 50 at-bats. Goat of the day Red Sox starter Rolando Arrojo was hammered by the Dodgers. Arrojo allowed nine hits and nine earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in Boston's 9-6 loss to Los Angeles. Injury report Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. tweaked his right hamstring pulling up for a double in the fourth inning and had to leave the game. Braves starter Greg Maddux might not be able to start Tuesday against the Mets because of a sore calf muscle. Athletics outfielder Jermaine Dye was out of the A's lineup for a third straight game because of a tight right hamstring. He pinch-hit in the ninth inning. Devil Rays LF Greg Vaughn missed his second straight game with a bruised right shoulder. He will have the shoulder examined Monday. Padres first baseman Ryan Klesko missed his third straight game with a sprained right wrist. He is day-to-day. Seattle second baseman Bret Boone left after the first inning with a bruised right knee. He is day-to-day. Streak of the day Expos outfielder Vladimir Guerrero doubled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Stat of the day Angels outfielder Darin Erstad is the all-time interleague leader with 146 hits. Erstad is 17-for-42 in the first nine games of his current 14-game road trip. The last word "They say hitting is contagious, I guess not hitting is contagious too. I've never seen anything this long before. I go away shaking my head after every game.'' -- Phillies manager Larry Bowa after Philadelphia lost 5-1 to the Twins.

INTERLEAGUE
Rangers at Pirates
Texas: The Rangers announced after Saturday night's game that 3B Herbert Perry was going on the DL with a strained left hamstring, only to rescind the move about a half-hour later. Perry felt some improvement during a postgame running session and is expected to be sidelined only another couple of days. The Rangers also weren't certain if INF Hank Blalock could make it from Triple-A Oklahoma in time for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh. ... The Rangers went 6-3 in NL cities, only the second time in six years they had a winning interleague road record. ... Joaquin Benoit will be recalled from Oklahoma to start the first game of Monday night's doubleheader against Anaheim. He was with the Rangers two other times this season, beating the White Sox 4-1 in a spot start May 9. He also worked once in relief during a five-day stay earlier this month.

Pittsburgh: With his next save Mike Williams will join Dave Giusti (1970-73) as the only Pirates reliever with at least 20 saves in four consecutive seasons. Williams had 22 saves with Pittsburgh last season despite spending the final two months of the season with Houston. ... OF Adrian Brown is 3-for-29 in his last 17 games. ... The oldest living former Pirates player, Ralph Erickson, turns 100 on Tuesday in Chandler, Ariz. He was 1-0 in eight relief appearances for the Pirates in 1929 and 1930, his only major league action.

Tigers at Marlins
Detroit: 2B Damion Easley's ninth-inning home run Sunday was just his fourth hit in 50 at-bats. The Tigers won for just the fourth time in the 21 games Easley has started. ... 1B Randall Simon, who entered Sunday as the toughest batter to strike out in the AL, fanned against Ryan Dempster in the first inning. Simon struck out in consecutive games for just the third time this season. ... The Tigers struck out 29 times in the three-game series, including 12 Sunday. ... RHP Jeff Weaver's single in the second inning gave the Tigers' pitching staff its first RBI in 15 interleague games. Weaver was 2-for-3 in the game, doubling the pitching staff's hit totals on the season. ... When the Tigers visit Kansas City on Tuesday, Luis Pujols and Tony Pena will become the first Dominican-born managers to oppose each other in major league history.

Florida: 2B Luis Castillo, whose hitting streak ended at 35 games Saturday, was not in the starting lineup. Castillo had a pinch-hit single in the ninth. During the streak, tied for the 10th-longest in history, Castillo's average rose from .262 to .341. ... RHP Brad Penny won't return as soon as expected. Making a rehab start in Tampa on Sunday, Penny allowed two infield singles in three innings. He struck out four, walked none, and threw 32 of his 47 pitches for strikes. But he developed a blister on his throwing hand and is not expected to pitch for the Marlins until July 2. RHP Kevin Olsen is now the probable starter Thursday against Philadelphia. ... OF Cliff Floyd was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of a swollen left knee. Eric Owens replaced Floyd and hit cleanup for the first time in his career. Floyd pinch hit in the ninth inning.

