WEDNESDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Jim Thome Smacked two solo shots in Cleveland's 2-1 victory against the Tigers. He became the first Indians slugger to hit 40 or more home runs in three seasons. AB H HR RBI 3 2 3 2 Hero of the day Dodgers starter Odalis Perez hit the first homer of his career for the game's lone run in Los Angeles' 1-0 victory over the Diamondbacks. Perez also threw eight shutout innings to defeat Arizona for the first time in his career. Goat of the day Rockies starter Jason Jennings gave up eight runs -- seven of which were earned -- in 4 1/3 innings in Colorado's 9-1 loss to the Giants. Injury report Braves OF Gary Sheffield was expected to miss a week with a sprained left thumb. Mariners OF Ruben Sierra didn't play because of a strained left quadriceps. Twins OF Bobby Kielty didn't play after becoming ill in the batting cage before the game. White Sox 1B Paul Konerko missed his second straight game with a sore foot. Red Sox OF Cliff Floyd missed his second straight game with a left knee bruise. Stat of the day Yankees second baseman Alfonso Soriano hit his 47th double in New York's 7-0 win over Boston to tie a club record for right-handed batters set by Bob Meusel in 1927. Streak of the day The Rangers homered for the 15th straight game, including two in their 5-3 win over the Orioles. Texas has hit 30 homers in that span. The last word "[Bobby Kielty] was watching some of his own swings.'' -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire joked about Kielty, who threw up in the batting cage before the game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Yankees at Red Sox
New York: 2B Alfonso Soriano doubled in the fifth inning -- his 47th of the year -- to tie a club record for right-handed batters set by Bob Meusel in 1927. He also took third for his 35th stolen base. ... RHP Mike Mussina entered the game 1-2 lifetime when starting against Pedro Martinez. ... Tuesday's winner David Wells is 9-0 as a visitor to AL parks this season.

Boston: Before the game, the Red Sox honored the Worcester, Mass., team that finished fourth at the Little League World Series. Players got to throw out a first pitch, pose for pictures in front of a left-field scoreboard that posted the results of their U.S. semifinal victory over Harlem and stand at their positions with Boston players for the national anthem. They were all given Red Sox jerseys with their names on the back. ... OF Cliff Floyd was sidelined for the second consecutive day with a left knee bruise. ... OF Benny Agbayani, claimed off of waivers from the Colorado Rockies on Monday, was optioned to AAA Pawtucket.

Tigers at Indians
Detroit: Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell called his last game in Cleveland on Wednesday, the same place he started doing games 42 years ago for Detroit. The Indians honored Harwell by naming the visiting radio booth after him. He has been calling major league games for 55 years. Wednesday night's game could be his last because the Tigers are off Thursday and the strike deadline is Friday. ... Detroit is second among AL teams with a collective .289 batting average from the ninth spot in the order. Boston is first (.296). ... Tigers opponents are batting .293 from the seventh inning on, highest in the AL. ... OF Wendell Magee will undergo surgery on his right big toe next Wednesday.

Cleveland: Indians 3B Travis Fryman announced his retirement Wednesday. The five-time All-Star struggled all year after offseason shoulder surgery. Fryman was hitting .214 with nine home runs and 47 RBI entering Wednesday night's game with a career average of .274 with 221 homers and 1,014 RBI. "I've always considered myself a blue-collar type of player and an overachiever. I only hope that people thought I gave my best effort out there,'' Fryman said. ... Indians GM Mark Shapiro and his wife, Lissa, had their first child early Wednesday, Caden Reid. ... Four of the Indians' six minor league affiliates are heading for the postseason.

Mariners at Twins
Seattle: Ruben Sierra had to leave Tuesday's game after an inning with a leg injury, and he was held out of the lineup again Wednesday. ... The Mariners entered Wednesday's game 13-37 when scoring three runs or less, and manager Lou Piniella expressed his frustration Tuesday night that another bat hasn't been picked up to help out the lineup. "I've said all season long we need another hitter,'' Piniella said, his voice rising. "It's painful watching it day in and day out. But I don't want to talk about that subject anymore.'' ... The Mariners are reminding fans not to arrive at Safeco Field more than two hours early for Saturday's game against Kansas City, which is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. Pacific time. Washington State has a noon game next door at the Seahawks' new stadium.

