FRIDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Curt Schilling Won his league-leading 20th win of the season in the Diamondbacks' 2-1 victory against the Cubs. He reached the 20-win plateau for the second time in his career. IP H R BB SO 8.2 6 1 0 12 Hero of the day Royals outfielder Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning as the Royals rallied to beat the Devil Rays 6-5. Ibanez was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Goat of the day Blue Jays reliever Mark Hendrickson hit Texas' Frank Catalanotto, the only batter he faced, on the right hand to start the seventh inning. Catalanatto has a broken bone and will be out 4-to-6 weeks. Injury report Expos outfielder Vladimir Guerrero has a strained left shoulder when he dove back to first in the seventh inning. Padres starter Bobby M. Jones left the game in the third inning after being hit on the left hand by the Expos' Wil Cordero. He went to the hospital for precautionary X-rays. Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. sat out the game with a strained left thigh and is expected to return in a couple of days. Pirates outfielder Brian Giles left the game in the fifth inning with a strained left calf. He is expected to miss two or three games. Rangers outfielder Frank Catalanotto broke his right hand when he was plunked in the seventh inning. He will likely miss 4-to-6 weeks and be out for the rest of the season. Indians second baseman Ricky Gutierrez missed his second straight game with a bruised left thumb. Stat of the day Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa hit his 492nd home run against the Diamondbacks in a 2-1 loss and is only one back from tying Lou Gehrig for 18th place. Streak of the day Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams has hits in 10 straight at-bats and is only two short from tying the MLB record. Streak of the day II The Pirates have lost a season-high seven games in a row and have allowed at least 10 hits in six consecutive games. The last word "They both got valid points and they're both to a certain extent full of crap. The last time they struck it damn near turned me away from it." -- David Spinelli, a 35-year-old Portland (Ore.) optometrist at the Mariners-Yankees game, on the players setting a strike date.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tigers at Orioles
Detroit: The Tigers claimed RHP Jason Beverlin off waivers from Cleveland and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo. To make room for Beverlin, RHP Erik Sabel was designated for assignment. ... Entering the game, Detroit was five games behind the pace of the 2001 club (45-75). ... The Tigers had only 17 road wins through Thursday, in part because the team ERA on the road was 5.36. ... Hiram Bocachica made his AL debut at second base after playing in the outfield and at DH. Bocachica, acquired from the Dodgers in July, was drafted by Montreal in the first round of the 1994 draft when his current manager, Luis Pujols, was coaching first base for the Expos.

Baltimore: The Orioles will probably activate SS Mike Bordick from the disabled list this weekend. ... RHP Pat Hentgen was tagged for eight runs and 12 hits by Class-A Brooklyn on Thursday, but he said he's throwing without pain, one year after undergoing elbow replacement surgery. ... Entering the game, Baltimore's record was nine games better than at the same juncture in 2001 (58-60 vs. 49-69). ... The Orioles began an 11-game, 10-day homestand after playing 17 of their last 20 games on the road (8-9).

Royals at Devil Rays
Kansas City: OF Mark Quinn (left hamstring) is traveling with team, but will remain sidelined until at least mid-September. It was hoped Quinn might be ready to start a minor league rehab assignment this weekend, but those plans were scratched. ... LF Chuck Knoblauch was back in the lineup and hitting leadoff after being rested Thursday. ... With Knoblauch back, Carlos Beltran hit second, Mike Sweeney third and Raul Ibanez fourth. ... LHP Darrell May will make his first start Saturday since July 27. He is replacing RHP Runelvys Hernandez, who has a tired arm. ... The Royals opened a six-game road trip. They have not had a winning trip this season.

Tampa Bay: RHP Ryan Rupe (right knee) is scheduled to undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery Wednesday. He has been on the disabled list since July 16. ... Director of player personnel Cam Bonifay will also serve as the team's scouting director. ... Manager Hal McRae still doesn't believe there will be a strike despite the players' union setting an Aug. 30 deadline for a new labor agreement to be reached. "Posturing,'' McRae said. "It's just part of the process more than anything else. It would be damaging. The fans are tired of it. Everybody is tired of it.''

