SATURDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Jorge Posada Smacked second grand slam of the season en route to a career-high six RBI in a 14-5 victory over the Indians. AB H RBI HR 5 3 6 1 Hero of the day Devil Rays outfielder Ben Grieve knocked in the winning run in the 10th inning, helping Tampa Bay edge Seattle 4-3 to end its eight-game losing streak. Goat of the day Indians starter Ryan Drese gave up eight hits and eight earned runs in 1 1/3 innings in Cleveland's 14-5 loss to the Yankees. Dreese's ERA rose to 6.27. Injury report Blue Jays outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. left after the third inning after aggravating a left hamstring injury. Diamondbacks starter Rick Helling was scratched from his start as he tries to recover from a sprained right ankle suffered July 2. Brewers first baseman Richie Sexson missed his second straight game with tendinitis in his left hamstring. Rangers outfielder Rusty Greer was scratched from the starting lineup with a sore back. Streak of the day The Braves' Gary Sheffield tied a team record by reaching base for the 39th straight game. Stat of the day The Orioles' offense has scored only one run in their past 29 innings, scoring the lone run in a 4-1 loss to the Athletics. The last word "We've got to forget about Minnesota. We can't think about them and forget about who we're facing. We're going to play those guys, and when we play them we can take care of business. Right now, the way we're playing, I don't think we're going to catch those guys." -- White Sox third baseman Jose Valentin after Chicago was swept by the Tigers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Rangers at Twins
Texas: OF Gabe Kapler played the second game of his rehab assignment with Oklahoma of the Pacific League on Friday night, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout as the DH in a 7-5 win at New Orleans. Kapler has been on the 15-day disabled list with an injured left wrist since June 24. He was scheduled to play again Saturday night. ... Coming into Saturday's game, eleven of the Rangers' last 12 games had been decided by three or fewer runs -- the club is 4-7 in those contests. Texas was 10-14 in one run games. ... The Rangers were clearly frustrated after Friday night's 4-3 extra innings loss, their second 4-3 loss in as many nights and their fourth straight since they had a four-game winning streak snapped last weekend. None of the players spoke to the media after the game and even manager Jerry Narron was at a loss for words. After staying silent for several moments and shaking his head, Narron mustered, "I don't even know where to start.'' ... The Rangers have used 70 different batting orders in the season's first 87 games with eight different leadoff hitters.

Minnesota: LHP Johan Santana was scratched as Saturday night's starting pitcher so he could be with his wife and newborn daughter, who was born early Saturday morning. RHP Juan Rincon took his place in the rotation. "These are the kind of adjustments you're happy to make,'' manager Ron Gardenhire said of the pitching change. Gardenhire said Santana, who's 4-1 with a 2.31 ERA, called him around noon and told him he was up all night at the hospital. Rincon (0-0) made his second career start and seventh career appearance. He went six innings July 4 at Seattle, allowing five hits and one run in a 2-1 loss to the Mariners. "We had been prepared for this, we knew this was a possibility. He's ready to go,'' Gardenhire said. Santana was scheduled to start Monday against Anaheim. ... RHP Brad Radke threw a simulated game on Saturday and was scheduled to fly to Florida on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment with the Twins' rookie league team. Radke (4-2), who's on the DL with a pulled groin, will start a game next week before moving up to Class-A Fort Myers. ... Reliever Bob Wells (right elbow) also did some light throwing Saturday. Gardenhire said he would begin a rehab program on Monday.

Athletics at Orioles
Oakland: All-Star SS Miguel Tejada was in the starting lineup Saturday after being hit on the arm by a high and tight fastball from Jorge Julio on Friday night. A's manager Art Howe didn't plan on making any changes in his lineup unless Tejada came to him. "It got all meat. He's probably sore today,'' Howe said. "If he comes to me I'll address it, otherwise he's in there. It's the second half of the season, and we're going full throttle.'' . ... Oakland had six more wins at the 90-game mark than in 2001, when the A's went 102-60. ... The A's had gone seven straight games without an error before making two Friday night.