Minnesota: Ron Gardenhire, one of the most affable managers in the game, admits he's become a bit testy recently with the possible players' strike looming Friday. "I'm a little irritable,'' Gardenhire said. "It's something I don't really want to think about.'' Gardenhire, though, still found a way to be funny before Wednesday's game when mentioning that Dustan Mohr would replace an ill Bobby Kielty in right field. "Kielty's sick,'' Gardenhire said. "He threw up in the batting cage -- watching some of his own swings.'' ... General manager Terry Ryan and Gardenhire are discussing what to do about their 25-man roster for the playoffs, but they're not going to finalize anything until the strike issue is cleared up. Postseason rosters must be set by the end of August, and the Twins want to add another position player and go with 11 pitchers for the playoffs. That means they must leave one of their current pitchers off the list -- likely reliever Bob Wells. ... The Twins play the Mariners at noon on Thursday, and the players have another conference call scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Central time. Denny Hocking, the Twins' player representative, said he'll probably have a starter like Joe Mays (who pitched Tuesday) or Eric Milton (on the disabled list) who doesn't have to worry about the game sit in on the call for the Twins. ... A.J. Pierzynski leads the team and all AL catchers with five triples. Gardenhire kidded Pierzynski that it was a fluke. "Who's delusional?,'' Pierzynski joked back. "I think Gardy needs to check the stats.''

Orioles at Rangers
Baltimore: Switch-hitting 1B David Segui, who had surgery on his left wrist May 21, may wait until next season before returning. Segui has been able to swing left-handed but not right-handed. Segui thought he was ready to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment, but the Orioles don't want to rush him back. "It's disappointing,'' Segui said. "I see both sides of it.'' ... After wrapping up their series at Texas on Thursday night, the Orioles fly to Anaheim to begin a three-game series Friday. Baltimore will travel to California as scheduled after Thursday night's game, and wait there to see if the players union goes on strike Friday.

Texas: RHP Hideki Irabu, who has been out since small blood clots were found in his lungs July 15, was transferred Wednesday from the 15-day to 60-day disabled list. Irabu, who is 3-8 with a 5.74 ERA and 16 saves, has already been out for 48 days. ... The four-hit game for OF Carl Everett on Tuesday night matched a career high. It was the 13th four-hit game of his career, but first since Sept. 14, 2000. Going into Wednesday night's game, he had hits in six straight plate appearances and was hitting .361 (30-of-83) with four homers and 20 RBI in 22 games to raise his average from .193 to .241.

Athletics at Royals
Oakland: The Athletics are hitting .296 (146-for-489) during the Oakland-record 14-game winning streak they took into Wednesday's game. The team ERA during the streak is 2.21. ... INF/OF Adam Piatt's grandfather passed away Wednesday. He will leave the club during the off-day on Thursday and if there is no strike, he is expected to rejoin the team on Sunday.

Kansas City: The Royals are 1-5 entering the last game of their seven-game homestand. Their starters have recorded all six decisions and have posted an ERA of 7.68. The bullpen has turned in a 2.54 ERA for the month of August since ending July with an ERA of 5.44. ... The Royals are 33-34 at home this season. It's the first time since July 15 (21-22) that they have been under .500 at home. ... Kansas City is assured of a losing month for the 13th straight month, the second longest streak in the majors Tampa Bay has had a losing record for 14 months in a row. The longest streak in major league history is 43 straight months, when the Philadelphia Athletics went seven years without a winning month (April 1915 to April 1922).

Blue Jays at White Sox
Toronto: Blue Jays' player representative Vernon Wells has been in close contact with the union and is hoping that something will get done. "They're still talking and trying to get something worked out,'' Wells said. "I think everybody remains optimistic about what is going to happen and I think everybody is just sitting back waiting to see. ... RHP Steve Parris has allowed at least one home run in each of his last six starts. Opponents have homered 10 times against him in that span. ... Wells snapped his 12-game hitting streak.

Chicago: 1B Paul Konerko missed his second straight game with a sore left foot. He is listed as day to day. ... White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with players before Wednesday's game. Reinsdorf told the players that he was unhappy with their effort. "He feels that we haven't given any effort and it's embarrassing the kind of the year that we have had and I definitely agree with that and that there is going to be some changes next year,'' Jeff Liefer said. White Sox manager Jerry Manuel was not present for the meeting, but said the White Sox have not lived up to expectations. "We have had our struggles. We didn't achieve what we thought we were capable of. There is no doubt about that,'' Manuel said. ... 2b D'Angelo Jimenez has hit in three straight starts since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Aug. 26. ... The White Sox earned their sixth shutout of the season and first since July 30 at Minnesota.