Red Sox at Twins
Boston: Manager Grady Little said he will probably keep RHP Tim Wakefield in the starting rotation through the rest of the season, moving RHP Dustin Hermanson to the bullpen once he returns from a rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket. Little said Wakefield's strong performances of late solidified his position. "It would be hard for us to make a change taking Wakefield out of the rotation,'' Little said. "I feel like Wake is capable of going out there and giving us seven or eight innings every time, and giving us a chance to win every time.'' ... After a late game on the West Coast against Seattle on Thursday, the Red Sox didn't arrive in Minneapolis until 5 a.m. Friday morning, Little said. "I got to the hotel and it was almost light out, so I went to get some breakfast, then went to sleep for awhile.'' Friday's starter Pedro Martinez flew in Thursday night. ... Little said he talked to some players on the Worcester, Mass. Little League team, which played Hawaii in the Little League World Series on Friday. "I told them to just relax and have fun,'' Little said. "They have some pretty good heat on them with all the television cameras for a bunch of 12-year-olds. It would be easy to get to the point where they try to do too much.''

Minnesota: Player representative Denny Hocking said the union's strength resides in its willingness to take things down to the wire, just as it has eight other times since 1974. "If you look at all the professional leagues, they've all faced striking in the past, and they've all folded,'' he said. "We've always gone through with it. We're not bragging by any means, but you have to be willing to go all the way to get what you deserve.'' He also said the possibility of being on strike on Sept. 11 weighs heavily on the players' minds. "September 11 is a huge issue. If there is no baseball on 9-11, it would be a slap in the face to all those people who went through 9-11 first hand,'' Hocking said. ... CF Torii Hunter came in one stolen base away from becoming the fifth player in team history to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases. 3B Corey Koskie did it last season.

Blue Jays at Rangers
Toronto: RF Dewayne Wise was scratched from the starting lineup because of irritation in his left wrist. Dave Berg, who was set to start at first base, moved to right and Tom Wilson was inserted into the lineup to play first. Wise apparently hurt the wrist during the three-game series earlier this week against Oakland. ... LHP Felix Heredia hasn't given up a run in 10 of his last 11 appearances, allowing one run in 7 2/3 innings. He has gone two innings or more nine times, but hasn't pitched that long in a game since July 11 against Boston.

Texas: SS Alex Rodriguez was presented with the Josh Gibson Legacy Award before the game. The award is given by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to the home run champions of the American and National Leagues. It was given to A-Rod by 90-year-old Buck O'Neil, the museum's chairman and a former Negro Leagues home run champ. ... Al Oliver, whose .319 batting average in his four seasons with the Rangers (1978-81) is the highest for players with more than 300 games in Texas, threw out the first pitch. Oliver's appearance was part of the recognition of former players during the team's 30th anniversary season.

Indians at Angels
Cleveland: Indians closer Bob Wickman will undergo season-ending reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. No date has been set for the operation yet. Wickman agreed to the "Tommy John'' procedure after getting a second opinion from Anaheim Angels orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum. "I'm sure he's feeling down, but he'll probably speak with teammates and other guys who have gone through it, and that will probably help him understand what he's going to go through,'' Cleveland manager Joel Skinner said. "Seeing that done at the major league level gives you confidence, because it's been so successful over the years.'' ... OF Ellis Burks is one player who is confident a deal will get done before the Aug. 30 strike date. "I don't think it's going to be one of those cases where we're going to miss the World Series,'' Burks said. "Once those guys (the owners) realize that the players' union is strong, we'll both go ahead and put our cards on the table and work it out. The whole idea of setting a date was to hopefully get it done before that date.''

Anaheim: Angels fan Dawnn Cancino, one of about 70 people standing on a ticket line outside Edison Field 5½ hours before the game, was so fed up with baseball after the 1994-95 strike that she didn't attend another game until four months ago -- and only because her son's Little League team was going on Little League Day and it was important to him that she came along. "I guess they need to grow up and just come to an agreement,'' said Cancino, a 34-year-old marketing rep. "I mean, these are the kind of squabbles you see on the playground. If they don't come back, I think they've lost a lot of fans.'' ... Randy Smith, a 48-year-old iron worker at Disneyland, is another irate Angels fan who has trouble relating to a union where the minimum salary is going up to $300,000. "I told all my friends at the beginning of the year that the Angels are going to do it this year, and now they're going to go on strike,'' said Smith, who walked the picket line outside Disneyland in 1983 before his union went back to work. "I see in the sports section that they're calling it a labor dispute. They don't do any labor. If they want to see labor, then follow me around for a day.''

