WEDNESDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Cory Lidle Pitched his second one-hitter in less than a month, stretched scoreless streak to 31 innings. IP H R BB SO 9 1 0 1 8 Hero of the day Ismael Valdes gave the sputtering Mariners exactly what they hoped for when they traded for him -- innings and bottom-of-the-order stability. Valdes went 6 2/3 innings in Seattle's 8-2 win over the Tigers, helping the M's stay in a three-way tie for first in the AL West. Goat of the day Reds starter Brian Moehler lasted just two innings in a loss to the Diamondbacks, giving up six earned runs on seven hits and a walk. Injury report Kansas City OF Chuck Knoblauch missed his second straight game because of a strained left forearm. The Angels placed RHP Aaron Sele on the 15-day DL with a partially torn muscle in his pitching shoulder Padres rookie LHP Oliver Perez was scheduled to come off the disabled list and start against the Braves on Thursday, but had some discomfort in his left shoulder on Wednesday and was scratched. Reds SS Barry Larkin left after two innings against the Diamondbacks with tightness in his neck. Apparent food poisoning kept Giants OF Reggie Sanders out of the lineup for the second straight game. Expos starter Masato Yoshii (4-5) won for the second time in 12 starts, but left after five innings with a lower back strain. He allowed only one run and three hits against the Rockies. Stat of the day The Devil Rays lost for the second time in a four-game set with the O's on Wednesday, assuring they will go winless in their past 15 series, a franchise record. Streak of the day The A's have won eight straight games, surging into a first-place tie in the hotly contested AL West. The Angels lead the majors with 36 come-from-behind wins. The last word "The last six innings of this game, I saw about was as much intensity out of the club as I've seen all season. A little bit of blasting in the dugout and a little bit of noise.'' -- Red Sox manager Grady Little, after Nomar Garciaparra's fiery pep-talk ignited Boston to a 5-3 win over the Rangers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Rangers at Red Sox
Texas: After pulling out Tuesday's game with a game-tying homer by Ivan Rodriguez in the ninth inning and a leadoff homer in the 10th by Todd Hollandsworth, the Rangers have come from behind in their last four wins. ... Juan Gonzalez, on the 15-day DL with a strained ligament in his right thumb, will have the finger in a splint until Aug. 25. ... Rusty Greer, out with lower back and hip pain, will have surgery in Dallas on Thursday to remove a disc and have fuse two vertebrae in his neck. He is expected to have hip surgery in the next few weeks. ... Carl Everett, booed every time he was announced or made a play Tuesday, was booed loudly again as the lineups were announced Wednesday.

Boston: Rickey Henderson, batting leadoff, entered needing just 18 at-bats to tie Willie Mays for 10th all-time. ... Texas OF Carl Everett wasn't the only ones fans were booing. After Kevin Mench homered to open the game and 1B Tony Clark made an error on a pickoff attempt, the crowd turned briefly on LHP Casey Fossum and Clark. ... The Red Sox entered with six losses in their last eight, prompting some concern in the voice of interim GM Mike Port and some of the players. "The results thus far are unacceptable,'' he said during his pregame radio show. "You look at the players and you figure they are capable of better.'' ... After Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers in 10 innings, in which the Red Sox stranded 11 baserunners, Trot Nixon said: "I'm at the point where I'm sick to my stomach when I go to the plate sometimes.''

Mariners at Tigers
Seattle: Ruben Sierra, who hasn't played since Monday because of a strained left quadriceps, isn't close to returning. "He's going to be a few days,'' Seattle manager Lou Piniella said. ... It appears that a rest helped OF Mike Cameron. He had been 0-for-21 before sitting out Sunday's game and pinch-running Monday night. He returned to the lineup Tuesday night and went 4-for-4. "Get away from it for a few games, relax your mind and then play,'' Piniella said. Cameron was hitting .226 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI coming in.

