TUESDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Jose Cruz Jr. Hits his 590th and 591st career home runs, his first tying the game and his second winning it in the ninth inning. Also walked twice. AB H RBI R 5 4 6 2 Hero of the day Pirates starter Kris Benson finally got to break out his victory cigar. The right-hander pitched five strong innings Tuesday to earn his first victory in nine starts since coming back from Tommy John surgery. It was his first win since September 2000. Goat of the day Tigers manager Luis Pujols, who ordered Raul Ibanez intentionally walked in the seventh even though he only needed a single to hit for the cycle. The move was to prevent Ibanez from inflicting more damage, but cost the player a chance to make history. Injury report Indians SS Omar Vizquel injured hisshould making a diving stop against the Red Sox. "After two at-bats I could barely swing the bat,'' he said, adding that he would likely take Wednesday off. "I don't think it's separated, but the back of my shoulder is very sore." The Devil Rays placed LF Greg Vaughn and RHP Ryan Rupe on the 15-day DL as part of a series of moves that involved 10 players. Mark Bellhorn started at first base for the Cubs because Fred McGriff has a sore right foot. Braves OF Chipper Jones was kept out of the starting lineup because of back spasms, but pinch hit late in Tuesday's game. Mets OF Roger Cedeno was taken out of the game in the sixth inning with a mild contusion to the left knee. Streak of the day In the wild AL West, it's the Rangers' turn to be hot. Texas has won eight straight games, its longest streak since July 18-27, 1999. If the streak reaches 10 games, manager Jerry Narron promises to shave his head. Stat of the day Luis Pujols (Tigers) and Tony Pena (Royals) became the first MLB managers from the Dominican Republic to manage against each other in a game. Dominican President Hipolito Mejia and baseball commissioner Bud Selig were on hand to mark the occasion Thursday. Kansas City won 8-6. The last word "You need to be an almost unanimous choice. To be in the Hall of Fame, you need to be the best. There are guys in the Hall of Fame that were pretty good. The Hall of Fame is not a place for a guy who's pretty good.'' -- Former Phillies great Mike Schmidt, explaining why he believes Jose Canseco should not joing him in the hall of fame.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Angels at Rangers
Anaheim: C Sean Wooten, who has been on the DL all season, worked out with the Angels again Tuesday. Manager Mike Scioscia believes Wooten could return just before or after the All-Star break. Wooten tore a ligament in his right thumb during spring training and had a pin inserted in the thumb, and then strained an oblique muscle on his right side May 31 during his rehab assignment. ... RHP Matt Wise, recalled Tuesday by the Angels, could be used in several different situations. "Matt will be used in the bullpen in the middle of games, and could pitch a lot of innings,'' Scioscia said. "If needed, he could be a spot starter or go deeper in the game. There are a lot of options.'' Wise was 2-2 with a 3.83 ERA in 10 starts for Triple-A Salt Lake. He replaced rookie right-hander Matt Lackey, who was sent back to Salt Lake after making his major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader Monday. Texas: LHP Kenny Rogers has been scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday against Anaheim because of stiffness in his back. RHP Aaron Myette, recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma on Monday, will start for Rogers (8-4, 3.24 ERA). Manager Jerry Narron said he expects Rogers to miss only one start. Rogers' next scheduled start is Tuesday, but he could pitch before that. ... Narron was questioned Tuesday about why Francisco Cordero, who had his only three career saves in three straight games last week, was pitching in the ninth inning with a four-run lead Monday night. Cordero strained a muscle in his right shoulder while throwing a pitch and was put on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. "Cordero had gone in the game with three lifetime saves. Nobody had anointed him the closer,'' Narron said. "We wanted to make sure we won the game. We sent him out there to close out the game.''