Yankees at Mariners
New York: Alfonso Soriano needs one home run to become the first second baseman in major league history to reach 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season, and the third middle infielder. The others were SS Barry Larkin for Cincinnati in 1996 and SS Alex Rodriguez for Seattle in 1998. Soriano's 29 homers are the second-highest season total by a Yankees second baseman and he needs one to tie the franchise record. Joe Gordon hit 30 in 1940. ... The Yankees have hit a major league-leading 180 homers after 118 games, 20 more than the second-highest team total: Texas with 160.

Seattle: The Mariners have scored 67 unearned runs this season. ... Ben Davis, Edgar Martinez and Bret Boone are batting a combined .337 (93-for-276) since the All-Star break. Prior to the break, the trio hit .237 (126-for-538). Since the break, Davis is hitting .351, Martinez .351 and Boone .320.

White Sox at Athletics
Chicago: INF Jeff Leifer inherited his job as player rep when OF Kenny Lofton was traded to San Francisco. He was the alternate to Lofton, and said he always paid close attention to the labor situation. "I've always read about this stuff,'' he said. "It makes you realize it's a business.'' ... In response to President George Bush's statement that it would be a shame if baseball went on strike, 1B Paul Konerko said, "It's not surprising fans will be disappointed and the President is a fan.'' ... LHP Kelly Wunsch suggested setting a strike date was like writing a term paper. "Now you know it's there, you start working on it,'' he said. "It makes everybody more productive because there's a deadline.'' ... OF Magglio Ordonez, who was hitting .372 (48-for-129) since the All-Star break, came in needing three home runs and one RBI for his fourth straight 30-100 season, which would be the second-longest run in White Sox history. DH Frank Thomas did it five consecutive years (1993-97). ... White Sox manager Jerry Manuel is one win away from tying Kid Gleason (392) for seventh on the team's career list.

Oakland: LHP Barry Zito, the team's player rep, remembered the 1994 strike from the viewpoint of a fan. "Now, however, I understand more what it's all about,'' he said. ... A's manager Art Howe, who celebrated 33 years of marriage to wife Betty on Friday, would prefer to talk about the game rather than the strike. "Hopefully, an agreement can be reached. We have two weeks to do it,'' he said. "Next subject.'' ... RHP Tim Hudson sponsored a charity golf tournament Thursday to raise money for the Make-A-Wish foundation. ... The A's entered 2-for-20 (.150) with runners in scoring position during the current homestand, and are hitting .184 (21-for-114) in those situations in August. ... LHP Mark Mulder, Saturday's starter, is 11-3 with a 2.93 ERA over his last 15 starts.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Diamondbacks at Cubs
Arizona: Former Cubs 1B Mark Grace got a standing ovation when he entered the game as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth inning. He got another standing O when he came to bat in the ninth. "They're the best fans in the world and I had a proud 13 years here,'' Grace said. "I'm glad they haven't forgotten me yet.'' ... RHP Curt Schilling has one walk in his last five starts, giving him 22 starts with one or less walks. He's got 14 starts where he didn't allow a single walk and has one more win (20) this season than walks (29). ... Schilling is now 11-1 on the road this year. ... The Diamondbacks' seven-game winning streak matches their longest of the year.

Chicago: Sammy Sosa's 42nd home run -- best in the majors -- gives him sole possession of the top five- and nine-year homer binges in history. He's homered 285 times since 1998, one more than Mark McGwire did from 1995-99. Sosa's 422 homers since 1994 are one more than Babe Ruth had from 1920-28. ... With Sosa closing in on 500 homers, the Cubs have started a countdown in the bottom right-hand corner of their classic scoreboard. "Sammy'' is on the top line and "Sosa'' is on the bottom of the frame where an AL score would normally be. The numbers 4-9-2 are next to Sosa's name, in the panes where the scores for the first three innings normally go. "It looks good,'' Sosa said. "Very nice.'' ... 2B Mark Bellhorn got the day off. "He needs a blow,'' interim manager Bruce Kimm said. "Since I've been here, he's played almost every day.'' ... Alex Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Padres at Expos
San Diego: Starter Bobby M. Jones left the game after being hit on the left hand by a shot up the middle by Wil Cordero in the third inning. He went to hospital for precautionary X-rays. ... The Padres have used a NL-record 31 pitchers this season. They've also used a major league-high 52 players. Rookie RHP Mike Bynum makes his major league debut Saturday.