Detroit: C Brandon Inge was back in the lineup after sitting out Tuesday night's game. Inge was working intensely with batting coach Merv Rettenmund. Inge was hitting .229 with seven home runs and 21 RBI coming in, and had struck out 80 times in 258 at-bats. "He (Rettenmund) told me that Brandon brought a tape from a couple of years ago and he was moving his hands and feet,'' Tigers manager Luis Pujols said. "And he hasn't been doing that.'' Specifically, Pujols said that on the tape, Inge was bringing his hands back before swinging. ... Tigers designated hitter Randall Simon left Tuesday night's game after being hit in the elbow with a pitch and wasn't in Wednesday's starting lineup. "They're working with him to see if he'll be available,'' Pujols said. "They took an X-ray last night and it was negative. It was a bruise.'' It was possible Simon could pinch-hit Wednesday night.

Angels at Yankees
Anaheim: RHP Aaron Sele was placed on the 15-day DL with a partially torn muscle in his pitching shoulder. Sele will have a cortisone injection in the shoulder. He hopes to be back in two weeks, but the Angels aren't certain. "The very optimistic scenario is he comes back and pitches in 2-to-3 weeks,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. "If that happens, terrific. If not, someone will have to step up and fill that void.'' ... RF Tim Salmon (bruised left wrist) took batting practice for the second straight day. He could return to the lineup either Thursday or Friday for the first time since being hit by a pitch Aug. 10 in Toronto. "He made a lot of progress today. That's encouraging,'' Scioscia said. ... RHP Kevin Appier threw in the bullpen before the game and is scheduled to make his next start Saturday in Boston. Appier left Sunday's start against Cleveland early because of a strained hip flexor and groin.

New York: Joe Torre isn't managing any differently with the threat of a strike looming on Aug. 30. "I just can't make plans saying next Friday is going to be the end of baseball,'' he said. "I look at it as the whole season. If someone says there won't be baseball, I'll be surprised.'' ... 2B Alfonso Soriano hit his 43rd double of the year, the most by a Yankees right-handed batter since Joe DiMaggio had 43 in 1941. ... The Yankees aren't expecting 1B Nick Johnson back until September at the earliest. Johnson (bone bruise on left wrist) is swinging the bat in Tampa, Fla., and could take BP by the end of the week. "It will take some time,'' Torre said. "He probably won't be back before Sept. 1.''

Royals at Blue Jays
Kansas City: OF Carlos Beltran hit his 20th home run to become the first player in club history to have three 20-20 seasons. Beltran has 30 stolen bases. He thinks he can have a 30-30 season. "I'm not going to say I will do it, but I know I have the ability to do it. I have to put everything together,'' Beltran said. ... The Royals are 40-60 against right-handed starters this season. ... 3B Joe Randa ended an 0-for-24 slump with a single in the fourth inning.

Toronto: Manager Carlos Tosca said he hopes Carlos Delgado (sore back) will be ready to return by Sunday or Monday. Delgado is on the 15-day disabled list. ... After seeing starter Roy Halladay allow seven runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings, Tosca said he would give Halladay an extra day of rest before his next start. "He is our franchise,'' Tosca said. "I don't want to try and have him do more than he can because I know that's how pitchers get injured.'' Halladay has pitched a career-high 190 1-3 innings. "It seems like the last month or so those four days in between have been going pretty quick,'' Halladay said. "It'll be nice to have a little break and hopefully feel refreshed again.'' ... Halladay is 6-6 in 13 starts at SkyDome, compared to 8-0 in 14 road starts this season. ... Rookie 2B Orlando Hudson has 31 hits in his last 22 games.

