SATURDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Adam Hyzdu Career minor leaguer making most of time in majors. Smacked two three-run homers and had seven RBI in the Pirates' 14-6 rout of the Cardinals. He has three homers and 11 RBI in the first two games of the series against St. Louis. AB H RBI HR 5 4 7 2 Hero of the day Ellis Burks hit a three-run homer in the top of the 10th inning to help the Indians defeat the Royals 5-3 and split a doubleheader with Kansas City. Burks knocked in all five of Cleveland's runs in the second game. Goat of the day It's bad enough to walk in the winning run, but Rangers reliever Dave Burba managed something even worse. Burba plunked Olmedo Saenz with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth to score the winning run in the Rangers' 6-5 loss to the Athletics. Injury report Yankees closer Mariano Rivera left in the eighth inning with tightness in his right shoulder. He will be evaluated by medical personnel on Sunday. Giants outfielder Barry Bonds didn't play after injuring his right hamstring during Friday night's game. San Francisco manager Dusty Baker has no idea when Bonds will return. Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros left the game in the seventh inning after being hit in the face by a pitch. He suffered a bruised jaw and had minor plastic surgery on his chin and is day-to-day. Orioles first baseman Jay Gibbons was a late scratch with lingering pain in his right wrist. Royals first baseman Mike Sweeney missed his ninth straight game with stiffness in his lower back. Mariners outfielder Mark McLemore left in the first inning with tightness in his left hamstring running to third base on a passed ball. Streak of the day Converted closer John Smoltz recorded his 22nd consecutive save in the Braves' 4-3 win over the Phillies to set a new team record. Smoltz has a major league-leading 36 saves this season. Stat of the day After struggling offensively for most of the first half of the season, the Mets have been on an offensive rampage. New York has scored 76 runs in its past 11 games. New York has won six of its past seven games. The last word "Without him in center field, we probably lose this game. He has the best beat on balls that I've ever seen." -- Atlanta manager Bobby Cox on Braves outfielder Andruw Jones, who made several spectacular catches in Atlanta's 4-3 win over the Phillies.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Devil Rays at Blue Jays
Tampa Bay: The Devil Rays designated LHP Doug Creek and outfielder Dave McCarty for assignment, and optioned infielder Jason Smith to Triple-A Durham. The team also purchased the contracts of OF Carl Crawford and INF Andy Sheets from Durham, and recalled RHP Victor Zambrano. ... Crawford got his first major league, a two-run single in the sixth inning. "It was exciting, man. I enjoyed it,'' Crawford said of his major league debut. "It was kind of weird at first. It didn't hit me until I was going up to the plate my first time. I was like 'I'm in the big leagues.''' ... The Devil Rays have committed four errors in a game four times this season.

Toronto: LF Shannon Stewart has reached base in eight consecutive plate appearances. ... Every Blue Jays starter scored a run. ... C Ken Huckaby's two passed balls tied a club record, done 10 times previously. ... SS Chris Woodward has hit in 14 of his last 17 games. ... OF Jose Cruz Jr. has 24 RBI in his last 20 games. ... CF Dewayne Wise made his first start since being called up from Double-A Tennessee on Thursday. ... A couple was married on the field before the game. ... RHP Kelvim Escobar has saved Toronto's last three games.

Red Sox at Yankees
Boston: Manager Grady Little was ejected for the first time in his career. He was tossed by first-base umpire Charlie Reliford, who called out Manny Ramirez on a check swing in the eighth inning. "I'm not sure why I got run. I just got run,'' Little said. "He didn't like my emotions when I came out.'' ... Leadoff hitter Johnny Damon went 0-for-6, but he played his 215th straight game in center field without an error, a string that leads all major league outfielders. Former Boston CF Darren Lewis holds the record for most consecutive games by an outfielder without an error with 392 (1990-94). ... The Red Sox fell to 1-4 in extra innings. ... Sunday's starter, RHP John Burkett, is looking for his first career victory against the Yankees. He's 0-5 with a 9.98 ERA in eight starts against them, including two losses at Yankee Stadium.