Montreal: Wil Cordero was activated before the game from the 15-day DL (strained left calf) and had infield hits in his first two at-bats. INF Henry Mateo was optioned to Triple-A Ottawa to make room. ... Matt Cepicky hit his first career homer as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. It was Montreal's seventh pinch homer of the season. ... Andres Galarraga went 0-for-3 and has one hit in his last 34 at-bats.

Brewers at Pirates
Milwaukee: The struggling Brewers offense may have bottomed out Thursday when Philadelphia's Joe Roa shut out Milwaukee on four hits for seven innings. Roa is back in the major leagues for the first time since 1997. "I don't think that guy should have made it through five innings, if that,'' Milwaukee hitting coach Gary Matthews said. "Down the drain again.'' Matthews found fault with the approach his hitters took against Roa. ... OF Geoff Jenkins, out since June because of a dislocated ankle, is spending the weekend with the team in Pittsburgh. Manager Jerry Royster thought it would do Jenkins some good to get away from his home and be with his teammates.

Pittsburgh: 2B Pokey Reese made only one error in the first half of the season. He's made four since then and has also bobbled some other balls. "All that does is show he's human,'' manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We probably got spoiled a little in the first half. I still think he's hands down the best defensive second baseman in the league. He's just tremendous.'' ... After a ninth-inning loss to the Cardinals on Thursday, McClendon told the players they didn't have to be dressed until 5 p.m. Friday, two hours before the start of the game against Milwaukee. McClendon said Thursday's defeat was probably the toughest of the season. The Pirates scored three runs to tie the score in the eighth, then allowed six in the ninth as the Cardinals completed the four-game sweep.

Giants at Marlins
San Francisco: The Giants arrived at their Fort Lauderdale hotel at 5:30 a.m. Friday following a long night in Atlanta, which ended after a 2½-hour rain delay with a 3-3 tie in the 10th. "We didn't sleep all day, because the hotel was noisy,'' manager Dusty Baker said. "Housekeeping is banging at 8:30, kids are running around, and on my floor anytime somebody slammed a door, the whole building shook.'' ... The Giants placed RHP Manny Aybar on the disabled list Friday with a strained right hip flexor. He hurt it warming up Thursday night at Atlanta. RHP Jay Witasick, who has been on the DL since July 27 with a bruised left foot, was activated. ... Barry Bonds said the Hall of Fame didn't request any memorabilia from him following his 600th home run. "Nobody asked me,'' he said. With a laugh he added, "You guys seem to forget -- I ain't the most liked person in baseball.'' ... Regarding his chances of breaking Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs, Bonds said: "If I was 33 years old, I'd say without a doubt. I'm 38 years old. It's not impossible.'' ... Robb Nen has blown three consecutive save chances, including one in Thursday's tie at Atlanta. "I'm not making good pitches,'' he said. "I'm getting ahead of guys. I'm just not finishing them off.''

Florida: The Marlins activated C Charles Johnson from the DL. Johnson has been sidelined since July 28 with a strained lower back. They sent RHP Blaine Neal to Triple-A Calgary. ... Florida began the weekend batting .227 since the All-Star break.

Cardinals at Phillies
St. Louis: OF J.D. Drew, among the most-hated visiting players in Veterans Stadium, was not in the lineup Friday night. ... Jason Simontacchi (8-4, 4.50 ERA) makes his first career start against the Phillies on Saturday. LHP Chuck Finley made his first career appearance against the Phillies on Friday night. ... 3B Scott Rolen, playing his first game in Philadelphia since the Phillies traded him on July 29, made just his 10th error of the season, but second in two games. ... The Cardinals four-game sweep over the Pirates that was completed Thursday night was their first four-game sweep in Pittsburgh in 31 years.

