WEDNESDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Brad Penny Penny is 4-1 when pitching after a Florida loss. IP H ER K 7 2 0 8 Hero of the day Angels catcher Bengie Molina drove in the go-ahead run in a seven-run eighth that gave Anaheim a 9-8 win over Texas. He also had a leadoff single in the same inning. Goat of the day Colorado's Jose Jimenez was knocked around so hard by the Diamondbacks that Rockies manager Clint Hurdle is pondering a change with his closer. Injuries Diamondbacks RF Danny Baustista suffered strained a hip flexor and left the game in the eighth inning. Padres catcher Gary Bennett sprained his right knee in a home-plate collision with the Dodgers' Brian Jordan. Manager Bruce Bochy said he will probably put Bennett on the sidelines for at least two weeks. Stat of the day The Mets finally got their first extra-base hit and first RBI from Mike Piazza -- a solo homer in his 36th at-bat of the season Stat of the day, part deux Milton Bradley singled in the first inning for Cleveland, extending his season-opening hitting streak to 14 games -- longest by an Indians player since Toby Harrah hit in 14 straight to open 1982. The last word "You can't walk people when you get leads. We're leading the majors in walks and we have a 6.00 or 7.00 ERA. That should say enough, shouldn't it? I don't think I have to deliver the message everyday.'' -- Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella after his team's latest loss to the Red Sox.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Devil Rays-Red Sox
Tampa Bay: 1B Travis Lee remained sidelined with soreness of his right oblique muscle. He left Sunday's game in New York after one at-bat with the injury. ... Steve Parris entered with more major league wins (44) than the rest of the rotation combined (37). ... Rey Ordonez homered off the left-field light tower in the second inning. Boston LF Manny Ramirez tossed the ball into the seats above the Green Monster, but a fan threw it back onto the field. Boston: Former LHP Bill Lee, nicknamed the Spaceman during his playing days, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. After starting with a slow windup, he fired a fastball that whizzed just over the head of a ball girl, who was behind the plate to catch it, to the backstop. ... The Red Sox entered 4-1 in one-run games after going 13-23 last season. ... The temperature at gametime was 47 degrees after being 77 on Tuesday.

Blue Jays-Yankees
Toronto: RHP Cory Lidle, who gave up three homers on April 1 against the Yankees in Toronto, entered second in the AL in strikeouts with 23. New York RHP Mike Mussina was first with 25. ... The Blue Jays were trying to avoid their seventh straight loss. The last time they dropped seven in a row was during a nine-game skid April 24-May 3 last season.

New York: Manager Joe Torre said injured closer Mariano Rivera "felt really good'' after his last workout. "We're looking at this weekend for some action in a game,'' Torre said. ... Injured SS Derek Jeter (dislocated shoulder) is about "10 days'' from swinging a bat and throwing, according to Torre. "He'll be able to throw sooner than that, but not catch,'' Torre said. ... LHP David Wells had not walked a batter in his last six starts, the longest stretch of his career. Wells held Minnesota to three hits last Thursday in his 12th career shutout. ... Torre is happy with C Jorge Posada's approach at the plate. "He's maturing. Right now he's in a groove and we'd like to keep it like that,'' Torre said. "He's quieter at the plate, body-wise.'' ... 3B prospect Drew Henson homered off Steve Avery in Triple-A Columbus' 16-1 loss to Toledo.

Orioles-Indians
Baltimore: Melvin Mora started at shortstop. Manager Mike Hargrove said the move was to give Mora some playing time and give regular Deivi Cruz a day off. ... RHP Rodrigo Lopez is scheduled to make his regular start Saturday. He left his previous game with a torn fingernail. ... Hargrove said it felt very unusual to be in an almost-empty Jacobs Field during warmups. As the Indians' manager during the ballpark's first six years (1994-99), most games were sold out. "I've never seen it like this,'' he said as fewer than 1,000 fans watched the Orioles take batting practice. "It's sad. But they will be back.'' ... Hargrove said he and pitching coach Mark Wiley will meet with LHP Omar Daal to discuss a few adjustments in the pitcher's delivery. He said Daal will stay in the starting rotation despite an 8.04 ERA.