New York: RHP Jeff Weaver will get his first taste of participating in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry when he takes the mound Sunday in the wrapup of a three-game series. Weaver is 1-0 with a 6.92 ERA in two starts since being traded to New York on July 5 in a three-way deal that included Detroit and Oakland. "I'm excited about it. When I was in Detroit, I looked at the Boston, Yankees and Seattle series as my World Series,'' he said. "Nothing compares to this. With 48,000 to 50,000 people in the stands, it's obvious the rivalry goes back years. I'm looking forward to showing my abilities.'' ... LHP David Wells made a $25,000 donation to the Warrior Foundation in a pregame ceremony. The charity, founded in 1980 at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., provides scholarships to children whose parents were killed while serving as a member of the U.S. Special Operations Forces.

Twins at Tigers
Minnesota: First-year manager Ron Gardenhire talked about why he has fun with his players and sometimes participates in the practical jokes they play on each other. "I want them to enjoy the game and have a lot of fun around here. They've worked hard to get here,'' he said. "I just don't want to put any more pressure on them than there already is.'' ... Bobby Kielty replaced Torii Hunter in center field. Hunter served the first game of his three-game suspension for throwing a ball at Cleveland pitcher Danys Baez after he hit Hunter with a pitch Wednesday night.

Detroit: Manager Luis Pujols, who was promoted from coach six games into the season after Phil Garner was fired, said next spring training will be different if he's still the team's manager. "I didn't think we were ready to play (coming out of spring training this season),'' Pujols said. "But I was a coach.'' He said spring training workouts would last longer under him. ... 3B Chris Truby, on the disabled list with a pulled ribcage muscle, took some swings.

White Sox at Orioles
Chicago: OF Carlos Lee, who entered in an 0-for-13 slump, is still adjusting to the third spot in the batting order. Lee assumed that role when DH Frank Thomas was dropped to sixth. "He doesn't quite have the feel he had earlier, but I'm sure he'll get it back,'' manager Jerry Manuel said. ... LHP Mark Buehrle, who is 12-7, is the only sure thing in an otherwise spotty Chicago rotation. Manuel said that pushes other pitchers, particularly young hurlers who are trying to establish themselves. "Now it's a matter of them getting to the level of Mark Buehrle, where we can expect six or seven good innings,'' Manuel said. "I still think they have a lot of room to grow because of inexperience. The way Buehrle came on, he raised the bar a little bit.'' ... Manuel likes the way RHP Matt Ginter is handling himself in the bullpen, where he has allowed nine hits and posted a 1.82 ERA in his last 24 1/3 innings. Manuel thinks Ginter might have the makeup to develop into a closer. ... The White Sox play the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins six times in a nine-game span, beginning with a three-game series at Comiskey Park on Monday. Manuel is looking forward to the challenge. "We need to face somebody so that when we face them and get a win we can gain something,'' he said.

Baltimore: 1B Jay Gibbons was a late scratch because of a sore right wrist. The wrist has been bothering Gibbons for weeks, and has cost him some playing time. Team doctors determined Friday that the problem was a stitch that had not properly dissolved from an operation he had last year. Jose Leon played first base in Gibbons' place. ... Howie Clark, called up from Triple-A Rochester after a 10-year run in the minors, received a fifth straight start at DH. He batted .400 over his first four games, and manager Mike Hargrove said Clark would remain in the lineup as long as he keeps hitting. ... Cal Ripken is retired, but Baltimore still has a third baseman who plays every day: Tony Batista is the only Oriole to play in all 95 games this year. "If I see him start to drag or he comes to me, then yes,'' Hargrove said. "But I haven't seen any sign of that yet.'' ... 2B Jerry Hairston was ejected for the second time this season Friday for arguing a call at first base. "I regret getting thrown out. I wanted to go a whole season without doing it, and this is the second time,'' he said. "But we're not robots. We're human beings.''

Indians at Royals
Cleveland: The Indians made seven roster moves before the doubleheader. They activated RHP Jaret Wright from the 60-day disabled list. Wright started the first game, his first appearance since June 21, 2001. Cleveland also activated RHP Charles Nagy from the 15-day disabled list. He started the second game. Nagy came in 0-1 with an 11.29 ERA in 10 games (one start). The Indians also recalled INF Earl Snyder and pitcher Sean DePaula from Triple-A Buffalo. They optioned pitchers David Riske and Jason Phillips to Buffalo, and placed third baseman Travis Fryman on the 15-day disabled list with a sore shoulder.