Indians at Expos
Cleveland: SS Omar Vizquel hit his career-high 10th homer in Sunday's 7-2 loss. Vizquel's previous single-season high was nine homers in 1996. ... The Indians have lost six of eight and are 3-6 on their season-long 12-game road trip. Cleveland begins a three-game series in Boston on Tuesday before returning home to finish out their interleague schedule with a three-game series against Arizona next weekend. The Indians are 5-10 against NL opponents this season. ... LHP Chuck Finley allowed six hits and four runs -- three earned -- in six innings, losing his third straight decision to fall to 4-9, despite a 3.84 ERA. ... Rookie 1B-OF Ben Broussard went 1-for-4 while making his first career start in left field. Broussard, who singled in the second for his first major league hit, pinch hit and grounded out while making his major league debut in the ninth inning of Saturday's 5-4 loss after being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the day.

Montreal: Montreal, which saw its eight-game winning streak -- the NL's longest this season -- come to an end Saturday, finished an 8-1 homestand. The Expos' 27-12 home record is the best in the majors. Montreal, which is 13-22 on the road, begins a season-high 13-game trip Tuesday in Pittsburgh. ... A crowd of 13,557 showed up for Steve Rogers bobblehead doll day. ... RF Vladimir Guerrero went 2-for-5 as he doubled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. ... LF Wil Cordero had three RBI against his former team, including a two-run double in the seventh. Cordero, who is in his second stint with Montreal, was let go by the Indians on April 29. "Any time you play against a team that released you, you really want to have a good performance,'' Cordero said. ... RHP Tony Armas Jr. pitched six strong innings, allowing two runs and four hits while showing no ill effects of his last start, when he was forced to leave after 12 pitches because he was struck on his right forearm by a line drive. "It was a good outing, especially when a few days ago I didn't think I would have him today,'' manager Frank Robinson said. Armas also hit an RBI triple, the first triple by an Expos pitcher since Sept. 18, 1998, when Javier Vazquez tripled in an 11-4 win at Philadelphia.

Twins at Phillies
Minnesota: The Twins finished 5-4 on the road trip and will begin a seven-game homestand Monday against the White Sox. It will be the first meeting of the season between the two AL Central rivals. ... Minnesota is 31/3 when it outhits the opponent. ... The Twins minor league player of the week was starting pitcher Jon Pridie, of Double-A New Britain. He went 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA (14 1/3 innings, 3 ER), three walks and 14 strikeouts in two starts. ... The Twins have 12 home runs and 61 RBI in 14 interleague games.

Philadelphia: 3B Scott Rolen returned to the starting lineup after missing four straight games with a sprained left ankle. Before the injury, Rolen was the only Phillie to play in every game this season. ... Monday's starter Vicente Padilla has recorded four consecutive quality starts and is 3-0 over the span. ... Rolen was greeted with a chorus of boos after a second-inning strikeout but not all Philadelphia fans are in favor of Rolen leaving. One sign read "Boo Now ... Boo Hoo Later''. ... The Phillies finished 3-6 on the homestand and dropped a season-high 13 1-2 behind Atlanta in the NL East. ... LF Pat Burrell is in a 0-for-13 slump.

Athletics at Reds
Oakland: LHP Mark Mulder won his sixth straight start, giving up six hits in six innings. He won seven in a row last season, a career-high. ... Mulder pulled a muscle in his side while batting during his last start Tuesday in Pittsburgh. The club kept it quiet, and two relievers warmed up with him as a precaution. He also was ordered to bunt when he came to bat in the second inning with two on and two out. ... Oakland is 8-1 on its longest trip of season -- 13 games. It ends with four games against the first-place Mariners. ... A's OF Jermaine Dye was out of the lineup for a third straight game with a tight hamstring. He pinch hit in the ninth and was hit by a pitch. ... Mulder is 5-0 in five June starts with a 2.10 ERA. LHP Barry Zito is 5-0 in five June starts with a 2.25 ERA. ... The A's won a season-high eight in a row from June 6-14. They were 10 games out of first on May 24 before starting their surge. ... Oakland is 14-1 in interleague play this season and has won 22 of its last 24 games against the NL. ... SS Miguel Tejada played in his 344th consecutive game, three shy of Alfredo Griffin's club record from 1985-87.