Cleveland: OF Milton Bradley singled in the first inning to extend his season-opening hitting streak to 14 games. He left the game Tuesday night with leg cramps. Bradley is still 20 games from the AL record to start a season, a 34-game streak by George Sisler of the 1925 St. Louis Browns. The NL record is 44 games, by "Wee'' Willie Keeler of the 1897 Orioles. ... 1B Travis Hafner also started after leaving the previous game with a sore right hip. ... OF Karim Garcia returned to the starting lineup for the first time in a week and said his left wrist "felt fine.'' ... DH Ellis Burks was sidelined with a touch of the flu and OF Matt Lawton assumed his duties with Shane Spencer starting in left field. ... Manager Eric Wedge said LHP C.C. Sabathia (0-2, 3.32 ERA), scheduled to start Thursday night against Baltimore, is adapting well to being the Indians' No. 1 starter. "I am very pleased with C.C. so far,'' Wedge said. "His preparation, his execution and his results have been good. We need to get him a little offensive help, but I look for him to continue to grow into the role.''

Tigers-Twins
Detroit: Bobby Higginson was in the leadoff spot for the fifth time this season. He's batted .357 at the top of the order, but just .107 elsewhere. Manager Alan Trammell said, "There's a good chance it might stay that way for a while. I told Bobby before I don't want to keep messing with him, but he said it's not a problem. I feel like it might stay this way for a while because of his ability to get on base.'' ... The Tigers, at 1-11, came in with the majors' worst record, but Trammell said it hasn't affected the team's mood: "I think they sense they still have to play and that nobody is going to feel sorry for us.'' ... Detroit was second in the AL in fielding percentage, and two of the starters were among the AL's top 12 in ERA, including Adam Bernero. ... Only one member of the starting lineup was hitting better than .250 -- 2B Ramon Santiago at .290.

Minnesota: RHP LaTroy Hawkins suggested a solution for keeping fans from running on the field. "I'm going to knock him out, as soon as he runs up on me. I'm dropping him. And that would probably be the last time somebody runs out on the field.'' ... Twins director of baseball operations Rob Antony said the Metrodome took no additional security precautions Wednesday in response to the attack on an umpire in Chicago on Tuesday night. Last year, a fan did run on the field during the AL championship series but did not go anywhere near the players before being corralled by security. ... Jacque Jones extended his hitting streak to nine games Tuesday. Jones was batting .347, best among the team's regulars. Manager Ron Gardenhire said much of Jones' development as a hitter (he batted .300 last season) is mental. "One thing he's learned is he's not going to fall off the face of the earth if he doesn't get a hit,'' Gardenhire said. ... The Twins plan to honor Minnesota's two NCAA championship hockey teams this week. The Minnesota-Duluth women's team will be honored Thursday, while the Minnesota men's team will be recognized Saturday.

Angels-Rangers
Anaheim: 3B Troy Glaus wasn't in the starting lineup because of a touch of the flu. That allowed the Angels to use Tim Salmon as the DH and get Eric Owens a rare start in right field. ... 2B Adam Kennedy, on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, did fielding drills and ran bases hard. "He looked great,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. Kennedy will probably play some minor league games this weekend, possibly for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, a team that plays only about 25 miles from Anaheim. Kennedy got hurt April 2 after a collision with Salmon in right field. Kennedy could rejoin the Angels in time for next Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees.