Kansas City: The Royals played their fifth doubleheader of the season, coming in with a 2-0-2 record. They split with Boston (April 21) and Cleveland (May 18), and swept Texas twice (May 26 and July 15). It marked the first time since 1985 (Aug. 8 and Sept. 6) that the Royals swept consecutive doubleheaders. The Royals are 63-35-90 all-time in doubleheaders. ... The Royals entered with an eight-game winning streak, their longest since a 14-game string in 1994. They had come from behind to win their last six games. During the streak, the Royals were hitting .308 with 7.1 runs per game. The pitching staff had a 3.89 ERA and four saves.

Mariners at Angels
Seattle: The last time the Mariners lost by 12 or more runs, which happened Friday, they came back the next night to beat the Dodgers 13-0 on July 6, 2001, in Los Angeles. ... Since the All-Star break, 2B Bret Boone and OF Mike Cameron are hitting a combined .344 (21-for-61). Prior to the break, they batted a combined .223 (140-for-627). ... INF Luis Ugueto has two major league hits, both against the Angels. He hit his first major league homer off Lou Pote on Friday night to snap an 0-for-11 skid. Ugueto's first big league hit was April 22 against Ben Weber.

Anaheim: A combined total of 124,243 fans watched baseball in Southern California on Friday night, a rare instance when the region's three teams were home at the same time. The Dodgers attracted 53,033 in Los Angeles, the Angels drew 43,407 in Anaheim and the Padres had 27,803 in San Diego. ... The Angels had 20 hits in Friday night's 15-3 win over the Mariners. It was the third time this season Anaheim has had 20 or more hits in a game, and the first time in club history the team has done it three times in a season. ... On Friday, RF Tim Salmon became the first Angels player to have five hits and five RBI in the same game since Mo Vaughn on June 24, 1999, at Seattle. Vaughn went 5-for-6 with two homers and six RBI. ... LHP Jarrod Washburn (11-2) will put his 11-game winning streak on the line when he starts Sunday. The streak is a career best for Washburn and longest in the majors this season.

Rangers at Athletics
Texas: RHP Hideki Irabu was released from St. Luke Hospital in Kansas City on Friday, where he had been treated since Monday for small blood clots in the arteries of his lungs. He will be examined by Dr. Scott Hunter in Arlington, Texas, on Monday. ... In the first 10 games after the All-Star break, the Rangers went 1-9. Four of those losses were by one run, and three were by two. ... Friday night's one-hitter thrown by Oakland's Cory Lidle was the 15th time Texas has been held to one hit and the first time since Detroit's Scott Sanders did it Sept. 9, 1997. ... The Rangers have been no-hit twice: By Jim Colburn at Kansas City on May 14, 1977, and California's Mike Witt, who had a perfect game at Arlington Stadium on Sept. 29, 1984. ... The Rangers' franchise-record streak of 21 straight games with a homer ended Friday night when they were blanked 10-0 by the A's.

Oakland: The A's celebrated the 30th anniversary of their 1972 world championship team. The current A's wore the bright gold and green jerseys of that squad, which beat the Cincinnati Reds in seven games to claim the first of three straight World Series titles. Several of the players from the team were on hand, including Vida Blue, John "Blue Moon'' Odom, World Series MVP Gene Tenace and manager Dick Williams. Blue admitted the group doesn't get together as much as they should. "We should probably raise our right hands and pledge we're going to do this every year,'' he said. "Because life is a precious thing.''... Cory Lidle's one-hitter Friday night was the 21st in Oakland history. Mark Mulder threw one against Arizona last July 6.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Astros at Cubs
Houston: Kirk Saarloos gave up one earned run Saturday, dropping his ERA to 11.85. It had ballooned to 17.65 in his first three outings in the majors. "I felt more at ease,'' said Saarloos, recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Friday. "I came into the clubhouse, I knew the faces and they were accepting of me. I was a lot more confident, more at ease mentally.'' ... Houston reliever Octavio Dotel's streak of 13 1/3 scoreless innings ended on Fred McGriff's RBI single in the eighth. "He spotted his fastball well,'' Astros manager Jimy Williams said. "McGriff's a tough out, right- or left-handed pitcher.'' ... Julio Lugo has been struggling on this road trip. Before his solo homer in the sixth, he was 1-for-11. ... Richard Hidalgo struck out three times.

