THURSDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Brian Giles Hit two two-run homers in an 8-6 loss to the Astros AB H RBI HR 5 2 4 2 Hero of the day Expos outfielder Brad Wilkerson hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to help Montreal edge the Phillies 2-1. Goat of the day Royals first baseman Raul Ibanez misplayed Scott Hatteberg's bases-loaded grounder for an error in the bottom of the ninth to allow the winning run to score in Kansas City's 3-2 loss to the Athletics. Injury report Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter left in the third inning with a bruised lower left leg and a sprained knee after a hard slide by the Indians' Jason McDonald at second base. Royals first baseman Mike Sweeney didn't play after receiving a cut on his ring finger from being hit by a pitch Wednesday. Red Sox second baseman Lou Merloni left in the fifth inning because of right ankle soreness. He is day-to-day. Pirates second baseman Pokey Reese, who has a strained muscle in his left side, will sit out the entire series against the Astros. Tigers third baseman Chris Truby has a pulled abdominal muscle and was a late scratch. Diamondbacks catcher Damian Miller didn't play for the second straight game because of tendinitis in his left wrist. Angels third baseman Troy Glaus left the game in the seventh inning with a mildly sprained ankle. Streak of the day The Mariners have won nine straight against the Twins, including six in a row at Safeco Field. Stat of the day The Yankees grounded into two double plays, giving them an AL-high of 84 this season. The last word "I was horrible in the first, but this offense is the best in the business.'' -- Rangers starter Rob Bell, who gave up six runs in the first. Texas though rallied to defeat the Devil Rays 8-6.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Blue Jays at Red Sox
Toronto: The Blue Jays have played three five-game series in franchise history and were swept for the first time. ... The Blue Jays have been swept seven times this season and the Red Sox have three of those sweeps. ... Shannon Stewart had his first stolen base in 34 games. He also had his 25th multihit game this season, which leads the team. ... Dave Berg extended his hitting streak to seven games. He is batting .440 (11-for-25) since June 29, the day the hitting streak began.

Boston: The game-time temperature was 96 degrees, and the heat index on the field was 115 degrees, according to Red Sox spokesperson Kevin Shea. The medical staff on hand at Fenway Park treated over 200 people due to the heat, and they used the postgame interview room as a cooling station. ... Lou Merloni aggravated his right ankle. He bruised the ankle Wednesday night when he fouled a ball off it and re-injured it Thursday on a double-play attempt. "I'm not sure if he will be able to go tomorrow or not,'' Boston manager Grady Little said. ... Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to seven games. His double in the third inning was his 28th this season, and 14 have come with runners in scoring position. ... Boston is 19-0 when Johnny Damon scores two runs or more.

Indians at Yankees
Cleveland: Jim Thome's homer streak ended at seven games, one shy of the major league record held by Ken Griffey Jr., Don Mattingly and Dale Long. "You like for them to last, but they don't go on forever,'' Thome said. ... The Indians went 0-for-4 with the bases loaded, including failing to score a run after filling the bases with no outs in the seventh inning. Cleveland is hitting just .171 (12-for-70) with the bases loaded this season. "Either we try too hard or are looking for too good of pitches,'' manager Charlie Manuel said. "That's where you want to hit. It's the ideal place to hit.'' ... LHP Chuck Finley hadn't allowed a homer in his previous eight starts before Raul Mondesi connected in the second inning. ... 2B John McDonald went 3-for-4 to match his career high in hits and improve to 6-for-7 lifetime at Yankee Stadium.

New York: Raul Mondesi hit his first homer as a Yankee and Jason Giambi hit his 22nd, the 10th straight game New York has homered. The Yankees lead the majors with 131 homers, but Bernie Williams' RBI groundout and Giambi's sacrifice fly were almost as important. "We're not just doing it with the homer,'' reliever Mike Stanton said. "We're moving runners over, which we weren't doing earlier in the year. You can't rely on the homer come the playoffs.'' ... The Yankees will be careful about RHP Roger Clemens, who left his start early Tuesday with cramps in his right leg. If he's not ready to pitch Sunday, Ted Lilly will take his place. The Yankees would then probably start Clemens in the first game after the All-Star break Thursday in Cleveland. "We don't need for him to be a hero because the second half is so important for us,'' manager Joe Torre said. ... SS Derek Jeter is day to day with a bruised lower left leg and sprained knee after being knocked out of the game by a hard, takeout slide by Cleveland's John McDonald. "If everything is fine, I'll try to play as soon as possible,'' said Jeter, who will have an MRI exam Friday.

Devil Rays at Rangers
Tampa Bay: 1B Steve Cox reached 10 homers in 81 games, the slowest to double-digits in the team's five seasons. Paul Sorrento was the previous slowest, reaching 10 homers in 76 games in 1998. ... Tampa Bay was shut out eight times in its first 40 road games, averaging 3.33 runs per game over that span.