Texas: RHP Colby Lewis is the first Texas rookie starter to be 2-0 (three starts) in April since Rick Helling was 2-0 in four April starts in 1994. Helling started 3-0 in his first six starts through May 6 that season. ... CF Doug Glanville was out of the lineup for the second straight game with a strained right hamstring sustained running to first base Monday. He said he felt fine walking. "I don't feel bad physically, but I haven't had to run or jump yet,'' Glanville said. Ryan Christenson, who had a two-run double Tuesday just hours after being called up from the minors, made his second straight start in center. ... The Rangers had their streak of 11 straight games with a homer snapped Tuesday night, but they still won 5-4 and maintained their early record pace. Even without adding to their home run total, the 26 they had in the first 14 games was still three more than ever before. That was also two more than the Rangers had ever had in the first 15 games.

Royals-White Sox
Kansas City: The Royals met with major league baseball security officials before the game, and players said they were confident the game would be played without any problems. "If they think it's going to be safe to play, I have to take our organization's word and the Chicago White Sox organization's word,'' Ken Harvey said. ... Lost in the commotion after a fan ran on the field and went after an umpire is that the 11-1 Royals had the best record in the AL. The New York Yankees were right behind them at 11-2. "The way we won it, yes it was,'' manager Tony Pena said when asked if Tuesday night was Kansas City's biggest win. "But no one paid any attention to it.'' Led by Mike Sweeney's two-run homer, the Royals scored four runs in the ninth to rally for an 8-5 victory. ... The Royals had 15 hits in both Monday and Tuesday's games. ... Two weeks into the season, Kansas City has already won six road games. Last year the Royals won just 25 games on the road.

Chicago: Aaron Rowand is expected to be back in the starting lineup Thursday after sitting out three games. Rowand is hitting just .111 over his last six games. ... Joe Borchard, Chicago's first-round pick in 2000, has slight tendinitis in his wrist and will sit a couple of games at Triple-A Charlotte. Borchard is hitting .308 with seven RBI in 10 games. ... Right-hander Dan Wright, on the disabled list with inflammation in his elbow, began a rehab assignment at Charlotte.

Athletics-Mariners
Oakland: Manager Ken Macha said he wasn't concerned about his team's six-game losing streak. "I don't sense any frustration,'' Macha said. "The bench has been good. It's been very intense.'' The A's won 103 games last season, when they set an AL record with a 20-game winning streak. "We're fine,'' Macha said. "We're playing good. This is an excellent team we're playing.'' ... LHP John Halama, signed by the A's as a free agent in January after Seattle didn't offer him a contract in December, will pitch for Oakland against the Mariners on Thursday. Halama had a 41-31 record in 130 games, including 81 starts, with the Mariners from 1999-2002. Macha said he knows Halama will have extra incentive pitching against his former team. "It's always interesting to see guys play against the last team they played for,'' Macha said. ... Tuesday night's defeat dropped the A's to .500 for the first time since June 7, 2002. ... RHP Jim Mecir, who had offseason surgery on the patella tendon in his left knee, pitched one inning each in extended spring training in Phoenix on Monday and Tuesday. "He pitched well,'' Macha said. "Now, he's en route to the Bay Area. We'll see what's going on on Friday. I don't know if he'll pitch for us Friday, but it's getting close.'' Mecir pitched in 61 games for the A's last season.

Seattle: CF Mike Cameron, who set a franchise record by striking out 176 times last season, leads the AL with 19 strikeouts in his first 14 games this season. "He's just hit a little lull,'' manager Bob Melvin said. "You go through ups and downs through the course of a season.'' ... The Mariners will review their security after Tuesday night's attack of an umpire in Chicago. Last season, three people, including a naked man, were arrested for criminal trespassing for running onto Safeco Field during games. "We've never had an incident like they had in Chicago last night,'' said Rebecca Hale, director of public information for the team. She said the team would not reveal how many security personnel it has available at home games. "It's very serious and we're dealing with it,'' Hale said.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cubs-Reds
Chicago: RHP Dave Veres has tendinitis in his throwing shoulder and was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Tuesday. Alan Benes was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take his place on the roster. ... Manager Dusty Baker said he was simply emulating Tommy Lasorda as he stuck with struggling 3B Mark Bellhorn. Baker said he struggled after arriving in Los Angeles as a player and received some much-needed support from his manager. "You're my left fielder,'' Baker said Lasorda told him. ... Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said he's satisfied with the security at Wrigley Field and no changes were made after a fan ran onto the field and tried to tackle an umpire Tuesday night at the White Sox stadium on the other side of town. Hendry said there's only so much that can be done to prevent "a person, one lunatic ... from trying to get his 10 seconds of fame.'' Cincinnati: Cincinnati made its NL-leading 20th error to start Wednesday's game. Shortstop Felipe Lopez booted a grounder by Cubs leadoff hitter Mark Grudzielanek, who scored two batters later on Sammy Sosa's home run. ... The Reds have not outhit any team this year and have scored two or fewer runs in six of their 15 games. They came into the game 15th in the NL in hitting .220. ... Both the Cubs and Reds stranded 14 runners Wednesday. ... The Reds were 12-5 against the Cubs last year and are 3-3 so far this year.