Chicago: Sammy Sosa is struggling in the second half, hitting just .194 since the All-Star break. "Good pitching is going to stop good hitting,'' said Sosa, whose average has dropped to .297. "They haven't made that many mistakes. They've pitched me well.'' Sosa hates taking days off, and there's no chance interim manager Bruce Kimm would sit him as he tries to work out of his slump. "I feel great about him every time he's in a game because No. 1, he sets the tone for your b club,'' Kimm said. "He plays hard every day. He's taking extra bases, he's running out to the outfield, he's out of the clubhouse a half-hour before the game getting ready to play. To me, that's a great example. Sammy Sosa is one guy who'll tell me when he doesn't want to play. Because otherwise, he's playing.'' ... Carlos Zambrano continues to impress the Cubs as a starter. Though he took the loss Saturday, he struck out a career-high 10. He's 2-2 with a 2.28 ERA in four starts. "I have confidence in myself and my pitches now,'' said Zambrano, who spent most of the first half in the bullpen. ... Cubs pitchers have a 2.22 ERA over the last 11 games. During that stretch, the starters have gone 6-3 with a 2.25 ERA. ... Corey Patterson struck out four times Saturday, drawing boos in the eighth inning. "Yeah, I have,'' Patterson said when asked if he'd ever had a day like that before. "And I'm going to have more days like that. You just have to put your work in and be ready to play.''

Expos at Marlins
Montreal: The Expos have hit 15 home runs in their last nine games, but only two have come with runners on base. Of the team's 98 homers this year, 65 have been solo shots. ... OF Vladimir Guerrero singled in the first inning for his 1,000th career hit. ... LHP Scott Stewart has struggled out of the bullpen since the All-Star break, possibly jeopardizing his role. In his last three appearances, Stewart has worked one-third of an inning, allowing five hits, three walks and 10 runs -- eight earned. During that span, his ERA has ballooned from 1.69 to 3.14. ... Utility infielder Henry Mateo has switched uniform numbers from 29 to 12.

Florida: The Marlins are still waiting word on the status of LHP Graeme Lloyd, who was among those acquired in the trade for Cliff Floyd. Lloyd is trying to have the trade overturned so he can return to the Expos. The case has gone before an arbitrator, and a decision is expected early next week. Lloyd listed the Marlins among 12 teams in his no-trade clause. The Expos, however, contend that Lloyd failed to meet the Nov. 1 deadline and that the trade is fair. "It's not a point of playing for the Marlins,'' said Lloyd, who has appeared in two games for Florida since the July 11 trade. "It's a matter of not getting what I bargained for. I thought I was protected.'' ... The Marlins have allowed 89 first-inning runs, worst in the majors. Their first-inning run differential of minus-43 is the worst in the majors. ... The Marlins have a 6.69 ERA since the All-Star break, allowing 54 earned runs in 72 2/3 innings. ... 2B Luis Castillo has 35 multihit games, including seven in his last eight at home.

Braves at Phillies
Atlanta: John Smoltz has changed the name of his charity from "Striking out Hunger'' to "Closing out Hunger''. For each save Smoltz records this season, he donates $500 to the Atlanta Food Bank -- an organization that Smoltz has been associated with for nine years. "It's a great opportunity for me to make aware there are people who are going hungry,'' Smoltz said. ... The Braves are 30-18 on the road. ... The Braves have allowed just three earned runs in their last 48 innings (0.56 ERA).