Athletics at Indians
Oakland: His statistics say otherwise, but 3B Eric Chavez doesn't think he's hitting very well right now. Since ending an 0-for-26 slide, Chavez is batting .308 with eight doubles, nine homers and 25 RBI in his last 31 games. "I honestly don't feel good at the plate,'' Chavez said. "I've been swinging at a lot of first pitches lately. I feel like I'm giving away so many at-bats right now. I guess you take it. But I really don't feel that great.'' ... A's pitchers entered with a 1.57 ERA during the club's seven-game winning streak. In addition, Oakland starters have pitched at least seven innings in six of the last eight games. ... Jermaine Dye came in with 10 homers and 26 RBI since the All-Star break. He hit just six homers and drove in 33 runs before the break. "I'm swinging real well right now,'' he said. "I'm not doing anything different other than just being patient and trying to get good pitches.''

Cleveland: 2B Ricky Gutierrez will visit a neck specialist in Chicago on Thursday to get a third opinion on his injured neck. Gutierrez, who is done for the season, has been advised to have surgery on his neck. Gutierrez injured himself in April, and despite constant pain which affected his fielding and movement, he continued to play. "It's a testament to his toughness and tenacity,'' GM Mark Shapiro said. "He played with extreme pain from the first week of the season. He fought through it and had a pretty productive second half.'' Gutierrez has been told he'll need 3-to-6 months to make a full recovery. ... RHP Ricardo Rodriguez became the 50th player used by the Indians when he made his major league debut against Oakland. He's also their 25th pitcher and the seventh player to make his big league debut with the Indians in 2002. ... LHP Heath Murray, who pitched in nine games for the Indians this season, will undergo shoulder surgery next week. Murray has been on the 15-day DL since July 22.

Devil Rays at Orioles
Tampa Bay: 1B Aubrey Huff entered fifth in the AL in hitting this month (.366). ... Tuesday's loss to Baltimore marked the ninth time this season the Devil Rays lost after leading with one or two outs in the ninth inning, and the third time in six days. ... OF Ben Grieve homered on consecutive nights for the third time this season Monday and Tuesday. Grieve had a career-best six home runs in April but just seven since coming into Wednesday. ... C Toby Hall was 13-for-28 (.464) in seven games through Tuesday, improving his average from .211 to .241, the highest since April 24 (.246). ... CF Randy Winn's 7-for-14 streak in his last three starts placed him eighth in the AL in hitting (.309). His 54 RBI were three more than his previous career best of 51, set last year. ... RHP Jorge Sosa, Thursday's starter, has just one win in 10 major league starts.

Baltimore: RHP Pat Hentgen, making his fourth rehab start Tuesday at Class-A Aberdeen, was forced to leave the game after sustaining a mild groin strain while covering first base. Hentgen, on the 60-day DL all season after undergoing elbow ligament replacement surgery, pitched 6 2-3 innings of a 2-0 win over Jamestown, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out three. Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said Hentgen might miss his next rehab assignment. "It shouldn't set him back much,'' Hargrove said. "He threw the ball very well. He had 20 out of 25 first-pitch strikes and great command of his cutter.'' ... The Orioles play two rainout makeups in the next three days, Thursday night against Tampa Bay and Saturday in a day-night doubleheader against Toronto. ... Baltimore turned its AL-leading 139th double play in the second inning. ... LHP Buddy Groom extended his scoreless streak to 11 outings and 10 innings by getting the final out in the top of the ninth Tuesday.

Twins at White Sox
Minnesota: Twins manager Ron Gardenhire considered giving either Torii Hunter or Jacque Jones the night off, but Jones has led off the last two games with a homer, and Hunter had a pair of RBI on Tuesday night. "We're trying to win every ball game we can,'' Gardenhire said. "Those guys both feel good, they're swinging good, so there's no reason to take them out.'' But Gardenhire said both will get a day off in Kansas City this weekend. ... 3B Corey Koskie got another night off as he recovers from the flu. "He'll be back tomorrow,'' Gardenhire said. "After being sick the way he was yesterday, it was good to give him another day. And Mr. Buehrle is not exactly the easiest pitcher to face.'' Mark Buehrle is 5-1 lifetime against the Twins and 3-0 this season. ... The Twins began the day with a 16½-game lead in the AL Central over Chicago, but they're not about to coast these last few weeks. They're not trying to pile on anyone, but Gardenhire said they got a little too caught up in scoreboard watching last year. "We've just tried to stay away from that,'' he said. "We've just tried to focus on us.'' ... Cristian Guzman's 18-game hitting streak gives the Twins three players with 16-game or better streaks for the first time since 1991. The Twins had four players with streaks of 16 games or better that year: Chuck Knoblauch (20 games); Kent Hrbek (17 games); and Kirby Puckett and Chili Davis (16 games).