Braves-Expos
Atlanta: LF Chipper Jones was out of the starting lineup because of a sprained left groin. He hurt himself hustling for an infield hit in the ninth inning Tuesday night and left the game. He was listed as day to day and took batting practice. ... LHP Horacio Ramirez got another chance at the Expos on Wednesday night. He lost to them in his major league debut on April 2 in Atlanta despite giving up two runs in seven innings. ... 1B Robert Fick remains at least a few days away from returning to the lineup. He jarred himself diving for a ball Saturday at Florida.

Montreal: Ron Calloway made his second start of the season in left field, and the move paid off right away. He threw out Mark DeRosa at the plate to end the first inning when he tried to score from second on Julio Franco's single. ... RHP Orlando Hernandez, out since mid-March because of tendinitis in his shoulder, threw off a mound before the game in his second workout session. It was the first time he'd thrown breaking balls since being shut down. "He spun some curves up there, it went well,'' pitching coach Randy St. Claire said. The Expos hope he'll be able to return by mid-May.

Mets-Pirates
New York: Mets manager Art Howe is still figuring out how long he can count on RHP David Cone to last during his starts. The 40-year-old Cone returned to the majors this season following a one-year retirement. For now, the Mets aren't counting on him going more than six innings. Howe said, "We're trying to figure out what the limitations are.'' Cone has only one complete game since 1998. ... LHP Mike Stanton (calf) might be only a day away from being ready to pitch again. He was hurt performing a spin move Monday in San Juan. ... Howe is second guessing himself for not sending C Mike Piazza to extended spring training in Florida during his four-game suspension. Piazza played on opening day, then started the suspension, but has been slumping since his return.

Pittsburgh: RF Matt Stairs returned to the starting lineup Wednesday after not being available to start for several days because of a sore hamstring. He is expected to start frequently with LF Brian Giles sidelined for at least several more weeks with a sprained knee ligament. ... Pitching coach Spin Williams is working with RHP Kip Wells to slow down his delivery. The Pirates think he is rushing his pitches, and thus isn't fluid and in sync. ... After scoring 33 runs in their first four games, the Pirates didn't score more than three runs in their next nine games. ... 1B Randall Simon already has nine strikeouts, only four fewer than he had in 482 at-bats with Detroit last season. ... The Mets and Pirates don't meet again after this week's series until Sept. 23-25 in Shea Stadium. ... Manager Lloyd McClendon is disappointed the Pirates aren't among the Expos' opponents in their 22 home games in Puerto Rico. The Pirates long were the most popular team there because of Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, a native of Puerto Rico. McClendon said, "I thought it would be a nice gesture to have the opportunity to go there because of the legacy of Roberto Clemente with the Pirates. I guess (baseball) felt differently.''