Philadelphia: The Phillies held a pregame press conference for announcer Harry Kalas, who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 28. Kalas credited his signature home run call "Outta Here!'' to Phillies manager and former shortstop Larry Bowa. "We're standing around the batting cage one afternoon. Greg Luzinski was hitting balls out and Bowa said, 'That ball is way outta here.' I thought it had a nice ring to it.'' ... LF Pat Burrell is the first Phillie to have 100 hits this season. ... RHP David Coggin hasn't allowed a run in 12 straight innings.

Cardinals at Pirates
St. Louis: RF J.D. Drew was back in the Cardinals' lineup Saturday night after not starting five of their previous seven games. He hasn't been starting consecutive games since coming off the DL with knee tendinitis, but manager Tony La Russa said he may start again Sunday on PNC Park's grass field. ... CF Jim Edmonds also started Saturday despite jamming a wrist while sliding Friday night. ... Chuck Finley's arrival will push back Andy Benes' next start from Sunday in Pittsburgh to Wednesday in San Francisco. ... Finley has opposed the Pirates once in his career, allowing two runs in seven innings while winning in Cleveland two years ago.

Pittsburgh: Pirates pinch-hitters were in an 0-for-17 slump until Rob Mackowiak's decisive two-run homer in a 12-9 victory Friday over St. Louis. ... Adam Hyzdu's grand slam in the same game was the Pirates' first since Aramis Ramirez's slam on Aug. 25, 2001, against Houston. Until Hyzdu's shot, the Pirates were the only team in the majors without a grand slam this season. ... Kevin Young ran his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the first inning Saturday night. He had a career-best 15-game streak in 1999. ... Mike Williams' streak of saves in 10 consecutive appearances ended Friday. He gave up a run in the ninth inning in a non-save situation; the Pirates led by four runs when the inning began. It would have been a save situation except for Mike Benjamin's run-scoring double the inning before, his first extra base hit in exactly three months.

Mets at Reds
New York: Mike Piazza hit a solo homer in the third inning, his 21st of the season and the sixth in 12 games. Piazza has had at least 20 home runs for 10 consecutive seasons. ... Starter Mike Bacsik was 2-0 in two career starts since being called up from Norfolk on July 5, including a seven-hitter his last time out. But he ran into problems right away. Adam Dunn had a two-run homer in the first, and Aaron Boone hit a three-run double in the second. Bacsik will probably be sent back to the minors after the game to make room for Steve Trachsel.

Cincinnati: Eric Davis, who played with Cincinnati in 1984-91 and in 1996, was honored Saturday with a bobblehead doll promotion. "That's me,'' Davis said, imitating the bobbling motion of the doll's head. "It's cool.'' ... Saturday's game was a sellout, only the second this season in Cinergy Field. The only other one was opening day. ... Kevin Kelley joined the umpiring crew Saturday night. He replaced Bill Miller, who injured his right ankle when he stumbled near the third-base dugout while tracking a play on a pop foul. Miller had X-rays, which showed no break.

Brewers at Rockies
Milwaukee: CF Alex Sanchez missed his second straight game Saturday after straining his oblique muscle Thursday against Houston. "He won't play today, but be available to pinch run,'' manager Jerry Royster said. "We have to give time to get over the injury.'' ... RHP Nick Neugebauer (tendinitis right rotator cuff) will throw a simulated game when the team is Houston next week. If Neugebauer does well enough, Royster would like to send him out on a rehab assignment. ... C Raul Casanova (torn ulnar collateral ligament in left elbow) will catch Neugebauer's simulated game. "Casanova will probably head out on a rehab assignment before Neugebauer,'' Royster said. "Casanova is getting close.'' ... OF Geoff Jenkins (dislocated right ankle) is rehabbing in Arizona and could be back with Milwaukee when the team returns home July 26. ... Royster spent more than his share of mornings fishing the streams of Colorado or on the golf courses when he was Colorado's third base coach. He left his fishing gear and golf clubs at home. "We have a team rule about bringing clubs on the road,'' said Royster, who is also an avid snow skier. "I know Dusty Baker fishes when he comes here, but I can't find the time.''