Cincinnati: Cincinnati has gone 4-for-53 (.075) with runners in scoring position during its seven-game losing streak, its longest since it dropped eight in a row last August. ... The Reds optioned OF Austin Kearns, the NL's rookie of the month in May, to Triple-A Louisville and called up RHP Luis Pineda. They'll wait a few more days before deciding whether Gabe White, the only left-hander in the bullpen, will be able to pitch next weekend in St. Louis. White is recovering from a severe infection in his left hand. ... RHP Chris Reitsma opened the season 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA, but has lost his last five decisions over six starts and has a 4.89 ERA over that span. ... The Reds have lost seven in a row at home, falling to 19-19 at Cinergy Field. They lost a club-record 54 home games last season. ... OF Ken Griffey Jr. left the game in the fourth inning after his right hamstring tightened as he ran out a double. Griffey pulled it on June 7 at Anaheim and was limited to pinch-hitting for the next 10 days. He doesn't think it's as severe this time. "Everytime I get something started, something happens,'' Griffey said. "I don't know what's going on. Hopefully this is only a one- or two-day thing.''

Red Sox at Dodgers
Boston: After getting swept in Los Angeles, the Red Sox dropped out of first place in the AL East for the first time since April 15. ... Boston, in search of another left-handed reliever, obtained Alan Embree and minor league RHP Andy Shibilo from San Diego on Sunday in exchange for minor league righties Brad Baker and Dan Glese. Embree was 3-4 with a 0.94 ERA for the Padres. INF Calvin Pickering was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Embree, who won't join the club until Tuesday. ... The Red Sox still haven't heard from major league baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson regarding the incident last Wednesday in which RHP Frank Castillo accidentally stepped on 3B umpire Bill Welke's foot during an argument about a balk that led to a tiebreaking run. Castillo, scheduled to pitch Tuesday, will appeal any suspension that is handed down. "Normally, the commissioner's office is pretty good at tracking us down and giving us a heads-up. But at this point, I haven't heard anything,'' GM Mike Port said. "I expect that some element of discipline will be imposed. Personally, I'm just going to be interested to see what the degree of that is, in light of other recent incidents.'' ... Sunday was the 85th anniversary of perhaps the most peculiar combined no-hitter in history. After Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth walked Eddie Foster of the Washington Senators to open the game -- and was ejected by umpire Brick Owens -- Foster was caught stealing and Ernie Shore retired the next 26 batters in a 4-0 victory.

Los Angeles: Flags at Dodger Stadium were flown at half-staff in memory of Darryl Kile. After a pregame moment of silence, the crowd broke into applause. ... Sunday's 9-6 victory over Boston, coupled with Arizona's 6-3 loss to Toronto, put the Dodgers along atop the NL West for the first time since last Aug. 10. They are 18 games over .500 (46-28) for the first time since Sept. 8, 1997, and have won eight consecutive series. ... Eric Gagne, who has saved four games in four days and leads the majors with 27, was given Sunday off -- against his wishes. "He's not real happy. He feels he can pitch,'' Tracy said of the right-hander, who threw 59 pitches in the four games. "He won't even pick up a ball today. He can hand out candy and he can pass out water bottles in the bullpen. But he won't come around that gate. It won't happen.'' ... When it was suggested to Tracy that he make Gagne an honorary bench coach so he could keep an eye on him, his response was, "Dave Wallace (Dodgers senior VP of baseball operations) told me I should tear a page out of Bobby Cox's book. In the mid-1980s with Toronto, Bobby had Gene Garber, who was just like Eric was -- a little disappointed that he was going to have to watch the game from start to finish. And Bobby felt that if he felt compelled to use him, he could get that out of his mind by pinch-hitting him in the second inning so that he couldn't use him in relief -- and he did it.''

Yankees at Padres
New York: Roger Clemens will likely pitch in his scheduled spot in the rotation Wednesday at Baltimore. Clemens threw before the game and said that he felt good and that he was able to throw all of his pitches as normal. Clemens was hit with batted balls last Thursday against Colorado in the right forearm and the kidney. "I've still got to get clearance (from pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre) but I felt great. I threw hard. I don't think that it is going to be a problem,'' Clemens said. ... Reliever Mariano Rivera threw batting practice for five minutes before the game and manager Joe Torre said that he is likely to be activated Tuesday from the DL.

