THURSDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Pedro Martinez No three-game losing streak for Martinez. IP R H SO 8 0 2 11 Hero of the day Steve Trachsel of the Mets took a perfect game into the seventh inning, where it was broken up by a soft single off the bat of the Twins' Christian Guzman. Trachsel settled for a six-hit, 3-2 New York victory. Goat of the day Scott Mullen's bad throw on an 11th-inning bunt attempt allowed Vladimir Guerrero to score from second base, giving the Expos a 5-4 win over the Royals. It was Montreal's seventh straight win and Kansas City's seventh straight loss. Injury report Mariners DH Edgar Martinez aggravated his knee while turning away from a pitch while pinch-hitting against the Reds. Martinez finished the bat with a single, but is day-to-day. Padres RHP Bobby Jones was scratched from his scheduled start against the Red Sox on Thursday night because of tendinitis in his right elbow. Rangers slugger Juan Gonzalez sat out his second straight game with a sore right thumb, but should be back in the lineup Friday against Pittsburgh. Pirates LHP Scott Sauerbeck began warming up to pitch the eighth, but never made it into the game against the A's for precautionary reasons because of a sore arch. Padres 1B Klesko injured his right wrist and forearm diving for a ball in the fourth inning against the Red Sox. He left as part of a double-switch in the seventh. Streak of the day Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo extended his hitting streak to 34 games, the longest ever put together by a second baseman. Stat of the day The White Sox provide 7.5 runs per start in run support for Mark Buehrle, the highest number in baseball. Thursday, Chicago led the Phillies by three runs before Buerhle (10-5) even took the mound. The White Sox won 6-1. The last word "We've got to get him some Geritol. It's a concern, obviously, now that it's happened two starts in a row.'' -- Braves left fielder Chipper Jones, joking about starter Greg Maddux, who left his second straight start early with a sore calf.

INTERLEAGUE
Athletics at Pirates
Oakland: Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon was impressed with his first look at Oakland SS Miguel Tejada: "He is outstanding. All you hear about is Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter, but this guy is pretty good, too.'' ... RHP Tim Hudson ranks in the top 10 in Oakland history in strikeouts. But he won't soon move into a franchise leaders list that includes Hall of Famers Eddie Plank, Rube Waddell, Chief Bender, Lefty Grove and Catfish Hunter. ... The A's improved to 13-2 in one-run games. ... The Athletics play in Cincinnati on Friday for the first time since the 1990 World Series. Pittsburgh: LF Brian Giles will leave following Sunday's game to attend services for his niece, Lundyn Mae Giles, the infant daughter of brother Marcus Giles, an Atlanta Braves infielder. The baby died Wednesday after being born 26 weeks premature on June 3. Giles will return from San Diego in time for Tuesday night's game against Montreal. ... RHP Josias Manzanillo (right elbow surgery) threw 50 pitches in a sideline session and might be ready to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment. ... OF Armando Rios (bruised left knee) has resumed taking swings in the batting cage. ... The Texas Rangers play in Pittsburgh for the first time Friday, but the teams are familiar with each other after training an hour apart on Florida's Gulf Coast the last 10 years.

Indians at Marlins
Cleveland: RHP Paul Shuey (strained groin) might be activated Tuesday, manager Charlie Manuel said. Shuey will pitch one inning both Saturday and Sunday for Double-A Akron. ... Florida RHP Julian Tavarez, who was with the Indians from 1993-96, allowed just one run in seven innings Wednesday. "He's the same pitcher he was when he was here,'' Manuel said. "If anything, he has lost some of his velocity.'' Florida: Manager Jeff Torborg seems to have ties with almost everyone in baseball, including Wee Willie Keeler, whose 44-game hitting streak in 1897 was the major league record until Joe DiMaggio broke it. Torborg says his grandfather, Albert J. Kinney (1871-1967), was a pitcher and a teammate of Keeler's with the Brooklyn Bushwigs. ... Torborg said streaking Luis Castillo, looking for his first hit Tuesday, was given the sign to swing away on a 3-0 pitch but didn't see it because he usually is ordered to take in those situations. Castillo took a strike, then doubled on the next pitch.