Philadelphia: CF Ricky Ledee returned to the team after missing two games to be with his wife, Theresa, who gave birth to the couple's third child, a daughter. ... The 1993 NL Championship team alumni of John Kruk, Darren Daulton and Milt Thompson beat the 1980 world championship team of Greg Luzinski, Tug McGraw and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt in a pregame hitting challenge. Schmidt, who had 548 career homers, hit four home runs. ... RHP David Coggin, making his first start Saturday since going to the bullpen, will be on a pitch count of about 60 or 70. ... Former 1B Rico Brogna stepped down as hitting coach of Double-A Reading to join ESPN as an analyst. His last day will be Sunday.

Dodgers at Mets
Los Angeles: SS Cesar Izturis, who did not start in the three-game series at Montreal, was back in the lineup. Alex Cora, hitting .339 in his last 20 games, got the day off. Manager Jim Tracy said he wanted to have Izturis' right-handed bat against Mets rookie LHP Mike Bacsik, and also wanted to give Cora a rest after playing three straight days on artificial turf. ... On the 25th anniversary Elvis Presley's death, the Dodgers warmed up Friday night while the King's songs played on the sound system at Shea Stadium.

New York: The Mets began the day with an eight-game home losing streak. The last time they had a longer skid at Shea Stadium came when they dropped a team-record 13 in a row to end the 1979 season -- under manager Joe Torre. ... After a season-long campaign gathered 27,000 votes in stadium ballots and on-line responses, the Mets announced their 40th anniversary "All-Amazin' Team.'' It is: 1B Keith Hernandez, 2B Edgardo Alfonzo, SS Bud Harrelson, 3B Howard Johnson, OFs Lenny Dykstra, Darryl Strawberry and Mookie Wilson, C Mike Piazza, RH starter Tom Seaver, LH starter Jerry Koosman, RH reliever Roger McDowell, LH reliever John Franco, pinch-hitters Rusty Staub and Ed Kranepool and manager Gil Hodges.

Astros at Reds
Houston: The Astros agreed on a contract with third-round draft pick Rory Shortell, a right-handed pitcher from San Diego State. Shortell, 21, was 8-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 18 starts last season. ... 1B Jeff Bagwell is three homers shy of tying Rocky Colavito for 50th place on the career list. Bagwell has 371 homers. ... RHP Ricky Stone has a chance to set a club record in Cincinnati, a half-hour drive from his hometown of Hamilton, Ohio. Stone has appeared in 61 games this season, tying Charley Kerfeld's team rookie record from 1986.

Cincinnati: Austin Kearns' two-run homer in the third inning was his ninth of the season and his first since June 14. The rookie outfielder went 50 games and 175 at-bats without a homer. ... Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the starting lineup with a sore left thigh, aggravated as he chased a ball in center on Thursday night. Griffey has been limited to 37 starts this season because of a torn tendon in his right knee and a pulled right hamstring. An MRI on Friday found nothing more than a strain, and he's expected back in the lineup in a couple of days. He's available to pinch-hit. ... Rookie outfielder Brandon Larson got X-rays that found a chipped bone in the big toe of his left foot. He went on the 15-day disabled list. The Reds called up OF Ruben Mateo from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Rockies at Braves
Colorado: Hitting is contagious in Colorado. The Rockies pitching staff came into the game hitting a league-best .276 with three homers and 20 RBI. ... P Denny Stark, who will start on Saturday, hit his first career homer against the Braves on May 18. ... 3B Todd Zeile was mired in a 12-for-93 slump since the All-Star break, dropping his average from .291 to .254.

Atlanta: LF Chipper Jones arrived at Turner Field just before the game and was in the lineup. He had flown to Florida earlier in the day for his mother-in-law's funeral. ... C Javy Lopez was activated from the DL. Lopez, batting .238 with six homers and 35 RBI, spent 15 days on the DL with an ailing right shoulder. He was in the starting lineup for Friday night's game against the Colorado Rockies. "Javy is ready to go,'' manager Bobby Cox said. "He feels 100 percent.'' ... Backup C Henry Blanco went on the 15-day DL after missing the last three games with a pulled muscle in his left side. The move was retroactive to Monday. "It's the safe thing to do,'' Cox said. "Henry doesn't need to do anything.'' Blanco is hitting .198 with four homers and 17 RBI. ... IF Mark DeRosa is still nursing a sore right hand but "can play if he has to,'' Cox said.