White Sox at Twins
Chicago: The White Sox recalled RHP Matt Ginter from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, after optioning infielder Willie Harris to Charlotte following Monday night's loss to the Twins. Ginter has a 2.45 ERA in nine games this season for the Sox and has pitched 10 straight scoreless innings. He was sent down two weeks ago when Chicago began a stretch of three straight interleague series at NL parks and needed to add another bat. ... Mark Buehrle, a lefty and Chicago's ace, started Tuesday night against the Twins. Minnesota's lineup, dominated by lefties, entered the game hitting just .233 against lefties since May 3 and .244 for the season. ... Antonio Osuna, who has assumed the closer's role with Keith Foulke's struggles, was unavailable again for Tuesday's game because he's in Mexico with his pregnant wife. ... The Sox had a closed-door meeting before Monday's game. They lost to the Twins for the 16th time in their last 21 meetings, but the session seemed to lift their spirits a bit. "A lot of positive things come out of it,'' said SS Royce Clayton, "as far as what this team needs to add to get back on track. Everybody has to look in the mirror to see how they individually can get back to what we're capable of. I think we had a whole different type of swagger going.'' Minnesota: RHP Joe Mays is getting closer to returning to the Twins' rotation. Out since April 14 with inflammation in his pitching elbow, the right-hander has thrown live batting practice this week and is scheduled for two more simulated games Wednesday and Friday. If all goes well, he could leave as soon as Sunday to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment with Class-A Fort Myers. ... RHP Brad Radke is recovering slowly from his second groin pull and probably won't be ready until after the All-Star break. ... Gary Baggott, the security guard who was ejected from Monday night's game for tauntingly waving his glasses at an umpire, will not lose his job. He won't be seated on the field for the rest of the series, however. ... Manager Ron Gardenhire, ejected from Monday's game, is upset with the rule that says both benches are automatically warned when a pitcher throws at a batter. On Monday, Matt Kinney had a ball slip out of his hand and sail over Paul Konerko. Both benches were warned, and Gardenhire went crazy, leading to his ejection. "I'm tired of this warning stuff,'' Gardenhire said. "I know what they're trying to do. I understand that. All I want is consistency. I know the ball was behind his head. If it's 89 mph, maybe. But it was a changeup. The batter's laughing about it. In my opinion, that's goofy. He wasn't throwing at him. Roger Clemens says he's going to hit (Barry Bonds) on the elbow, and then he does it. What happened to Roger Clemens? Not a thing.''

Indians at Red Sox
Cleveland: RF Matt Lawton is expected to miss the series because of soreness in his right shoulder. He received a cortisone injection into the shoulder for pain lingering from when he separated it in April while diving for a ball. ... Cleveland activated RHP Paul Shuey from the disabled list and designated RHP Nerio Rodriguez for assignment. ... The Indians traded OF Bruce Aven to the Philadelphia Phillies for RHP Jeff D'Amico. ... Starting pitcher Danys Baez, a Cuban defector, rejoined the Indians after skipping a trip to Canada out of immigrations concerns. Boston: The Red Sox activated OF Manny Ramirez from the disabled list and designated RHP Darren Oliver for assignment. ... Boston manager Grady Little, a former Cleveland bench coach, played golf with Indians 1B Jim Thome on the off-day Monday. ... LHP Alan Embree is 0-6 with a 6.75 ERA at Fenway before joining the Red Sox. ... Boston began a 13-day, 14-game homestand.... 1B Brian Daubach was out of the starting lineup after 15 hits in his previous 91 at-bats (.165).