Royals at Expos
Kansas City: The Royals will end their current nine-game road trip in New York, where they begin a three-game series Friday with their first game against the Mets. It won't be Kansas City's first visit to Shea Stadium, though. The Royals went 5-7 there in 1974-75 against the Yankees, who used the stadium as their home park for two seasons while Yankee Stadium was renovated. ... Kansas City is 2-9 against NL opponents this season, and 39-57 overall since interleague play began in 1997. Montreal: RHP Dan Smith's contract was purchased from Triple-A Ottawa after RHP Carl Pavano was sent to Ottawa. Smith, who will be used out of the bullpen, allowed Tony Gwynn's 3,000th hit on Aug. 6, 1999, in his first stint with the Expos. He was 5-4 with a 3.24 ERA in 14 starts for Ottawa this season. Double-A Harrisburg RHP Donnie Bridges -- Montreal's first-round pick in the 1997 June draft -- was designated for assignment. ... The Expos will play host to Cleveland for three games this weekend in their first regular-season games against the Indians. RHP Zach Day, who made his major league debut June 15 and has two wins in as many appearances, will make his first career start Saturday. Day was acquired from Cleveland last July 31 in a trade for Milton Bradley. ... RHP Tony Armas Jr. will not have to miss a start despite getting hit on his right forearm by a line drive Tuesday. Armas, who will start Sunday, sustained a deep bruise and had to leave after making just 12 pitches, though X-rays on his arm were negative. "He's set right now, unless he comes up Sunday morning and says, 'I can't do it,''' Expos manager Frank Robinson said.

White Sox at Phillies
Chicago: Since the start of last season, LHP Mark Buehrle is 26-13 with a 3.26 ERA. He's 17-5 with a 3.58 ERA lifetime on the road. ... Frank Thomas didn't start. He's hitless in his last 11 at-bats. ... Paul Konerko has hit six of his 14 homers in the last nine games -- all against NL teams. ... CF Kenny Lofton has one hit in his last 19 at-bats. ... RF Magglio Ordonez was 6-for-13 against the Phillies. ... The White Sox bullpen has a 2.03 ERA over the last 18 games. Philadelphia: 3B Scott Rolen missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle. He had started every game this season, before getting hurt Tuesday night. Rolen expects to play Friday. ... C Mike Lieberthal, who had a season-ending knee injury last May, started a day game after playing the night before for the first time this season. ... Manager Larry Bowa was ejected for the second time this year after LF Pat Burrell was tossed for arguing a called strike in the ninth. ... The Phillies are 20-16 at home, but have lost six of eight. ... Burrell has reached base safely in 34 straight games.

Twins at Mets
Minnesota: The Twins signed RHP Pat Neshek, their sixth-round pick in this month's draft. They also signed OF Justin Arneson, who participated in the team's tryout camp at the Metrodome this week. ... Minnesota acquired SS Seth Davidson to complete a deal with Triple-A Memphis for 2B Warren Morris. ... The Twins have had one of the best bullpens in the majors this season, making up for a a struggling starting staff. Twins relievers entered with a 3.21 ERA, more than two runs better than the starters (5.25). New York: Joe McEwing started in right field in place of Jeromy Burnitz, and John Valentin played first base for Mo Vaughn as manager Bobby Valentine benched two lefties against LHP Eric Milton. "We have a couple of guys on the bench who are getting stale in McEwing and Valentin. I want to get them in there,'' Valentine said. ... Valentine has already noticed a difference at the plate with new hitting coach Chris Chambliss, who came on board last Friday. "The pitchers are hitting better, no doubt about that,'' Valentine said. Shawn Estes homered last Saturday against Roger Clemens and Al Leiter had two hits Wednesday. ... RHP Grant Roberts (strained rotator cuff) will throw off the mound Friday.