Texas: RHP Jeff Zimmerman threw batting practice, a stint of about 50 pitches that is another step in his comeback from elbow surgery. The closer will have a few more batting practice sessions before he's ready for a minor league rehab assignment. Zimmerman, who hasn't pitched this season, is on a schedule that would have him activated from the DL by late July. ... The Rangers and Yankees are the only two teams in the majors with four players who've hit 200 or more homers. Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez and Ivan Rodriguez have reached the milestone for the Rangers. New York's Robin Ventura, Raul Mondesi, Bernie Williams and Jason Giambi have 200-plus homers.

Tigers at White Sox
Detroit: Tigers manager Luis Pujols is not rushing to make any changes with his closer. Pujols believes Juan Acevedo has struggled because of the limited number of save opportunities that he has had. Pujols will try to use him more in non-save opportunities. "Behind or ahead we will try to use him more often at least an inning or so,'' Pujols said. "We will see if we can get him more in rhythm.''

Chicago: DH Frank Thomas was ejected Wednesday for arguing a called third strike. He went 0-for-3 to drop his average to .242. "It was obvious it was a bad call. The whole infield was still standing in position because they knew it was a ball,'' Thomas said. After slumping earlier in the season, Thomas was pushed lower in the lineup. If he continues to struggle, White Sox manager Jerry Manuel has indicated he would move Thomas down in the order again. "That's up to Jerry. If he wants to put Paul (Konerko) in the three spot, that's fine because he is swinging like a No. 3 hitter, or Mags (Magglio Ordonez), but I don't think he wants to be moved over there because he loves fourth,'' Thomas said. "Five-hole would be fine, I'm not pressed to being a 3-hole hitter hitting .240.''

Orioles at Angels
Baltimore: The pain in 1B Jeff Conine's strained right hamstring has moved to another area, manager Mike Hargrove said. If Conine, who's on the 15-day DL, isn't activated in time for Saturday's game at Texas, he'll have to wait until after the All-Star break, Hargrove said. ... Rookie RHP Travis Driskill was coming off his first loss, June 28 against Philadelphia. He began the season 5-0, and the Orioles brought a 6-1 record into his eighth start.

Anaheim: DH Brad Fullmer returned to the starting lineup after missing two games with flulike symptoms. "He was dizzy and worn down. Everything came back normal and he's moving well,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. ... C Shawn Wooten is expected to join the Angels soon after the All-Star break, Scioscia said. Wooten has been on the DL since the start of the season after he separated a joint in his right thumb during a spring training game. ... LHP Jarrod Washburn (9-2), who has won his last nine decisions, will spend the All-Star break in Wisconsin. "I don't think it's right we only got one guy (LF Garret Anderson) picked from our team,'' Washburn said.

Royals at Athletics
Kansas City: 1B Mike Sweeney was not in the starting lineup a day after getting hit by a pitch from Seattle's Joel Pineiro. Sweeney cut his ring finger and had been expected to play if there was no complications or swelling. ... OF Carlos Beltran was back in the lineup after leaving Wednesday's game with a split toe nail. Beltran was used as the DH. ... C A.J. Hinch made his first visit to Oakland since being traded by the A's in a deal that brought Johnny Damon and Mark Ellis to Oakland on Jan. 8, 2001. Hinch was in the minor leagues when the Royals visited Oakland last season. "It's nice to be back,'' said Hinch, who made his major league debut with the A's in 1998. "Hopefully, we can get some wins.'' ... The Royals came in with 241 losses to the A's, their most against any team. ... Kansas City entered 20-11 on the Fourth of July.

Oakland: 1B Scott Hatteberg was in the starting lineup after missing two games due to triceps tendinitis. ... 2B Mark Ellis was a shortstop before he reached the majors and was switched to second base. "It's easier that way,'' A's manager Art Howe said. "It's a shorter throw. It's still the other side of the infield and you have to get acclimated to it. It's a different feel over there.'' ... During pregame activities, Howe uses the same glove he ended his career with as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. "It's older than some of the guys I've played with,'' he said. ... The A's are 2-18 when they don't hit a home run.

Twins at Mariners
Minnesota: CF Torii Hunter returned to the starting lineup after getting a day to rest Wednesday in Oakland, though he did play as a late-game defensive replacement. The Twins are in a stretch of 19 straight games. ... RHP Juan Rincon made his first career start and sixth appearance. ... RHP Kyle Lohse (7-5, 5.60 ERA) is scheduled to make his regular start Saturday, manager Ron Gardenhire said. Lohse was hit in the left knee on a grounder on Monday in Oakland and left the game with a bruise. ... The Twins came into the four-game series with eight straight losses to the Mariners, including five in a row at Safeco Field. Minnesota last beat Seattle on May 22, 2001. ... SS Cristian Guzman also returned to the lineup after a day off. He has hit safely in 15 of his last 18 games, going 24-for-80 (.300) with a triple and seven RBI.