Yankees at Orioles
New York: The Yankees activated closer Mariano Rivera from the disabled list Tuesday. Rivera was placed on the DL on June 10 with a strained right groin. Manager Joe Torre was pleased with how his club battled without the right-hander, who has a franchise-record 233 saves. "If we sit back and lick our wounds about not having Rivera, it's not good,'' Torre said. "When you get through tough times, it makes you a better ballclub.'' ... Torre also liked the way his team battled through a tough series in San Diego last weekend. The Yankees relied upon strong pitching to take two of three in a low-scoring series. "Our pitching depth was really tested in San Diego,'' Torre said. ... The five runs New York scored in the San Diego series was the fewest the Yankees have scored while winning two of three in a series since 1980. ... Alfonso Soriano, the AL Player of the Week for June 17-23, hit his sixth career leadoff homer Tuesday -- all this season. Rickey Henderson holds the Yankees' career mark in one season with nine (1986). Baltimore: The Orioles purchased the contract of LHP Yorkis Perez from Triple-A Rochester and optioned RHP Sean Douglass to the same club. Perez adds depth to a bullpen that had only two lefties -- Buddy Groom and a struggling B.J. Ryan. ... 1B Jose Leon got his third start with Baltimore. He was hitting .364 at game time. ... 1B Jeff Conine, who's on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, began strengthening exercises Tuesday. He's eligible to come off the DL on Sunday. ... Hargrove started the week needing nine wins to reach 900 for his career. Fifty-three managers have done it, six of whom are still active.

Blue Jays at Devil Rays
Toronto: Manager Carlos Tosca lives in nearby Valrico and left around 30 tickets for Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay. He said the most special thing about the contest was the fact his father Carlos would be at the game. "I think he came to Greensboro once,'' said Tosca, who managed more than 1,700 minor league games. Tosca replaced Buck Martinez as Blue Jays manager June 3. ... Tosca was able to spent Monday's offday at home with his family. "A great day, but no rest'' he said. ... SS Chris Woodward, who strained his right groin June 18, could be heading for the disabled list. "He had a setback,'' Tosca said. "It doesn't feel good today.'' ... RHP Luke Prokopec, on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis, will likely be out until after the All-Star break. He is throwing at about 60-65 percent. Tampa Bay: OF Greg Vaughn plans to have his injured right shoulder examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles. "My goal is to get back as soon as I can,'' Vaughn said. "It's feeling better. I can lift it (his arm) today.'' Vaughn was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. ... C Toby Hall, recalled from Triple-A Durham, will share starting time with John Flaherty. ... GM Chuck LaMar said negotiations are continuing with 2002 first round draft pick B.J. Upton. "We're going to end up signing B.J. Upton,'' LaMar said. ... LaMar said top outfield prospect Carl Crawford is not ready yet to be called up from Triple-A Durham. "We want him to continue to develop,'' LaMar said. "He just needs to keep playing.'' LaMar said Crawford will join the Devil Rays at some point this season.

Tigers at Royals
Detroit: OF Bobby Higginson, who was placed on the DL June 9 with a pulled left hamstring, ran before the game Tuesday. "I can still feel it,'' Higginson said. "I didn't expect it to be that sore.'' Higginson said there is no guarantee he would be able to return to the lineup next week. ... The Tigers have two left-handed starters in their rotation, Mike Maroth and Mark Redman, for the first time since August 1997, when Justin Thompson and Glenn Dishman were starters. ... Detroit pitchers top the majors with eight complete-games. ... RHP Adam Bernero, who makes his seventh start Wednesday against the Royals, would have a 2.55 ERA except for an outing June 5, when he allowed nine earned runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Red Sox. Kansas City: Hipolito Mejia, the President of the Dominican Republic, attended the game Tuesday, the first meeting between two Dominican managers: Tony Pena of the Royals and Luis Pujols of the Tigers. ... Rookie LHP Jeremy Affeldt, who is on the disabled list with a finger blister, is scheduled to throw on the side again Wednesday. ... OF Donnie Sadler, who is on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain, had his first on-the-field activity Tuesday for the first time since his June 12 injury. ...On the Royals' 1-8 trip, they hit only .232 and scored just 27 runs, while the pitching staff had a 4.16 ERA.