Colorado: INF Terry Shumpert was hit in the chest while taking grounders during batting practice, but was all smiles after being helped to his feet a few minutes later. ... Despite the ups and downs of SS Juan Uribe this season, manager Clint Hurdle said he has been pleased with his progress in his first full season in the majors. "I think the thing a lot of people lose sight of is that he's 23-years old, he's playing at the highest level of competition, he hasn't even had time to master the English language and he's supporting an entire family of siblings. He's got a lot going on right now and I think he's handling it well.'' ... Hurdle said 1B Todd Helton's back still isn't 100 percent, but his recent power loss -- no homers since June 22 -- have more to do with mechanics than anything physical. "I do think there's something there, but to the degree that we're seeing on the field, I don't think the back's the biggest contributor. The pitching is a little bit of a contributor and his mechanics are off. It has more to do with being in a slump than with his back.'' Hurdle said he may give Helton an occasional day off and said he would only go on the DL if the pain worsened.

Giants at Dodgers
San Francisco: The Giants will probably be without slugger Barry Bonds for at least a few days, although his strained right hamstring was slightly improved Saturday. "He's a little better this morning,'' trainer Stan Conte said two hours before the Giants lost to the Dodgers 4-2. Bonds strained his hamstring chasing Eric Karros' leadoff triple to left field in the 11th inning Friday night. San Francisco won 3-2 in 12 innings. ... With Bonds out of the lineup, SS Rich Aurilia was moved from his usual No. 2 spot to fifth. Manager Dusty Baker said the move wasn't made because Aurilia is struggling. "He hit the ball hard last night. If you can drive in 97 runs from the second spot, you can drive in runs anywhere.'' Baker said, referring to Aurilia's RBI total last season. Aurilia went 0-for-4 and is now in a 2-for-25 slump. ... Jeff Kent's first-inning homer extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He is 22-of-49 during the streak. ... Rookie RHP Ryan Jensen had blanked the Dodgers for 17 innings in his career before they finally broke through in the fourth, getting an unearned run. Jensen allowed only the one run in six innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter.

Los Angeles: When the Dodgers lost to the Giants 3-2 in 12 innings Friday, they fell into third place in the NL West for the first time since May 28. Their 4-2 win Saturday moved them back into second place. ... 2B Mark Grudzielanek, one of the few Dodgers hitting well recently, went 2-for-4 and scored twice Saturday, giving him 13 hits in 35 at-bats (.371) since the All-Star break, raising his overall average to .260. "We were relieved,'' he said of the atmosphere in the clubhouse after the Dodgers won for just the second time in their last 11 games. "It was a sigh of relief. The last week's been awful for us, we've been lacking the big hit. We've been pushed around the whole week, we decided to do something about it.'' ... OF Dave Roberts' career-high three stolen bases gave him 26 for the season, tying him for second in the majors with Colorado's Juan Pierre. Florida's Luis Castillo entered the day with 32. ... The Dodgers are 18-9 in day games and 11-4 on Saturdays this season.

Diamondbacks at Padres
Arizona: INF Jay Bell returned to the majors for the first time since scoring the winning run in the ninth inning of Game 7 of last year's World Series on Luis Gonzalez's bloop single. Bell had been sidelined all season with an injury to each calf muscle. Bell, who started at first base, went 4-for-20 in a seven-game rehab assignment with Class-A Lancaster of the California League. ... With Friday night's 6-1 defeat, the Diamondbacks lost their fourth straight in San Diego this year and their seventh in a row dating to last season.

San Diego: RHP Adam Eaton, recovering from reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow Aug. 21, threw five pain-free innings in a simulated game. "He threw very well,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. Eaton will get his normal rest, throw another simulated game, and then the team will discuss a rehab assignment. ... C Wiki Gonzalez was put on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hip flexor. It's the second time on the DL this year for Gonzalez, the team's opening day catcher. He missed 36 games after breaking his left hand in the third game of the season. Gonzalez is batting .243 with one home run and 17 RBI. Taking his roster spot is catcher Wil Nieves, who got his first big league promotion. His contract was purchased from Triple-A Portland, where he hit .316 with seven home runs and 26 RBI. ... When the Diamondbacks played in San Diego in April, the Padres missed both Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. They missed Schilling again, but will face the Big Unit on Sunday. Rookie Jake Peavy will start for San Diego.