San Diego: The Padres purchased the contract of RHP David Lunquist from Triple-A Portland to replace Alan Embree, who was traded to Boston. Lunquist was 1-4 with 21 saves and a 5.63 ERA in 30 games. ... 1B Ryan Klesko missed Sunday's game with a sprained right wrist. It is Klesko's third consecutive missed game. Klesko is day to day. ... INF Ramon Vazquez returned to the starting lineup for the first time since sustaining a mild left hamstring strain on June 12. Vazquez currently has a nine-game hitting streak.

Orioles at Giants
Baltimore: The Orioles' weekend series in San Francisco was a homecoming for OF Gary Matthews Jr., who was born in San Francisco while his father played for the Giants. Matthews lived in nearby Foster City until he was 5, and he still has strong ties to the area. His sister is working on a doctorate at Stanford, and his first baseball memories are of his father's days at Candlestick Park. "It's extra special to do something good out here,'' said Matthews, who had the game-winning hit on Sunday. ... Closer Jorge Julio hasn't allowed a run in his last 10 outings, earning six saves and yielding just four hits in 9 2/3 innings during that span. He saved the final two games of Baltimore's series in San Francisco. Manager Mike Hargrove remains pleased with Julio, who only got his first career save on April 16. "He's doing all the things we need him to do,'' Hargrove said. ... At 35-38, the Orioles are the closest they've been to .500 since May 10. ... Baltimore is 22-16 in games decided by one or two runs. Last season, the O's were an AL-worst 12-27 in one-run games.

San Francisco: The Giants went 3-3 in a week of games against sub-.500 AL East teams Tampa Bay and Baltimore. San Francisco plays its next four games against the Padres, with the first two in San Diego beginning Monday to accommodate a schedule change because of the San Diego Chargers' home schedule in September. ... While the Giants struggled to just four victories on their nine-game homestand, Jeff Kent was on his hottest streak of the season. After going 3-for-4 on Sunday, he extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Kent hit .500 (18-for-36) with five RBI on the homestand, and he's hitting .455 during his hitting streak. ... CF Tsuyoshi Shinjo threw out Baltimore's Jason Johnson at third base. Shinjo's hitting has been a disappointment in his first season in San Francisco, but his defense has been outstanding. He has six outfield assists. ... The Giants play at home just twice in their final 12 games before the All-Star break.

Angels at Brewers
Anaheim: The Angels' three-game sweep of the Brewers boosted their all-time interleague record to 51-50. ... The two runs the Angels scored in the first inning gave them an imposing 50-33 advantage over their opponents in the opening frame. ... CF Darin Erstad hit two doubles Sunday against Milwaukee to give him 145 hits in interleague play, the most of any player in such contests.

Milwaukee: For the Brewers, it's another tragic twist of scheduling. Last year, their first game after the Sept. 11 bombings came in St. Louis. On Tuesday, they will play in the first game held in St. Louis since the death of pitcher Darryl Kile. Milwaukee Manager Jerry Royster said it will be difficult for his players. "You don't know what to expect,'' he said. "I just know how hard it's going to be for everyone involved. You really don't know how to handle this. This is death.'' ... The Brewers 13-game road trip will keep them on the road until after the All-Star game July 9. Their absence will give the club and major league baseball time to prepare Miller Park for the summer classic. ... Tyler Houston's fourth-inning single ran his hitting streak to nine games, tying his career high. Houston also had a solo homer and a second single to give him 21 hits in his last 34 at-bats. In that span he has raised his average from .286 to .346.

White Sox at Braves
Chicago: Manager Jerry Manuel isn't planning to change his rotation, even though Gary Glover has struggled as a starter. The right-hander gave up three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings Saturday, pushing his ERA in eight starts to 6.44. In 14 games as a reliever, Glover has a 1.15 ERA. "Right now, we don't have many options,'' Manuel said. "As times, he has done OK (as a starter). He got some pitches out over the plate, and the whole thing kind of caved in.'' Glover sounds as though he wants to go back to the bullpen. "It could be possible that I'm betters as a reliever,'' he said. "But I still feel comfortable as a starter.'' ... RHP Rocky Biddle didn't enjoy his weekend in Atlanta. He gave up two runs in 2/3 of an inning Saturday, then surrendered three more runs in two innings Sunday. His ERA went from 2.65 to 4.58. ... Manuel said the infield at Turner Field may have contributed to errors by Tony Graffanino and Jose Valentin. Both let grounders slip through their legs at third base, Graffanino on Saturday and Valentin on Sunday. "It's a different kind of infield here,'' Manuel said. "The ball stays low.''