Athletics at Mariners
Oakland: Manager Art Howe, who was Darryl Kile's first manager with Houston, will attend a public memorial service at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Wednesday. He was scheduled to fly from Seattle to St. Louis after Tuesday night's game. The Athletics will be managed by bench coach Ken Macha in Howe's absence Wednesday against the Mariners. Howe isn't scheduled to return to Seattle on Wednesday night until after the game starts. ... Howe hopes the A's, who had won eight in a row and 16 of 17 before Tuesday night's game, don't get too far ahead of themselves. "We have a long way to go,'' he said. Seattle: The Mariners brought up LHP Mark Watson from Triple-A Tacoma and sent RHP Julio Mateo down to their Pacific Coast League farm club. Watson, 28, had a 1-0 record with a 1.69 ERA and one save in three relief appearances and 5 1-3 innings for Tacoma this season. He was in uniform for Tuesday night's game. Watson started the season with Triple-A Iowa, a Chicago Cubs farm team, where he was 4-0 with a 4.30 ERA and one save in 28 games and 37 2-3 innings. He was claimed off waivers by Seattle from the Cubs June 18. Mateo, 24, pitched four shutout innings in Seattle's 13-2 loss to Oakland Monday night. He was brought up from Tacoma May 7 and pitched in 10 games for the Mariners, going 0-0 with a 3.93 ERA in 18 1-3 innings. Watson isn't expected to be with the Mariners long. The Mariners are expected to replace him on the roster Thursday or Friday with reliever Jeff Nelson, who underwent surgery on his right elbow May 10 to remove bone chips. Nelson was scheduled to pitch on a rehab assignment for Class-A Everett on Tuesday night. To make room on their 40-man roster for Watson, the Mariners moved starting pitcher Paul Abbott from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. Abbott, a 17-game winner last season, will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Reds at Cubs
Cincinnati: The Reds put OF Ken Griffey Jr. on the disabled list for the second time this season and third time in two years. Griffey strained his hamstring while running to first base June 7 and hasn't fully recovered. He aggravated the injury while legging out a double Sunday, and didn't play Monday night. Reds manager Bob Boone said Griffey would need at least a week to heal from his latest ailment. A roster spot could not be tied up that long, so OF Austin Kearns was recalled from Triple-A Louisville. "If we err, hopefully he's ready in a week and we'll just make (the hamstring) be more ready,'' Boone said. ... When Luis Pineda last faced the Cubs at Cincinnati on April 3, he was ejected in the ninth after he hit two batters with pitches. Eight days later, he was suspended and fined by the league for "intentionally throwing at and hitting'' the latter man, Todd Hundley. Pineda sat out one game and paid a reduced fine after appealing. Chicago: Manager Don Baylor said X-rays done Tuesday morning were negative on the sore right foot of 1B Fred McGriff. McGriff was rested anyway, with Mark Bellhorn (0-for-3 with an error) starting instead. "It's a little sore to run on. I was thinking about giving him a day before the weekend and he took it today,'' Baylor said. ... Heavy rains delayed the start of the game by 45 minutes. During the most intense moments of thunder and lightning, the Cubs public address announcer asked fans in the bleachers to take cover under the grandstand. Many booed and few moved.

Expos at Pirates
Montreal: The Expos opened their longest trip of the season Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. They're on the road for 13 games and will head to Toronto, Atlanta and Philadelphia after finishing against the Pirates on Thursday afternoon. ... RHP Jonathan Felfoldi, the Expos' fourth-round pick in this year's draft, agreed to terms on Tuesday. He will begin his professional career with Class A Vermont this week. The Expos have signed 15 of their 50 draft picks. Pittsburgh: RHP Josh Fogg has appealed the $750 fine he was assessed for hitting Montreal's Mike Mordecai on June 5. ... Rob Mackowiak got his first start of the season in center field on Tuesday. Mackowiak was 3-for-5 against Texas Sunday and Manager LLoyd McClendon wants to get as much offense in the lineup as possible. He rejected the idea of moving Brian Giles to center and wants to keep Giles in left. ... Giles got back to Pittsburgh about two hours before Tuesday's game. He had gone home to San Diego Sunday for his infant niece's funeral.