Chicago: Frank Thomas, mired in a 4-for-27 (.148) slump his last seven games, got the night off. Jeff Liefer took his spot at DH, and manager Jerry Manuel said Thomas was fine with the decision. "He said, `Well, I've been struggling, I don't see why not,''' Manuel said. "He's said a number of times, `All those guys I've left on base, you should get somebody else in there.''' ... Thomas has struggled all season after missing last year with a torn triceps, and fans haven't been very forgiving. He was booed every time he stepped to the plate Tuesday night. "This is home for him,'' Manuel said. "He's put up some big numbers here. He's trying to get it right and I think he's a couple of hits away from being cheered.'' ... Twins starter Joe Mays entered Wednesday's game 6-0 in 11 career games against the White Sox. "I just feel we're due,'' Manuel said. "He's due for a bad outing and we're due for a good game.''

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cubs at Astros
Chicago: The Cubs have not had a winning season series against Houston since going 8-4 in 1992. ... The Cubs' 24 hits Tuesday night is the most hits Chicago has recorded since August 18, 1995 when the Cubs had 27 hits.

Houston: The pitching matchup between Houston's Carlos Hernandez and Chicago's Mark Prior is the third consecutive Astros-Cubs game in which both teams have started rookies. ... Recent tests on RHP Doug Brocail revealed irritation to the ulnar nerve and a stress fracture in his right elbow, ending his comeback attempt for this season.

Phillies at Brewers
Philadelphia: Going into Wednesday night's game, the Phillies had scored one run in each of their previous three games. Jeremy Giambi, Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell hit solo homers in consecutive games for their only runs. ... With his homer Tuesday night, Burrell became the 17th Phillies player to hit 30 HR in a season. He did it in the team's 124th game, becoming the fastest Phillie to reach that mark since Mike Schmidt hit his 31st in Game 124 in 1981. ... The bullpen has a 5.01 ERA on the road and a 3.39 ERA at home. ... RHP Terry Adams has a 3.77 ERA in 11 games since joining the bullpen on July 20.

Milwaukee: C Raul Casanova appears to be on the outs among Milwaukee's four catchers. Casanova, who began the season as the Brewers starter, has been on the disabled list since May 17 with a torn ligament in his left elbow, but is ready to return from a minor-league rehab assignment. The Brewers, though, have three active catchers -- Paul Bako, Robert Machado and Jorge Fabregas -- and manager Jerry Royster likes the way they are playing. "He's definitely odd man out right now because he's not active and he's ready to go,'' Royster said. "As an organization, we're not ready to make a decision.'' ... Royster said the chances of LF Geoff Jenkins returning this season are "not very good.'' Jenkins has been working to return by the end of the season since severely dislocating his right ankle on June 17.

Pirates at Cardinals
Pittsburgh: LF Brian Giles was removed after seven innings Monday in his first start since missing three games with a calf injury. "Anytime we get a chance to do that, we need to do that,'' manager Lloyd McClendon said. "It's always risky taking him out of the lineup, but we need to try to keep him healthy the rest of the year.''