Atlanta: OF Chipper Jones is planning to have some dental work done during the All-Star break. Apparently, he's given up on the idea of making the midsummer classic in Milwaukee. "I figure I have a snowball's chance in hell of making it,'' he quipped. Jones has played in five of the last six All-Star games as a third baseman, but faced much tougher odds when he moved to left field this season. "I'm in a bigger pool now,'' he said, "so I've got to do something eye popping.'' Jones is batting .333 with 51 RBI but has only nine homers. ... Greg Maddux update: The pitcher still isn't sure if he'll be able to make his scheduled start Tuesday against the New York Mets. Maddux has left his last two starts because of a sore calf muscle, and trainer Dave Pursley is advising the pitcher to skip this turn in the rotation. Maddux did some light jogging Sunday and said his calf is feeling better. "I don't want to miss any starts,'' he said. ... Matt Franco's main job is pinch-hitting, but he fares much better when he starts. He's 1-for-7 as a pinch-hitter but 11-of-25 (.440) in his other at-bats. "When you only get one at-bat, you're not really loose and you don't get an opportunity to see a few pitches,'' said Franco, who had a career-high four hits Sunday. "When you're starting, you can take a few pitches because you know you're going to have a few at-bats.''

Royals at Mets
Kansas City: When the Royals play host to Detroit on Tuesday, it will mark the first time two managers from the Dominican Republic will face each other in the majors. Kansas City's Tony Pena and Detroit's Luis Pujols will be honored, along with Dominican Republic president Hipolito Mejia, before the game at Kauffman Stadium. ... 1B Mike Sweeney went 1-for-3 and is hitting .538 (14-for-26) in his last seven games. At .352, Sweeney's the only Royals starter hitting over .300 this season. ... With the Mets mounting a rally in the eighth inning, Pena opted not to bring in closer Roberto Hernandez, who missed the first few weeks of the season with an injured elbow. "I don't want to push him too much,'' Pena said. "I had (Cory) Bailey, then (Jason) Grimsley for the eighth and then Hernandez. It's all planned, and that was my game plan today.''

New York: RHP Grant Roberts, on the DL with a strained right rotator cuff, threw in the bullpen before the game without pain and is expected to throw again during the week. He is eligible to come off the DL on Monday. "He felt better than he did the other day,'' Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "We'll see how he feels (Monday) after throwing off the mound today.'' ... The Mets have won their last three series -- against Kansas City, Minnesota and the Yankees -- and are 6-3 in those games. ... OF Jeromy Burnitz is hitting .417 (10-for-24) in his last eight games. ... The Mets have scored 14 runs in the eighth inning through nine games on their homestand.

Mariners at Astros
Seattle: Minute Maid Park made a good first impression on manager Lou Piniella. "I love the ballpark,'' Piniella said. "It's one of the nicest ballparks I've been in. It's a nice field to play in. All the seats look very comfortable. There's nice little suites, and the roof and the scoreboard.'' Interleague play gave Piniella and the Mariners a chance to play in the NL park. Piniella liked that too. "I like the idea we're playing in the (NL) Central this year,'' Piniella said. "It gives fans a chance to see different teams.''

Houston: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Brad Ausmus, close friends of the late Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile, returned to the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Seattle. OF Brian Hunter also was a teammate of Kile's with the Astros. Bagwell, too emotional to speak on Saturday, broke his silence Sunday. "The only reason I felt like I needed to talk to you guys is to tell people in baseball and his family how much I love him,'' Bagwell said. "There are memories that I have that I have shared. I love Darryl Kile. I can't believe this has happened. We are baseball players but we are humans too and bad things can happen to us too.''