Marlins-Phillies
Florida: The Marlins are the only team in the NL to have four players (Ivan Rodriguez, Alex Gonzalez, Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell) ranked in the top 25 in RBI. ... RHP Carl Pavano will start on Thursday afternoon against Philadelphia. While he is 2-6 with a 4.57 earned run average against the Phillies in 12 career starts, Pavano is 2-1 with a 3.44 ERA in three starts at Veterans Stadium. ... Luis Castillo played in his 718th game with the Marlins on Wednesday, tying the franchise record held by Jeff Conine. Castillo is the team leader in hits, at-bats, runs, singles, triples, stolen bases and multihit games.

Philadelphia: RHP On Thursday, Kevin Millwood will make his first start at home since his debut on April 5 against Pittsburgh was cut short with a sore groin after just three innings. Millwood, one the Phillies' big offseason acquisitions, came back on April 12 with an 8-5 win over Cincinnati, giving up three runs-- two earned -- on four hits in six innings. ... Millwood is 5-6 in his career against the Marlins, the most losses he has against any team. ... RHP Brandon Duckworth made a rehab start with Double-A Reading on Wednesday against Akron, going two innings, giving up one run on one hit with no walks and two strikeouts. Duckworth suffered mild elbow tendinitis during spring training. ... With his save on Tuesday, RHP Jose Mesa moved into a tie with Ron Reed for fourth on the Phillies all-time save list with 90.

Cardinals-Brewers
St. Louis: OF J.D. Drew made another rehab start for Class-A Palm Beach on Wednesday, going 0-for-4. Recovering from surgery to repair a tendon in his knee, Drew has gone 3-for-12 in six games with Palm Beach. ... RHP Matt Morris hit his first career home run Wednesday against Milwaukee LHP Wayne Franklin. It traveled as estimated 385 feet. ... RHP Woody Williams (2-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his third start Friday at home against the Diamondbacks. "It doesn't happen very often and nothing like this has ever happened to me,'' Williams said of his best-ever start. ... 3B Scott Rolen hit his fourth and fifth home runs to take the team lead. ... Edmonds, who didn't start in Wednesday's game, is batting .405. His career average in April is .342 and he's .382 in three-plus Aprils with the Cardinals. ... The Cardinals lead the NL in getting hit by pitch 10 times. "That's not my favorite stat,'' manager Tony La Russa said. Milwaukee: CF Alex Sanchez was 7-for-14 in the three-game series at home against St. Louis. He was 1-for-13 in the season-opening three-game series at St. Louis. ... Had the Brewers won Wednesday's game, it would have marked the first time since September 2000 in the final 10 days at County Stadium that they had won three straight series. ... Of Milwaukee's nine errors, six have come against St. Louis, which is 5-1 against the Brewers. ... Royce Clayton has 18 hits through 15 games. He had 16 all of April 2002 when with the White Sox.

Rockies-Diamondbacks
Colorado: The Rockies lead the league in hitting with runners in scoring position at .309. Colorado was 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position in Tuesday night's 12-1 victory. ... Colorado's five starting pitchers are hitting .208. RHP Shawn Chacon hit his first career homer Tuesday night. ... SS Jose Hernandez has tied his career best with a 10-game hitting streak. OF Preston Wilson has hit safely in 13 of the Rockies' 14 games, including the last eight in a row. ... Tuesday nights's 12-1 victory was the most one-sided for Colorado since a 16-3 victory over San Diego at Coors Field last May 23.

Arizona: Rookie 1B Lyle Overbay and OF Luis Gonzalez are the lone bright spots at the plate for the slumping Diamondbacks. Overbay has an eight-game hitting streak and is batting .353. Gonzalez is hitting .346. ... RHP Elmer Dessens is the only Arizona starter with a victory. The other two belong to closer Matt Mantei. ... While Junior Spivey (.146) and Tony Womack (.170) continue struggle, no one is having a worse time at the plate than OF Quinton McCracken, who has one hit in 18 at bats for a .056 average. A switch-hitter, McCracken is 0-for-7 from the right side and 1-for-11 from the left.