St. Louis: The Cardinals signed third-round pick Calvin Hayes, a shortstop from Salisbury, N.C., on Wednesday. Hayes, the 102nd overall pick of this year's draft, was the team's first pick. He delayed signing until after his American Legion season ended, and will likely begin his career at Rookie League Johnson City, Tenn., next year. ... RF J.D. Drew, who has tendinitis in his right knee, was out of the lineup for the second straight game. It's the first time he's missed consecutive starts since July 15-17, when he missed three games. He took batting practice before the game, however and could play Thursday. ... RHP Woody Williams, on the disabled list with a pulled left side muscle, will make a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Memphis. If all goes according to plan he'll rejoin the rotation Aug. 29. ... RHP Garrett Stephenson makes his second rehab start for Memphis on Saturday. He's scheduled to make at least one more rehab appearance after that, and is slotted to rejoin the rotation on Aug. 31. ... 2B Fernando Vina was in a 3-for-19 slump with one run scored his last five games. He was 12-for-67 (.179) with two RBI and eight runs in 18 games.

Expos at Rockies
Montreal: RHP Tony Armas Jr. will start Thursday, his first start since coming off the DL last Monday. "We won't have him on a pitch count,'' manager Frank Robinson said of Armas, who missed 20 games while being on the DL with a lower back strain. "We will monitor him closely.'' ... 1B Andres Galarraga has been slumping of late, 1-for-16 over the past six games with one RBI and a run scored. Robinson sees value in the veteran who won a batting title for Colorado in 1993. "Andres has given me great defense and a veteran-type direction guy in the lineup,'' Robinson said. "He's a guy you can count on in tough situation.'' ... Montreal catchers have thrown out 11 of 17 base runners since giving up six stolen bases in a July 21 game at Florida. "Much of that has to do with our pitchers holding runners close at first and second base,'' Robinson said. "Our pitchers have given catchers a chance to throw out runners.'' ... The Expos began the day 62-65, a net gain of nine wins from a year ago when they were 53-72 after 125 games.

Colorado: Larry Walker came out of last Monday's game in Atlanta complaining of back spasms and sat out Tuesday's game with Montreal. "When I went to tell him I was giving him another day off he told me he was playing,'' manager Clint Hurdle said. "Larry had an adjustment after that and had some discomfort and wasn't so sure.'' ... Hurdle had Walker penciled in to start in right field with Gabe Kapler on notice he might play. ... OF Jay Payton was in center field a day after starting in left. Payton has displayed his versatility with eight starts in center and six in left since being acquired from the New York Mets. "Jay has great flexibility defensively and offensively,'' Hurdle said. "It is like being in a card game and having a wild card.'' ... Payton appears to have reached a comfort level since the July 31 trade. He has hit for average (.393) and power (three home runs in his last four games) in 17 games with Colorado. "We've given him the freedom to just play the game and not have to analyze every move he makes,'' Hurdle said. "We let Jay walk into the classroom and erase the chalkboard.''

Marlins at Dodgers
Florida: The Marlins, who were a season-high five games over .500 as recently as June 22, entered three games under. ... 2B Luis Castillo, who leads the majors with 39 steals, sat out his second straight game because of a sore right hand that affects his ability to bat against lefties. ... The Marlins entered with 107 home runs, 70 with the bases empty. ... Manager Jeff Torborg is planning on driving from San Diego to Los Angeles on Saturday morning to attend the funeral for former Dodgers teammate Johnny Roseboro, then drive back for the second game of the Marlins-Padres series.

Los Angeles: Eric Gagne, who never had a save in professional baseball until this season, entered needing one to tie the Dodgers' franchise record of 44, set by Todd Worrell in 1996. In 17 of Worrell's saves that year, he came in with a one-run lead, and a lead of three or more runs 14 times. Gagne has inherited a one-run lead in 16 of his saves, and a lead of three or more 15 times. ... Gagne had converted all 21 opportunities at Dodger Stadium, and retired the side in order 31 times in his 60 appearances. ... Shawn Green entered needing seven RBI for his fourth 100-RBI season in five years. He had 99 two years ago. ... The Dodgers have a 53-15 record when scoring first. ... RHP Paul Quantrill, who came in leading the majors with 68 relief appearances, has allowed only one home run this season in 61 2-3 innings. He had not allowed fewer than five homers in any of the previous six seasons as a full-time reliever. ... Tuesday night's 6-3 loss dropped the Dodgers to 4-10 in games that followed a scheduled day off. They are 7-7 in games preceding a day off.