Baltimore: Marty Cordova started in left field after 13 straight starts as the designated hitter. It was his first start as a position player since June 25. Cordova has been bothered by plantar fascitis, the same injury that plagued him in the 1997 season. But this time, it's the other foot. ... Although the Orioles have lost four straight one-run games, they've won 14 of those games this year, two more than in the entire 2001 season. ... David Segui (wrist) and Chris Richard (shoulder) were in Baltimore clubhouse Saturday, but it will be quite some time before either comes off the disabled list. Segui has been fielding grounders, but still has pain swinging the bat. ... Bluefield C Tommy Arko hit three homers Friday night. The Orioles' third-round selection in the 2000 amateur draft is batting .317 with nine homers. ... 1B Jeff Conine (hamstring) is still a few days away from returning from the DL, Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. ... Luis Lopez, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Rochester on Friday, got his first start with Baltimore.

Yankees at Indians
New York: RHP Roger Clemens was put on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right groin and RHP Mike Thurman recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Clemens' injury quiets talk of Orlando Hernandez being moved from the rotation to the bullpen. Hernandez is scheduled to start Monday in Toronto. ... Manager Joe Torre said that he still will alter the starting rotation. "Starting with the off days (July 22 and 25), we'll probably try to separate the left-handers (David Wells and Andy Pettitte),'' Torre said. ... OF Raul Mondesi was not in the lineup and listed as day-to-day with a sore knee and chest after running into the outfield wall Friday night. ... Left-handed hitter John Vander Wal and right-hander Shane Spencer will share time in right field as Mondesi recovers. Vander Wal was in the lineup Saturday night against Cleveland RHP Ryan Drese. Spencer is expected to play Sunday against LHP Chuck Finley. ... Torre said he intends to rest OF Rondell White when the team plays Monday and Tuesday on the artificial turf in Toronto.

Cleveland: The Indians named Al Bumbry first base coach and outfield and baserunning instructor. Bumbry, 55, has been a minor league instructor in the Cleveland organization the last three years after serving as Indians first base coach in 1998. "If you look at our ballclub, what we need to do is work with our young outfielders and we believe Al is the best guy to do that,'' interim manager Joel Skinner said. ... Robby Thompson has moved from first-base coach to bench and infield coach. ... Skinner, 41, is the youngest manager in the majors. Pittsburgh's Lloyd McClndeon, 43, had that honor until Skinner replaced the fired Charlie Manuel on Thursday. ... 1B Jim Thome was in the starting lineup for the first time since July 4. He had just one at-bat, as a pinch-hitter, since that time because of back spasms.

Red Sox at Blue Jays
Boston: All-Star OF Johnny Damon did not start for Boston. Red Sox manager Grady Little said he would also give All-Star SS Nomar Garciaparra a day off on Sunday. 2B Rey Sanchez, who didn't start on Saturday, will play SS on Sunday. ... RHP Pedro Martinez, who hasn't pitched since July 7, will pitch five or six innings on Sunday. "It's been a long time since he's pitched. I want to make sure he's on top of his game on Friday,'' Little said. The Red Sox begin a three-game series against the first-place New York Yankees on Friday. ... The Red Sox lost for just the fourth time in their last 18 games at SkyDome. ... LHP Alan Embree allowed his first earned run in nine appearances (eight innings).

Toronto: SkyDome security and Toronto police had to keep fans away from a busy area outside SkyDome's northwest corner before the game because a large hanging metal sign was in danger of falling down outside an entry gate. ... INF Dave Berg has hit in 10 straight. ... OF Jose Cruz Jr left Saturday's game in the third inning after straining his left hamstring. Cruz is day-to-day. The Blue Jays don't have a reserve outfielder. Berg replaced Cruz. Manager Carlos Tosca joked that a reporter would play RF on Sunday. ... Veteran C Darrin Fletcher played for the first time since July 3 at Boston. Tosca has made 31-year-old rookie C Ken Huckaby the starter. ... Felipe Lopez played SS after sitting out the last two games. The Blue Jays want to give more playing time to INF Chris Woodward.