Seattle: DH Edgar Martinez got the day off after playing seven straight games since returning full-time after missing 11 weeks following April 13 surgery to repair a ruptured tendon behind his left knee. "With Edgar, it's almost like spring training for him right now,'' manager Lou Piniella said. ... Piniella said he still has not decided whether he will start RHP Ryan Franklin or LHP John Halama on Sunday in the final game of the series. Piniella said it's "depending how we use our pitching the first three games of the series.'' Franklin left the ballpark Thursday and was not available because he has strep throat. "We're really a little short if the game goes extra innings,'' Piniella said. ... The rotation next week following the All-Star break will be RHP Joel Pineiro on Thursday at Tampa Bay and LHP Jamie Moyer on Friday. Next Saturday's starter has not been determined, Piniella said, but RHP James Baldwin will either throw Saturday or Monday. RHP Freddy Garcia, who's in the All-Star game, will pitch next Sunday against the Devil Rays. "We want to give all our starters seven days,'' Piniella said. "It's a nice little break during this time. I think things are working out pretty well pitching-wise. I don't think we need to change a thing.''

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Expos at Phillies
Montreal: OF Brad Wilkerson leads NL rookies with 44 runs scored, 23 multihit games, 36 walks, 72 hits and nine outfield assists. ... OF Vladimir Guerrero and 2B Jose Vidro are both starters for the NL in the All-Star game. The last time the Expos had two starters in the game was 1984. with C Gary Carter and P Charlie Lea. ... LHP Joey Eischen hasn't allowed a run in his last 13 appearances (a span of 12 1/3 innings).

Philadelphia: SS Jimmy Rollins is the first Phillie to make the All-Star team each of his first two ML seasons. Only 11 players in NL history have accomplished the feat. C Mike Piazza was the previous player to be honored in 1993-94. ... 1B Travis Lee will have a MRI on his sprained left shoulder on Friday. He suffered the injury on a slide into home plate during Tuesday's 12-6 loss to the New York Mets. ... Ricky Ledee has started in center and batted leadoff in nine of the last 11 games. He has 13 hits over that span. ... Jose Mesa has five blown saves in 27 chances this season. He only blew four save chances last year in 46 chances last season.

Brewers at Reds
Milwaukee: RHP Jose Cabrera walked a career-high six batters in five-plus innings, but said the heat wasn't the main factor. "The umpire -- he's human like me,'' Cabrera said, referring to plate umpire Matt Hollowell's strike zone. "It's not really the weather that killed me.'' Cabrera drank a lot of water when the team was in Pittsburgh on Wednesday to guard against dehydration. "I drank a lot of water because I knew I needed to throw at least five innings,'' he said. "I just put it in my mind that I have to at least go five. I needed to prove to myself that I can pitch in that weather, too.'' ... Eric Young, whose two-run double put the Brewers ahead in the ninth, was one of numerous players who wore cabbage leaves under their caps to stay cool when they were in the field. The leaves were stored in coolers with an ammonia water solution between innings. "It really works,'' Young said. "I was cool out there.'' ... Ryan Thompson pinch hit in the ninth and flied out, ending his eight-game hitting streak. ... The Brewers had lost their first seven games against the Reds this season, getting outscored 48-20. ... When Milwaukee started its current 13-game trip, it was only 8-25 on the road. The Brewers have won six of their first 10 on the trip.

Cincinnati: Jared Fernandez got his first major league hit and was in position to get his first big league win before Danny Graves gave up two runs in the ninth. "It kind of stunk,'' he said. "But I'd take Gravy out there 10 out of 10 times. He's so consistent.'' ... Fernandez threw 99 pitches in six innings, most of them knuckleballs. He threw five or six sliders and five or six fastballs. ... The Reds called Fernandez up from Triple-A Louisville on Thursday to give their injury-depleted rotation some help. Manager Bob Boone said Fernandez will determine how long he stays by how well he pitches. Fernandez also has pitched in relief in Louisville. "He's been the savior in Louisville,'' Boone said. "He's been inserted in so many different places. His blessing is that he probably can pitch a doubleheader.'' ... The Reds have fallen into last year's rut -- they can't win at home. Cincinnati has dropped 14 of its last 19 at Cinergy Field, falling to 20-22 for the season. Last year, the Reds lost a team-record 54 home games.

Astros at Pirates
Houston: Manager Jimy Williams didn't hesitate to pull spot starter Pete Munro with a 6-3 lead in the fifth inning, even though Munro was within two outs of earning the victory. Williams said, "We need to win games. You try to evaluate the situation. I felt he had done a good job. You always like to see the starter get the win, but it's a team victory.'' Munro was 7-1 at Triple-A New Orleans before joining the Astros on June 27. He pitched once in relief before starting Thursday. ... The Astros had seven doubles Thursday, including two innings in which they had three doubles, but failed to homer for the first time in seven games. ... RHP T.J. Mathews (strained right biceps) begins a rehabilitation assignment at New Orleans on Friday.