Mariners at Reds
Seattle: CF Mike Cameron had a talk with manager Lou Piniella a few days ago about his slump. His solo homer Wednesday night snapped an 0-for-12 skid. "He told me that whatever happens at the ballpark, don't take it home,'' Cameron said. Piniella offered to let him sit for a few days, but Cameron declined. "Lou has given me the opportunity to go out and try to get my swing back,'' he said. "If we'd have been losing a lot, he would be doing something different.'' The Mariners have been alone in first place in the AL West since April 11 even though three of their top hitters -- Cameron, Bret Boone and Jeff Cirillo -- have been in extended slumps. "We need that trifecta to get close to what they're fully capable of doing,'' Piniella said. ... Mariners pitchers more than held their own in the first two games of their series in Cincinnati. Joel Pineiro and Freddy Garcia went 3-for-6 with two singles, a double and two RBI. Neither of them struck out. ... C Dan Wilson lowered his shoulder and leveled the Reds' Aaron Boone as he was tagged out while trying to make it to third base on an error in the second inning. Boone flew backward and fell on his back. Neither player was hurt and they both got up smiling. Cincinnati: CF Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the lineup, resting his tender hamstring. Griffey played the first two games of the series, his first times in the lineup since he strained his right hamstring June 7. He got three singles in six at-bats and slammed into the outfield wall to make a catch, hitting his right knee hard. "He can feel that he's played two days,'' manager Bob Boone said. "Plus, he hit his knee and it's sore.'' ... Boone met with the hitters in the clubhouse lounge for a half-hour before Thursday's game, trying to get them to calm down. They'd scored only two runs while losing the last three games and were 0-for-26 with runners in scoring position. ... RHP Elmer Dessens isn't getting many wins, but he's won over his manager. Dessens has a 2.63 ERA that ranks fourth in the NL, but is only 4-4. The problem is that the Reds don't score many runs when he's on the mound. Dessens was 10-14 with a 4.48 ERA last year in his first full season as a starter. "He's certainly a better pitcher than he was a year ago, when he was our best,'' Boone said. "He's learned a lot about himself. Now his confidence is growing to where he knows he's good.''

Tigers at Braves
Detroit: OF George Lombard made his first start for the Tigers against his former team. Lombard was acquired from the Braves before Wednesday's game for minor league P Kris Keller. Lombard started in left field and batted seventh. On Wednesday, he made his first appearance with the Tigers, pinch-hitting in the eighth inning. He flew out to right. 1B Randall Simon entered Thursday's game with five walks (four intentional) and 11 strikeouts in 240 plate appearances. At that rate, he would combine for 38 walks and strikeouts for the season. Brian Harper of the Minnesota Twins had the lowest mark in the post-expansion era for hitters with at least 400 plate appearances -- 16 strikeouts and 13 walks in 1989. Atlanta: RHP Kris Keller, acquired from the Tigers for OF George Lombard on Wednesday, said he threw at 80-90 percent during a side session before the game. If he doesn't experience any problems, he'll throw again Saturday. The reliever has been sidelined with a strained triceps; he'll likely be assigned to Triple-A Richmond when healthy. ... 3B Vinny Castilla missed his fourth straight start with a strained right hamstring. "They want me to do one more day,'' he said. Castilla hopes to be back in the lineup on Friday against the Chicago White Sox. "If I can swing without pain, I'll play,'' he said.