White Sox at Tigers
Chicago: The White Sox slipped to nine games behind Minnesota in the American League Central after Saturday's 5-3 loss to Detroit in the first game of a day-night doubleheader, but that wasn't manager Jerry Manuel's chief concern. "We obviously have to swing the bat better than we have the last couple of nights,'' he said. "We really haven't put things together. When you're not swinging the bat well, when situations come up and you don't get the runs in, they come back to haunt you.'' ... Mark Buehrle is among those who aren't yet counting the White Sox out of the division race. "We still have 15 games with Minnesota,'' he said. "We just have to hope they go into a slump like they did last year.'' ... Frank Thomas, stuck in a 1-for-28 slump, was dropped from third spot to sixth in the order by Manuel for the second game of Saturday's day-night doubleheader. "He'll get some better swings (lower in the order),'' Manuel said. "That should take some pressure off him.'' Carlos Lee moved from sixth to third. ... Saturday's twin bill was the first between the Tigers and White Sox since April 13, 1997, when the teams met at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

Detroit: Detroit manager Luis Pujols gave a couple of players the first half of Saturday's day-night doubleheader off, including Bobby Higginson, who returned to action Thursday after spending time on the disabled list with a pulled left hamstring. "It was a little tight (Saturday morning),'' Pujols said. "I wanted to give him 24 hours to rest it.'' Ramon Santiago, who missed Friday's game with a fever of 101 degrees, entered the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth and scored the Tigers' final run. Both were in the lineup for the second game. Jose Paniagua, who was out Friday due to a pulled muscle in his left side, relieved Brian Moehler in the eighth. ... Pujols said Moehler, who is coming off shoulder surgery last year, will be on a pitch limit the rest of the season. "He's on a 90-pitch limit now, but after two or three starts we might increase it to 100,'' he said. ... Juan Acevedo's save in the opener was his career-high 16th of the season, one better than the 15 he recorded in 1998 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Mariners at Devil Rays
Seattle: OF Mike Cameron, who started the day hitting .216 and had just one hit in his past 15 at-bats, was out of the starting lineup. Cameron was also hitless in 15 at-bats against Tampa Bay starter Tanyon Sturtze. ... RHP Freddy Garcia will make his first start since pitching in Tuesday's All-Star game Sunday against the Devil Rays. ... RHP Jeff Nelson reported no problems after working two-thirds of an inning Friday night. It was his third relief appearance since returning from right elbow surgery performed on May 10.

Tampa Bay: LF Greg Vaughn (right shoulder) has begun swinging a small bat with his left hand. He expects to return in the next two-to-four weeks. ... RHP Jorge Sosa will start against Oakland Tuesday. He is replacing LHP Joe Kennedy, who is serving a seven-game suspension for throwing at Toronto's Ken Huckaby on June 6. Kennedy is expected to pitch Friday against the Blue Jays. ... C Toby Hall hit fifth, marking the second straight game manager Hal McRae has broken up a string of left-handed hitters batting 3-4-5. "It's just to see if we can score more runs,'' McRae said. The Devil Rays started the day ranked last or next to last in batting average, runs, homers and slugging percentage in the AL.

Angels at Royals
Anaheim: The Angels rank in the top five in the AL in average, ERA and fielding percentage. The last time Anaheim finished in the top five in each category was in 1982, when it won the AL West. The Angels' .259 average at home was 38 percentage points below the .297 road average they took into Saturday night's game in Kansas City.

Kansas City: Zack Greinke, an 18-year-old high school pitcher from the Orlando, Fla., area, signed with the Royals on Saturday. Their first-round draft pick in June, Greinke was 9-2 with an ERA of 0.55. He will report to the Gulf Coast League on Monday. RHP Ryan Bukvich made his major league debut against the Angels on Friday, retiring all four batters he faced in 1 2/3 innings. The Royals have four players on the DL.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Braves at Expos
Atlanta: With wins in the first two games of the series, the Braves assured themselves of remaining unbeaten in 18 straight series. The streak is the franchise's longest since the 1897 Boston Beaneaters went undefeated in 19 straight series. ... RF Gary Sheffield had reached base in 38 straight games entering Saturday night's game. Sheffield was one game short of tying Chipper Jones' team record 39-game streak set in 1999. ... The Braves have won 17 of their last 20 games. Atlanta is 39-11 (.780) since May 15 and has the best record in the majors at 58-32.

Montreal: RHP Bartolo Colon made his first home start since he was acquired from Cleveland on June 27. Colon went 1-0 in his first two starts for Montreal after holding the Expos to two runs in eight innings in his last start with the Indians, a 5-4 win at Olympic Stadium on June 22. ... SS Orlando Cabrera returned to the lineup after he was a late scratch the night before due to a sore left ankle. Cabrera was replaced by rookie Henry Mateo, whose three-base error opened the gates to Atlanta's five-run outburst in the ninth inning of Friday's 8-3 loss.