Phillies at Marlins
Philadelphia: CF Ricky Ledee, who was 4-for-6 in his debut as a leadoff batter in the Phillies' win Monday, remained atop the team's batting order Tuesday. ... The Phillies' 15 runs on Monday matched the team's output in its seven preceding games combined. ... Philadelphia is on pace for its first month with a record over .500 since May 2001, not including the team's 4-2 mark last October. ... RHP Brandon Duckworth will start Wednesday against Florida. Duckworth is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two starts against the Marlins this season. Florida: The run allowed in the first inning by RHP A.J. Burnett Tuesday ended his scoreless inning streak at 18 2-3, matching his career longest. ... RHP Josh Beckett, who has been battling chronic blistering on his right middle finger, threw about 50 pitches, including 10 curveballs, in a bullpen workout Tuesday. He said the finger was pain free. Beckett will throw batting practice Thursday, but is not expected to pitch in a game until July 16, when the Marlins are at the New York Mets. ... Wednesday's starter, LHP Michael Tejera, has a 10.38 ERA in five previous appearances against Philadelphia this season. Against all other clubs in 2002, Tejera's ERA is 2.54. ... In a deal involving minor leaguers, Florida acquired RHP Donnie Bridges from Montreal for OF Brett Roneberg. Bridges, who was 4-4 with a 6.14 ERA at Double-A Harrisburg, was optioned to another Eastern League team, Portland.

Braves at Mets
Atlanta: LF Chipper Jones was removed from the Braves' starting lineup Tuesday night because of back spasms. Jones was scheduled to bat fourth, but he had spasms during batting practice. Darren Bragg took Jones' place in left field. ... 1B Matt Franco is making his first start against his former team. Franco is hitless in four at-bats against the Mets this season, grounding out his first time up Tuesday night. New York: CF Jay Payton was not in the lineup after getting hit on the left hand by a pitch from Braves reliever Mike Remlinger on Monday night. "It's good. It's doing good,'' Payton said flexing the hand before batting practice. Payton had X-rays taken, which were negative ... Mets owner Nelson Doubleday said he was going to file a lawsuit soon against Robert Sparkey, the arbitrator responsible for determining the value of the Mets. Doubleday is going to challenge the methods Sparkey used to determine the value of the ballclub because he can't question the decision. Doubleday is in the process of selling his share of the Mets to his co-owner Fred Wilpon. ... Mets starter Steve Trachsel hit the first triple of his career in the second inning Tuesday. It was the first triple by a Mets pitcher since Al Leiter did it on Aug. 31 against the Florida Marlins.

Diamondbacks at Astros
Arizona: Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, two former Astros pitchers, have done well for themselves since playing in Houston. Johnson helped the Astros win the 1998 Central Division title. Schilling pitched for the Astros in 1991 before he became an All-Star pitcher. Together, they are among the most dominant duo in baseball history. Their 43-12 record last season accounted for 46.7 percent of the Diamondbacks' 91 victories. "I know there have been some duos in baseball history who put up big numbers, who put up big strikeout numbers and really limited the opposition,'' manager Bob Brenly said. "But I can't think of two that have done it as consistently as these two have over the last year and a couple of weeks.'' Houston: Close Astros friends of the late Darryl Kile got a much needed day off on Monday and when they returned to Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, they found another remembrance of their former teammate. Beneath the Astros 1997 NL Central Division pennant on the left-field wall was a white plaque bearing the letters "DK.'' Kile's last season with Houston was 1997. C Brad Ausmus was among Kile's best friends. "The day off couldn't have come at a better time,'' Ausmus said. "It's important that the people who knew Darryl when he was here were able to be with each other the last few days but it's also important that we have some times now to spend with our families. This is going to take a lot of time, no question.''

Giants at Padres
San Francisco: Barry Bonds, who homered twice in San Francisco's 7-6 win Monday night, ranks fifth all-time with 60 multihomer games. The only players with more are Babe Ruth (72), Mark McGwire (67), Willie Mays (63) and Hank Aaron (62). Bonds has four multihomer games this year. San Diego: 1B Ryan Klesko was back after missing four games with a strained right wrist and forearm he sustained while diving for a ground ball against Boston on Thursday night. ... The Padres needed to win three of their final six games in June to avoid their first full month with a single-digit win total since going 9-19 in June 1986. ... After winning 12 of their first 15 one-run games, the Padres have dropped eight of their last nine, including three in as many days. ... The Padres have been thrown out trying to steal 15 times in 17 attempts.