Pittsburgh: 2B Pokey Reese (strained muscle in left side) likely won't play in the Houston series, but won't go on the disabled list because of the three-day All-Star break next week. McClendon expects him to be ready to play July 11 in Milwaukee. ... McClendon thinks 1B Kevin Young's greatly improved defensive play is the result of the move from Three Rivers Stadium's artificial turf to PNC Park's grass surface. Errors aren't an accurate judge of a player's range or defensive ability, but Young -- bothered by achy knees for several years -- has only 12 errors in 1{ seasons of playing home games on grass compared to 40 errors in his final two seasons on turf. ... SS Jack Wilson is 14-for-30 during an eight-game hitting streak.

Giants at Diamondbacks
San Francisco: While Jeff Kent has thrived since being moved to the third spot in the batting order (15-for-28 with three HRs and 15 RBI), Barry Bonds has sputtered batting cleanup. In the No. 4 spot in six of the last seven games going into Thursday's contest, Bonds was 4-for-19 (.211) with no homers and 10 walks. ... OF Reggie Sanders, always a streak hitter, is batting .319 with four doubles, a triple and two HRs in his last 10 contests. ... The 14 runs allowed by the Giants at Colorado on Wednesday were the most they've given up all season. ... San Francisco leads the majors in double plays with 97.

Arizona: C Damian Miller was out of the lineup for the second day in a row after receiving a cortisone injection for tendinitis in his left wrist two days ago. ... RHP Matt Mantei, just back from "Tommy John'' elbow surgery, threw two pitches in one-third of an inning against Los Angeles Wednesday night for his first victory since April 29, 2000. ... Los Angeles was 45-0 when leading after seven innings before Arizona rallied in the eighth to beat the Dodgers 5-3 on Wednesday. ... 2B Junior Spivey extended his hitting streak to 17 games, longest active streak in the majors.

Dodgers at Cardinals
Los Angeles: Since May 21, Shawn Green leads all major leaguers with 23 homers and 45 RBI. In his 37 games since May 21, Green is hitting .333. ... In his last eight outings, reliever Giovanni Carrara has recorded an ERA of 0.77, going 2-0 and allowing one run in 11 2/3 innings. Overall, he is 5-2 with 3.72 ERA.

St. Louis: The Cardinals have 26 come-from-behind victories, most in the major leagues. ... RHP Andy Benes, making his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Memphis, outpitched his younger brother, Alan, on Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa. Andy Benes allowed three earned runs on seven hits in i6 1/3 innings while Alan Benes lasted five innings and gave up six runs -- two earned -- on eight hits.

Mets at Marlins
New York: LHP Mike Bascik will make his major league debut Friday in the second game of the Florida series. Bascik, who has been at Triple-A Norfolk, is starting in place of Steve Trachsel, who is on the DL with a shoulder injury. ... The Mets are tied for second in the NL with seven shutouts. ... The Mets have hit at least one home run in 12 of their last 14 games, with seven homers in their last seven games.

Florida: The Marlins lead the NL in both drawing walks and striking out. The Marlins have 338 walks and have struck out 609 times. ... RF Cliff Floyd is the subject of trade talk, with the Expos, Braves and Mariners being mentioned as possible suitors. Floyd isn't the only player possibly being shopped. Starting pitchers A.J. Burnett and Brad Penny, each of whom earn about $370,000, are eligible for arbitration, where a $2 million salary could be waiting. Also, CF Preston Wilson's contract is backloaded, reaching $12 million in 2005. ... While no decision has been made, manager Jeff Torborg said he might be willing to move a starting pitcher into the closer's role. Vladimir Nunez has struggled in the closer's role lately, blowing four of his past seven save chances.

Cubs at Braves
Chicago: The Cubs are 0-5 in Atlanta on July 4. Their previous loss was in 1992, when Charlie Liebrandt pitched the Braves to a 4-2 victory. ... The Cubs hadn't been shut out on July 4 since 1960, when San Francisco's Jack Sanford did it at Wrigley Field.

Atlanta: LHP Tom Glavine has decided to go to Milwaukee for next week's All-Star game -- whether he pitches or not. Glavine has been bothered by a blister in his past two starts, and was scheduled to pitch Saturday night against the Cubs. He made his decision after discussing it with his wife, Chris. "It could be my last, you never know,'' Glavine said. ... RHP Kevin Millwood also has been hampered by blister problems, but manager Bobby Cox didn't have a contingency plan in case Millwood couldn't go Friday night. "He'd better last,'' Cox said emphatically.