Phillies at Mets
Philadelphia: After giving up five runs in two innings the past two games, closer Jose Mesa will get the day off Sunday. But manager Larry Bowa isn't about to take his closer's job away. "Who am I going to put in?'' Bowa asked. "I've got all kids down there. I have no experience there. He has to fight his way through it.'' ... 3B Scott Rolen is batting .422 during an 11-game hitting streak that has raised his average 26 points to .263. "I feel pretty good at the plate,'' Rolen said. "I'm seeing the ball and getting good pitches.'' ... Philadelphia went 0-for-4 with the bases loaded and is hitting .169 in that situation this season.

New York: RHP Mark Corey was called back up to the majors, about two weeks after he collapsed from a seizure. Tests found no reason for the seizure, and doctors said they thought the pitcher had experienced an anxiety attack. Corey said shortly after the collapse that he had smoked marijuana before being stricken. "I've talked to all the doctors and they've cleared me to come back,'' Corey said. "I'm ready to pay baseball right now.'' Corey pitched one perfect inning Saturday. ... RHP Grant Roberts was placed on the DL with tendinitis in his pitching shoulder. "I can't throw back-to-back days. It's hurting me and hurting the team so they decided to shut me down,'' Roberts said. ... LHP Shawn Estes is 1/3 with a 5.92 ERA in his last nine starts with the only win coming against Roger Clemens and the Yankees. "It's not like they're hitting him hard,'' manager Bobby Valentine said. "A couple of walks and they turn it into runs.'' ... Jeromy Burnitz returned to starting lineup for first time since the All-Star break and went 3-for-5 with a walk. He nearly won the game with a drive to the wall in center field in the 10th inning. "He hit the ball hard,'' Valentine said. "I thought the ball to center might be a home run.''

Reds at Astros
Cincinnati: The Reds announced Saturday that left-handed pitcher Gabe White has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Friday, with a broken little toe on his right foot. Jose Rijo, a right-handed pitcher, has been activated from the disabled list to replace White. ... Aaron Boone hit his 14th home run of the season Friday night against Houston, equaling his career high set during the 1999 and 2001 seasons. He has also homered in three straight games for the first time in his career.

Houston: Billy Wagner's appearance Friday night against Cincinnati was the 354th of his career, making him the left-hander with the most appearances in Houston franchise history. ... Dave Mlicki began a rehab assignment Thursday night at Triple-A New Orleans by pitching three scoreless innings against Oklahoma. He is scheduled to pitch again Tuesday.

Pirates at Brewers
Pittsburgh: Josias Manzanillo rejoined the Pirates Saturday after a minor-league rehabilitation stint. Manzanillo began the season with Triple-A Nashville, was called up and pitched in only one game before being placed on the DL with a bone chip in his right elbow. He had arthroscopic surgery on May 7. "I feel good,'' he said. "Once you feel good, you know you can compete.'' In his last rehab stint for Class-A Hickory, Lexington got five hits and two earned runs. "I was pitching like I normally do and those kids were getting to me,'' he said. Manzanillo led the Pirates with 71 appearances last year, going 3-2 with a 3.39 ERA. ... The bullpen has given up one earned run in its last 24 innings. ... Closer Mike Williams has converted his last eight save chances.

Milwaukee: Richie Sexson was out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game Saturday night, resting his left hamstring. Manager Jerry Royster said he hoped to have Sexson back in the starting lineup for Sunday's game. ... Royster was upset with his pitchers over the way they pitched to Pittsburgh's Brian Giles. Before Saturday night's game, he was 5-for-12 with three home runs in his last three games against the Brewers. "I've watched this guy beat us, and I've watched this guy on TV beat everybody else,'' Royster said. ... The Brewers are 30-45 since Royster took over from fired manager Davey Lopes.