Padres-Dodgers
San Diego: Manager Bruce Bochy celebrated his 48th birthday Wednesday. ... RHP Jake Peavy, who turns 22 next month, has won each of his three starts and has a 2.65 ERA. "He pitches way beyond his years, that's for sure,'' pitching coach Greg Booker said. Peavy was selected in the 15th round of the 1999 free-agent draft. "It does feel good,'' he said. "I had some good experience last year. I'm fortunate to be with an organization that believes in me.'' Peavy was 6-7 with a 4.52 ERA in 17 starts for the Padres last season. ... RHP Jaret Wright, who started Game 7 of the 1997 World Series for Cleveland against Florida as a 21-year-old rookie, recorded his first big league save Tuesday night. "Relieving is definitely different,'' he said. "Mentally, you have to be ready to pitch every day. It's an adjustment, but so far, I like it. Being on the field when the game ends, shaking hands, knowing you had a part in how the game ends, that was fun.'' Wright said he's healthy now after several years of problems with his pitching shoulder. "Hopefully all that stuff is behind me,'' he said.

Los Angeles: An MRI and bone scan on LHP Odalis Perez's right ankle showed no damage. "He feels much better today,'' manager Jim Tracy said. "He's still entertaining the idea of pitching Saturday.'' Perez was originally scheduled to pitch Thursday night, but was pushed back because of the injury he sustained while running the bases last Friday. Tracy said RHP Andy Ashby would be the likely replacement if Perez can't go. ... The Dodgers entered Wednesday night's game with a 1-5 record in one-run games. They were 33-15 last year. "If we jump over the fence first, we'll rectify the one-run situation,'' Tracy said. "We just have not been able to get that hit. We've got a guy wearing No. 38 in the pen. If we're ahead by one run, we're more than likely going to win by one run.'' Tracy referred to Eric Gagne, who had 52 saves in 56 chances last season. ... Pinch hitters went 69-of-244 for a .283 average last season. They were 0-for-19 entering Wednesday night's game. "That's how it goes, no guarantees,'' said Padres infielder Dave Hansen, the Dodgers' franchise record-holder with 110 pinch hits. "You can't explain pinch hitting, that's for sure.'' Hansen signed with the Padres during the offseason. ... The Dodgers entered hitting .232, having scored 47 runs in their 14 games. "I'm not concerned,'' OF Brian Jordan said. "I know guys are going to come around. I just feel bad for the pitchers, they've done such a good job. We just have to be patient.''

Astros-Giants
Houston: Today's afternoon game in San Francisco is the last time the Astros will play in San Francisco during the regular season. ... The Astros lead the N.L. in one-run victories with five. ... Craig Biggio needs two homers and 18 steals to join Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan, Paul Molitor, Bobby Bonds, Barry Bonds and Roberto Alomar as the only players to hit 200 homers and steal 400 bases. ... Astros starter Brian Moehler entered the game on a 0-for-29 ride in his career at the plate. ... Brad Ausmus is the only Astros catcher in their 43-year history to win a Gold Glove. ... Jeff Bagwell already has seven multihit games in his first 13 games this season. ... Many in the Astros clubhouse were pleased that former Astros standout pitcher Shane Reynolds had a successful debut with the Braves against Expos. Reynolds who had the third longest tenure behind Biggio and Bagwell was released by the Astros on March 27.

San Francisco: Barry Bonds will get two days off before playing on Friday in Los Angeles. "He's sore,'' Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "I think he needs the days off. A couple times last night, I noticed that he was limping around in the dugout. He's been on the bases a lot and all that running that will really take it out of you.'' ... Alou's biggest concern during the Giants 13-1 start has been overworking the bullpen. Only Kurt Ainsworth has pitched eight innings since the beginning of the season. "I'm worried that I may be using the bullpen too much. I want my starters to go much longer than they're averaging. ... RHP Jason Schmidt is still back in Washington visiting with his ailing mother. He'll rejoin the team in Los Angeles in time to make his scheduled start on Friday. ... Ray Durham returned to the starting lineup for the first time since straining his groin on Sunday.