Rangers at Cubs
Texas: Ismael Valdes was bothered by a blister in his final innings of a strong performance Thursday. It was a problem he also had during his brief stay with the Cubs in 2000. Valdes gave up a leadoff homer to Corey Patterson and retired 18 straight Cubs at one point before giving up a single and a walk in the seventh. "After I gave up my fist homer, they were saying, `Keep the ball down' and I said I was trying to do that,'' Valdes said. "I have been bothered by blisters all my life. I have to learn to live with that,'' he said. ... Juan Gonzalez had X-rays on his sore right thumb and missed his second straight game, but should be back in the lineup Friday against the Pirates. ... Kevin Mench had his first career two-homer game. ... Gabe Kapler was a late scratch with a sore left wrist. ... The Rangers are 5-7 in interleague play this season and 48-50 overall. Chicago: Matt Clement had 10 strikeouts on a steamy day and then ran out of gas in the seventh inning when he gave up back-to-back homers to Todd Greene and Kevin Mench. "I threw two bad fastballs and they did what they are supposed to do with two bad fastballs,'' Clement said. Clement said he slowed down in the seventh because he threw so many pitches early in the game. He finished with 108 pitches and 10 strikeouts -- his third double-figure strikeout game of the season. ... Corey Patterson's leadoff homer was his second of the season. ... Cubs GM Andy MacPhail and vice president Jim Hendry will sit down with reliever Kyle Farnsworth and find out why he missed Tuesday's game against the Rangers without permission. Farnsworth was excused Monday to witness the birth of his child in Florida, but didn't get back until Wednesday's game had started. ... The Cubs are 5-4 in interleague play this season and 42-40 since 1997.

Angels at Cardinals
Anaheim: 3B Troy Glaus, who had been 0-for-11 and 12-for-86, had two hits after getting the day off Wednesday. "He came out today and had much better swings,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. ... Benji Gil was 2-for-3 and is 10-for-23 during a seven-game hitting streak. ... C Bengie Molina has thrown out 22 of 45 would-be basestealers, although the Cardinals' Edgar Renteria was successful in the fourth Thursday. ... David Eckstein has gone 70 plate appearances without striking out, the longest current streak in the majors. ... Darin Erstad has 138 hits in interleague play, best in the majors. ... The Angels, who dropped two of three to the Cardinals, haven't been swept since they lost four straight to the Mariners on April 8-11. St. Louis: CF Jim Edmonds is looking forward to the Cardinals' three-game series at Chicago starting Friday. "We'd love nothing better than to beat them and keep them at the bottom of the division,'' Edmonds said. ... RHP Jason Simontacchi, who starts Saturday at Chicago, has been bothered by a blister on the tip of his right index finger his last two starts. He said that's never been a problem until he got to the major leagues. ... The Cardinals have been outscored 91-65 the first two innings. That's a large part of the reason why they lead the major leagues with 21 come-from-behind victories, one more than the Angels. ... Manager Tony La Russa fielded his 54th different lineup in 70 games. ... Eli Marrero has six home runs, equaling his season high set last year and in 1999. ... The Cardinals were 8-4 in interleague play this year, and 42-43 overall. They had been unbeaten in interleague play at home before losing the series finale 3-2 to the Angels.

Yankees at Rockies
New York: Manager Joe Torre said LHP Andy Pettitte's sore left elbow may continue to bother him for a while. Pettitte has pitched twice since being on the DL with elbow tendinitis. "It's not going to go away. It's something that he's going to feel from time to time. I think some days it's going to be sorer than other days but I don't think it's going to hurt the injury.'' ... Torre said he understands Colorado's reasons for storing baseballs in a humidor, but he hasn't noticed that much of a difference. "I don't know if the balls are different. It may just be the atmosphere. At first when you hear about putting in a humidor, you say, 'Why? Why should they have that?' But then, when they explain it to you it makes sense.'' ... Torre said Robin Ventura's recent power surge has him wanting more. "I'm getting greedy. I want 30 home runs. One thing I really appreciate watching every day is what a calculated hitter he is. He can pull the ball like anybody on this team.'' ... 1B Jason Giambi had two errors in Thursday's 20-10 victory over Colorado, but Torre wasn't too concerned. "I don't know if it worries me. I think he's trying to throw too quickly. We knew he had good hands and that his throwing was inconsistent. It's nothing that's developed since he's been here.'' Colorado: RHP Mike Hampton has allowed seven runs in three straight starts, but manager Clint Hurdle said he will continue to keep him in the starting rotation. "He's going to get the ball again. I think there might have been a period where he forgot (how to pitch), but I think he's starting to get the feel of it again. This is not an easy situation to be in for anybody.'' ... Hampton said his struggles have more to do with attitude than mechanics. "It's a confidence thing. I look at tapes and you can look at it as much as you want. Mechanics, you can go through that, you can do just about anything but bottom line is nothing's changed. Everything's the same, but something gets in your mind and you don't trust your stuff.'' ... Hurdle said the Rockies' recent hitting woes are the worst he's seen in Colorado. "Probably in the six years I've been here, if I had to rank the team one through six in offensive prowess this team would be ranked sixth. We have some holes in our lineup. Hurdle also hinted that changes may be on the way if things don't improve. "We're giving opportunities to the guys that are here and if those opportunities aren't moved upon, then we're put in a situation where we need to look elsewhere and come up with some different personnel.'' ... 3B Todd Zeile and Yankees 3B Robin Ventura both homered. They hit home runs in the same game only once all of last season as teammates with the New York Mets.