Marlins at Cubs
Florida: CF Preston Wilson, who couldn't hold Angel Echevarria's drive in the 16th inning Friday after crashing into the ivy-covered brick wall at Wrigley Field, hurt both of his wrists on the play that gave the Cubs a 5-4 win. His left wrist was OK but his right one was still sore Saturday and he wasn't added to the Marlins' lineup until he took batting practice and tested it. X-rays weren't necessary, manager Jeff Torborg said. "There's not much cushion on the wall in front of the brick,'' Torborg said. "A little ivy will not do you.'' ... Luis Castillo, who earlier this season had a 35-game hitting streak, has now hit in 13 of the last 14. He's also had a hit in 24 straight road games. ... Julian Tavarez's ERA jumped to 6.07 after giving up five earned runs in four innings.

Chicago: RHP pitcher Jason Bere, on the DL with a contusion of his right knee, is still 7-10 days away from rejoining the staff, manager Bruce Kimm said. ... Kimm said he doesn't know if he'll keep the scorecard from his first game as manager of the Cubs, a 16-inning win Friday. "I do have it in my office on the shelf. I'm not into that much, but I should be. It was a special moment.'' ... The Cubs are 3-1 since Kimm took over for fired Don Baylor. "Bruce brings a different fire to the club. He's rolled the dice on a few different things and the style has worked. We're playing with a little more energy,'' Matt Clement said of the Cubs' recent play. ... The Cubs announced they had signed their fourth-round pick from June's first-year amateur draft -- LHP Rich Hill from the University of Michigan.

Cardinals at Padres
St. Louis: 1B Tino Martinez was thrown out of Saturday's game between the top and bottom of the second inning for arguing a call in the top half of the inning. Martinez hit a ball down the line that was called fair, when he had thought it was foul. Ryan Klesko easily fielded to retire Martinez. ... Outfielder J.D. Drew was activated from the 15-Day disabled list. Drew, who was not in the starting lineup on Saturday, was out previously out of action due to right knee tendinitis...RHP Woody Williams was put on the 15-Day disabled list with a left oblique strain of the ribcage. The DL assignment is retroactive to July 7.

San Diego: The Padres extended outfielder Mark Kotsay's contract for the 2003-2006 seasons. General Manager Kevin Towers said of the signing, "This deal is important because we now have our core position players -- Kotsay, Phil Nevin and Ryan Klesko -- in place through at least the 2006 season.''... The Padres released outfielder Mark Sweeney to make room on the roster for outfielder Brian Buchanan, who was acquired in a trade with Minnesota on Friday and reported to the club today. ... The Padres released RHP Dave Lundquist, who was on the 15-Day DL. Towers said that Lundquist was released to make room on the forty-man roster in case the Padres wanted to pick a player up off the wire.

Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Arizona: Because of the changes in Arizona's rotation caused by Rick Helling's absence, Miguel Batista will start Sunday against Dodgers LHP Kazuhisa Ishii. Helling sprained his right ankle July 2 and was scratched from Saturday's start.

Los Angeles: The only other time Jim Tracy was tossed since becoming the Dodgers' manager was last Aug. 22 at Florida. ... Dellucci raised his average against the Dodgers this season to .412. He's 7-for-17 with three doubles, a homer, seven RBI and five walks for a .545 on-base percentage against Los Angeles.

Rockies at Giants
Colorado: The Rockies are just 19-48 in games in San Francisco. ... With the loss Saturday, the Giants evened the season series with the Rockies at 6-6. The Giants have won five of the last six games. ... The Rockies narrowly escaped a second straight shutout Saturday when Todd Helton hit an RBI single in the ninth. ... Livan Hernandez threw a four-hit shutout against the Rockies on Friday night. It was the fourth time the Rockies had been blanked this season. Their record for shutouts in a season is 13, set back in 1993. ... The Rockies will try to avoid a four-game sweep by the Giants on Sunday. Shawn Chacon (3-6) was set to go to the mound against Kirk Rueter (7-5). ... In the first three games of the series, Colorado has been outscored 18-3.

San Francisco: Giants manager Dusty Baker managed his 1,484th game for the Giants, tying Bill Terry for second on the franchise list. Terry managed the New York Giants from 1932-41. With three more wins, Baker will join Terry and John McGraw as the only Giants' managers with 800 wins. ... Barry Bonds said his father, former major leaguer Bobby Bonds, is doing fine after surgery to remove a large tumor from his kidney. The elder Bonds should be released from the hospital next week. ... Since Kent moved to the No. 3 spot in the batting order 13 games ago, he's hitting .466 with 17 RBI. ... Bonds' double in the eighth inning Saturday was the 500th of his career.