Brewers at Cardinals
Milwaukee: Tyler Houston was 21-for-34 (.618) during a nine-game hitting streak that matched his career best, entering Tuesday's game. ... The Brewers, who entered with a six-game road losing streak, began a 13-day, 13-game trip. ... C Marcus Jensen, outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday when the Brewers reinstated C Paul Bako from the disabled list,, has until midnight Wednesday to accept the assignment or elect to become a free agent. ... Richie Sexson entered the game 15-for-36 (.417) in his last 10 games. His nine-game hitting streak ended Sunday. St. Louis: Placido Polanco, who did not play in the team's weekend series in Chicago, entered the game with a 13-game hitting streak. It's the second-longest streak in the NL behind Vladimir Guerrero's 17-game streak with the Expos. ... The Cardinals enter with a 2.96 ERA at home, second-best at home, in the majors. ... The Cardinals entered the game leading the major leagues with 22 come-from-behind victories. They rallied in 36 victories last year. ... RHP Woody Williams, who is 4-4 with a 4.43 ERA against the Brewers, starts on Wednesday. ... C Mike Matheny, who's 6-for-14 with a homer against Brewers starter Glendon Rusch, did not start Tuesday. Mike DiFelice has caught 14 of Matt Morris' 17 starts.

Rockies at Dodgers
Colorado: The Rockies (38-38) entered Tuesday with a 32-22 record since Clint Hurdle took over as manager for Buddy Bell, but LF Terry Shumpert resents what he perceives as an inconsistent climate in the clubhouse that hinges on wins and losses. "It's really disappointing when you're losing or not pitching well, or not getting hits, and you can tell because of the way people treat you around here,'' Shumpert said. "I'm really disappointed when we're losing and everything falls to pieces. When you win, everything changes. The whole atmosphere is different and everybody's happy. And that's too bad -- because as long as we're together, why can't we also be good friends, or build a bond like a family and have that whether we win or lose?'' ... RF Larry Walker, who entered Tuesday leading all outfielders with 10 assists and had five homers in his previous seven games, was back in the lineup Tuesday night after missing two games because of a strained right elbow. "It's been through some rough days,'' said the three-time NL batting champ, who has periodically been taking anti-inflammatory medication. "I felt some discomfort last weekend in Tampa Bay, so I'm not going to push it right now. I could make 10 throws and not feel a thing, and then all of a sudden, I'll make one and it'll hurt.'' Los Angeles: Tuesday was another significant benchmark in the comeback of RHP Darren Dreifort, who threw to live batters for the first time since his elbow surgery last July 9. He made 30 pitches in the bullpen -- and then another 31 to Dave Hansen, Jeff Reboulet and Alex Cora during batting practice -- drawing a large crowd that included team chairman and CEO Bob Daly, GM Dan Evans and several teammates who applauded and hugged him when the session ended. Dreifort is counting the days when he can play country music on the clubhouse stereo every fifth day, and said he'll have a George Strait selection all picked out when the time comes. "It was a little strange seeing some hitters in there. I was a little anxious early on, but I got used to it after about 10 pitches,'' said Dreifort, whose seven-inch surgical scar along the inside of his arm is still prominent. "It's a big difference between this, and throwing to a catcher with nobody around. It's another step up instead of two steps back, so that's encouraging. I guess it was a bigger deal to everybody else than it was to me, because I still have a lot of work to do and a long way to go.'' ... C Paul Lo Duca, who left Monday night's game in the fourth inning because of an abductor strain, was back in the lineup Tuesday. "I had some discomfort around my hip area,'' Lo Duca said. "It just cramped up on me really bad and I just couldn't go anymore.''