Orioles at Diamondbacks
Baltimore: Jeff Conine, placed on the DL Saturday after straining his right hamstring, is improving. But manager Mike Hargrove isn't ready to say when his regular 1B will return. "I don't think we'll have a true read on that until nearer the end of the 15-day period,'' Hargrove said. ... The loss of Conine and David Segui, who had surgery May 21, has left the Orioles inexperienced at first. Non-roster spring training invitee Ryan McGuire has started one game since Conine's absence, 25-year-old Jay Gibbons, acquired in the Rule 5 draft, has three starts and Jose Leon got the nod for his first major league start in this game. Leon was called up from Triple-A Rochester to take Conine's place on the roster. ... RHP Sidney Ponson, who had to leave Wednesday night's 6-1 win when he was hit in the right wrist, was sore Thursday, but Hargrove said he probably will be ready for his next start. ... The Orioles begin the last series of a four-city, 10-game road trip Saturday in San Francisco. ... Hargrove promised that Giants slugger Barry Bonds would be pitched to -- at least part of the time. "Barry is one of the most dominant players in the game today or ever, but the last time I looked Barry wasn't perfect,'' Hargrove said. "There are other dangerous people in their lineup -- Jeff Kent is a pretty good example -- and you can't let your focus end on one guy. We'll pitch to Barry when the situation demands it and pitch around him when the situation demands it.'' Arizona: Although SS Tony Womack misplayed a grounder in the eighth inning against Baltimore on Wednesday night, the Diamondbacks continued to lead the majors in fielding, with 32 errors in their first 70 games. ... Mark Grace, a defensive replacement for Erubiel Durazo on Tuesday and a non-participant the next night, started at first base this time. "We said there would be times when we needed to put our best defense on the field, and this is one of those games,'' manager Bob Brenly said. "With (Rodrigo) Lopez facing (Randy Johnson), we have to assume it's going to be a low-scoring game.'' ... Johnson was erratic at the start, striking out five in the first two innings, but also giving up a solo homer to Melvin Mora and two singles. ... RF Quinton McCracken appears close to becoming a regular, the first at the position since Danny Bautista tore up his shoulder trying for a diving catch on May 22. McCracken has hit safely in 15 of his 17 starts, including a single that broke up Lopez's perfect start in the fourth inning.