Devil Rays at Rockies
Tampa Bay: The Devils Rays are taking a wait-and-see approach with OF Greg Vaughn's bruised right shoulder. Vaughn, who was injured in the fifth inning Saturday when he crashed into the left-field wall attempting to catch Larry Walker home run. "Greg compared the injury to a football stinger and it appears to be something that would require him to DH,'' manager Hal McRae said. "He will have it examined and we will go from there.'' ... What to do about reliever Victor Zambrano, who has given up nine runs in his last nine appearances and the bullpen that surrendered leads late in the game in each of the first two games of the series has McRae distressed. The Devil Rays are 9-22 in games they get a quality start. ... "What can I do with limited options,'' McRae said. "The bullpen is crumbling and I don't know where to go and I won't change anything until I know what I can do.'' ... McRae's choice of which player to represent the Devil Rays in the All-Star game? "Randy Winn is our All-Star,'' McRae said. "He's playing like an All-Star and making great plays.''

Colorado: The Rockies had seven right-hander batters in the lineup to face LHP Joe Kennedy. The only left-handed bats in the lineup were 1B Todd Helton and starter Jason Jennings. "I had to give Juan Pierre a break,'' manager Clint Hurdle said. "He already has 300 at-bats and besides, I need to get guys like Mark Little and Terry Shumpert some at-bats and keep them fresh.'' ... Colorado has won its last three extra inning games and is 5-2 overall this year.

Blue Jays at Diamondbacks
Toronto: Vernon Wells extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a third-inning single. ... Jose Cruz Jr. and Felipe Lopez each ended 0-for-10 skids with first-inning singles. ... Roy Halladay raised his road record to 6-0 in nine starts. ... The Blue Jays have scored in the first inning of three straight games for the first time this season. ... Carlos Delgado drove in two runs to raise his career interleague RBI total to 82, second only to Sammy Sosa (86). ... Halladay is 8-2 with a 2.70 ERA over his last 10 starts.

Arizona: RHPs Todd Stottlemyre and Matt Mantei each made relief appearances for Triple-A Tucson on Sunday. Stottlemyre pitched the seventh inning of the Sidewinders' 3-1 win and struck out one. Mantei walked one and struck out one in the eighth. Stottlemyre went on the 15-day disabled list May 2, and Mantei has not pitched for the Diamondbacks this year. ... The Diamondbacks lost a home series for the first time since dropping two of three against the Mets from April 30-May 2. ... C Damian Miller left after the sixth inning because of flulike symptoms. ... OF Quinton McCracken was 2-for-3 with a double, triple and a run scored. He is hitting .545 (18-for-33) in his last eight games with six doubles and two triples.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cardinals at Cubs
St. Louis: In their pregame media notes, the Cardinals ran a final full-page bio of Darryl Kile, highlighting his career that began with Houston in 1991. Kile finished with a 133-119 record and 4.12 ERA in 359 major league games, including 331 starts. As a testament to his tough approach to the game, he was never on the disabled list during his career. ... Fans along the right-field line, many of them dressed in red, gave the Cardinals pitchers a standing ovation as they headed to the corner of Wrigley Field to start pre-game warmups. ... The Cardinals' clubhouse was closed to the media before the game and a red rope ran from the middle of the batting cage to the screen to prevent observers from getting in front of the St. Louis dugout. ... Andy Benes lost in a rehab stint with Triple-A Memphis on Sunday. Benes (0-1), rehabilitating his right knee, allowed one earned run and three hits in four innings during a 3-1 loss to Tucson. Benes did not figure in the decision in his other start for Memphis.

Chicago: The message board at Wrigley Field simply showed ''57'' out of respect to Darryl Kile on Sunday night. The flag on top of the ancient scoreboard was at half-staff as were the Cardinals and Cubs flags on each flag pole. Kile was 11-7 in his career against the Cubs ...Entering Sunday night's game, Sammy Sosa had homered 269 times since opening day in 1998. Nineteen of those homers had come against St. Louis. ... Eighteen year ago, Ryne Sandberg had a breakout game against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field when he went 5-for-6 with two homers and 7 RBI in a wild 12-11 win in 11 innings for the Cubs. ... Joe Girardi, who became emotional in a pre-game news conference when talking about Kile and his family, got the nod as the starting catcher on a steamy night at Wrigley Field. Todd Hundley, who's been bothered by dehydration problems, was out of the lineup.