Mets at Giants
New York: Newly acquired OF Raul Gonzalez was added to the Mets' roster. New York got Gonzalez, an International League All-Star, from Cincinnati in the deal for left-hander Shawn Estes. Gonzalez hit .261 (6-for-23) in 10 games during a brief callup with the Reds in July. ... The Mets optioned INF Marco Scutaro back to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Gonzalez. Scutaro's demotion means 3B Edgardo Alfonzo, out since Aug. 10 with a strained ribcage muscle, is almost ready to return to action. ... The Mets' nine-game losing streak is their longest since an 11-game skid from Aug. 9-21, 1991.

San Francisco: Before the game, an official scoring change was made on the deciding play in Tuesday night's 1-0 Giants victory. Instead of giving Tsuyoshi Shinjo a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, an error was issued to Mets cutoff man Mo Vaughn, making the run unearned. Vaughn, playing first base, fumbled with the throw from outfielder Jeromy Burnitz, then didn't throw home in time to get Barry Bonds as he scored the game's only run. ... Livan Hernandez got a 3-0 shutout victory in Florida on Monday night, and Jason Schmidt followed with a five-hit shutout against the Mets on Tuesday night. They gave the Giants their first consecutive complete-game shutouts since Aug. 10-11, 1988, when Rick Rueschel and Atlee Hammaker did it. ... The games also were San Francisco's first back-to-back complete games since Aug. 22-23, 1996, at New York by Mark Leiter and Terry Mulholland.

Braves at Padres
Atlanta: The Braves had a rarity occur Tuesday night -- leadoff batter Rafael Furcal scored, and Atlanta didn't win. The Braves are 49-5 since May 1 when Furcal scores. ... Kevin Millwood, who started for the Braves, entered 10-1 with a 2.40 ERA in his last 17 starts. The Braves have won 15 of his last 17 starts.

San Diego: Rookie LHP Oliver Perez was scheduled to come off the disabled list and start against the Braves on Thursday, but he had some discomfort in his left shoulder on Wednesday and was scratched. The start will go to rookie LHP Mike Bynum, who'll make his second big league start. Perez was put on the DL on Aug. 8, two days after he was hurt sliding headfirst into first base against Philadelphia.

Reds at Diamondbacks
Cincinnati: X-rays were negative on OF Ruben Mateo's right big toe, and he was available for pinch-hitting. Mateo was hit by a pitch from Randy Johnson in the first inning Tuesday night. ... RF Austin Kearns leads NL rookies in batting (.310), hits (108), RBI (52), doubles (23), on-base percentage (.407) and slugging percentage (.483). ... The collective batting average of eight Reds -- Aaron Boone, Russell Branyan, Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin, Jason LaRue, Kelly Stinnett and Todd Walker -- is .144 in their last 188 at-bats.

Arizona: OF Luis Gonzalez took batting practice for the first time in a week and looked so good that he might be in the lineup for Thursday night's series finale. Gonzalez has sat out the last six games with strained rib cartilage after playing in 466 consecutive games. ... The Diamondbacks recalled INF Alex Cintron and LHP Eddie Oropesa from Triple-A Tucson. The team optioned C Rod Barajas to Tucson and placed LHP Greg Swindell on the 15-day DL (bulging disks in his lower back). ... INF Craig Counsell, on the DL with a pinched nerve in his neck, is to receive the last in a series of three epidural injections Monday. ... Arizona's pitching staff has a 2.33 ERA in its last 27 games while the team compiled a 22-5 record.