Blue Jays at Dodgers
Toronto: Manager Carlos Tosca broke out in a big smile when informed that one of his former minor league players, Florida's Luis Castillo, stretched his hitting streak to 34 games and broke Rogers Hornsby's major league record for second basemen. Tosca managed Castillo in 1996 with Double-A Portland, and in 1997 with Triple-A Charlotte. "In the minor leagues, we have to write those reports at the end of the year explaining what kind of players we think those guys are going to be. And if somebody would look back at the reports I wrote about him, I said that it would not surprise me if he won a National League batting title one year,'' Tosca said. "So I'm not surprise at all by his streak. He's one of most talented players I've ever been around -- on both sides of the ball. He has the same swing he had then. He's got a magic wand. If there's anyone who's capable of breaking the record, it's him because of his speed.'' ... RHP Luke Prokopec, on the DL since June 14 because of an injured right elbow, is scheduled to start throwing again this weekend on flat ground to build up his arm strength. That will be followed by a couple of bullpen sessions after probably a minor league rehab assignment. "It's just a matter of getting a bit of time off and making sure it's 100 percent,'' Prokopec said. Los Angeles: Jim Tracy, who was introduced as Dodgers manager the same day Phil Jackson received the first of his three consecutive NBA championship rings as Lakers coach, is an ardent admirer of the Zenmaster. "I've never personally met the guy, but I would like to meet him, I'll tell you that,'' Tracy said. "He has a real feel of what more than likely will take place on the other side of the court, as a result of something he's going to do.'' ... Hitting coach Jack Clark, who always made the extra effort as a player, did so again out of respect for longtime friend and St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck. Clark, who spent three seasons with the Cardinals and put them into the 1985 World Series with a three-run homer against the Dodgers in the 1995 NLCS, took a redeye flight after Thursday night's game to attend Buck's funeral -- and planned to take a return flight so he would be back in time for Friday night's game.

Devil Rays at Giants
Tampa Bay: Starter Tanyon Sturtze fell to 0-8 on Thursday as the Giants beat the Devil Rays 10-2. Sturtze, who now owns the longest losing streak in the majors, allowing a season-high seven runs on 13 hits over 5 1/3 innings. ... The Devil Rays pitchers have allowed 13 hits in a game four times, including twice by Sturtze. ... Randy Winn went 0-for-4 to end his career-high 13-game hitting streak. ... Tampa Bay dropped to 11-25 on the road. They are 13-21 at home. San Francisco: Russ Ortiz improved to 3-0 in his last four interleague starts. ... CF Marvin Benard scored four times in Thursday's 10-2 win. The last time a Giants player scored four runs in a game was Russ Davis last June 2 at Colorado. ... The Giants stole a season-high three bases. ... Giants OF Barry Bonds took a scheduled day off. ... Jeff Kent had three hits in all three games against the Devils Rays, finishing 9-for-14 with a pair of homers.

Red Sox at Padres
Boston: Johnny Damon stole his 200th career base in the first inning of Thursday night's game at San Diego. ... Rickey Henderson needs two singles to tie Nellie Fox for 24th on the all-time singles list with 2,161. ... Red Sox RHP Pedro Martinez came into Thursday night's game winless in his last four starts. He lost his previous two starts after getting two straight no-decisions. His last win was May 23 against the New York Yankees. Martinez is 6-2 lifetime against San Diego. San Diego: Ozzie Smith, who will go into the Hall of Fame this summer, was honored before the game in a ceremony emceed by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. Smith played the first four years of his career with the Padres, from 1978-81. Instead of a ceremonial first pitch, Smith threw from the shortstop position to a 10-year-old Little Leaguer at first base. ... RHP Bobby Jones was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday night because of tendinitis in his right elbow. Jones, who is 5-4 with a 5.34 ERA was pushed back to Saturday against the New York Yankees. Rookie LHP Kevin Pickford started in place of Jones. Pickford, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Portland on May 16, has made nine appearances for the Padres, including two starts. The Padres have won only one game in which he's pitched.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Astros at Brewers
Houston: The Astros return home Friday to resume interleague play with the Seattle Mariners. ... Wade Miller loves Miller Park. He was 3-0 in the Brewers' ballpark when it opened last season and he beat them again Thursday. His all-time record against Milwaukee is 8-1, marred only by a 9-3 opening-day loss in Houston April 2. Milwaukee: Ruben Quevedo will face the Anaheim Angels for the first time in his career Friday night. ... Jamey Wright can't beat the Astros. He was the losing pitcher again Thursday for the second time this season and is now 0-7 against Houston. ... 3B Tyler Houston extended his hitting streak to seven games. He is hitting .654 (17-for-26) in that span.