Devil Rays at Angels
Tampa Bay: Nineteen of the Devil Rays' final 31 games are against clubs above .500, including the Anaheim, the New York Yankees and Boston. Tampa Bay played 27 consecutive games against teams with losing records before they began their series against the Angels. ... The Devil Rays have not won a series since taking two of three against Florida on June 28-30, a stretch of 16 series. Heading into Wednesday night's game against the Angels, Tampa Bay's 43 wins after 131 games were the fewest by a team at that point since Cleveland was 43-88 in 1991. Baltimore had just 42 wins in 132 games in 1988. ... The Devil Rays have never won a series against the Angels.

Anaheim: RF Tim Salmon, recovering from a bruised left hand, may play in a couple of games at Class A Rancho Cucamonga before that team's season ends Sunday. "He's feeling much better,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. Salmon has been on the 15-day DL since Aug. 22, retroactive to Aug. 14. ... OF Orlando Palmeiro, given Tuesday off after bruising his ribs when he ran into the wall at Fenway Park a night earlier, was available to play on Wednesday, Scioscia said. ... Wednesday's starter against Tampa Bay, Jarrod Washburn, was trying to become the first Angels' pitcher to win 16 games since Chuck Finley and Mark Langston in 1993.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cardinals at Reds
St. Louis: RHP Garrett Stephenson was activated from the 60-day disabled list to start against the Reds. Stephenson hadn't pitched since May 29, when he strained his left hamstring -- the latest in a series of major setbacks. He missed last season as he recovered from reconstructive elbow surgery, and back and hamstring problems had limited him to seven starts this season. ... The Cardinals optioned right-handed reliever Gabe Molina to Triple-A Memphis to open a roster spot for Stephenson. ... The Cardinals will return to Chicago on Thursday for the first time since pitcher Darryl Kile died in a hotel room in June. They'll stay at a different hotel. ... Reliever Jeff Fassero, who wore No. 16 in his debut with the Cardinals on Tuesday, switched to No. 13. OF Kerry Robinson, who had the number, switched to zero.

Cincinnati: RHP Brian Moehler was placed on the 15-day disabled list with weakness in his right shoulder. The Reds recalled RHP Chris Reitsma, who had been optioned to Double-A Chatttanooga the previous day. Reitsma will take Moehler's spot in the rotation. ... OF Austin Kearns might not be out for the season. He pulled his left hamstring while running out a grounder Tuesday night and was placed on the 15-day DL. The Reds initially feared he had torn the hamstring, which would sideline him for the rest of the season, but an MRI indicated it's not that severe.

Mets at Marlins
New York: Manager Bobby Valentine, who said he doesn't think there will be a strike, rested catcher Mike Piazza. "If I thought today was the last day of the season, I would definitely have Mike in there,'' Valentine said. ... RHP Pedro Astacio, scheduled to start Friday against Philadelphia, hasn't thrown a wild pitch in 160 innings this season. The Mets came in with 17 wild pitches, fewest in the majors.

Florida: Despite his team's fade since the All-Star break, manager Jeff Torborg says he wants to return next season. "I love it here,'' he said. "I didn't like the second half as much as the first half, but I love it here.'' ... Here's a first in rainy South Florida -- the Marlins' team photo was rained out. The team had to postpone plans to take the picture before the game.

Braves at Pirates
Atlanta: RF Gary Sheffield is expected to miss a week with a sprained left thumb. Sheffield was injured during batting practice Tuesday, and tests revealed a small tear. ... Tom Glavine, who starts Thursday, is 18-10 career against the Pirates, not counting his 0-4 record in the 1991 and '92 playoffs. ... The Braves originally planned to fly to Montreal following Thursday afternoon's game at PNC Park. If there is not a labor agreement by then, they will stay another night in Pittsburgh to await news from the negotiations.

Pittsburgh: The Pirates had nine more victories (58) after 132 games than they did a year ago, but remain on pace for a 90-loss season -- their third straight with at least 90 losses and fourth in five years. ... Pokey Reese was 11-for-39 (.282) with six walks and nine runs scored in his first 10 games since moving into the leadoff spot. Manager Lloyd McClendon plans to bat him leadoff the rest of the season.

Expos at Phillies
Montreal: RHP Tomo Ohka, Wednesday's starter, hosted eight children (10-to-16 years old) from Kyoto, Japan, as a part of his second annual Tomo Ohka Charity Tour. The children, who lost their parents in earthquakes in Japan in the late 1990s, are joining various underprivileged kids in the Philadelphia and Trenton (N.J.) areas for the final two games of the series. ... The Expos (65-66) didn't win their 65th game last year until Sept. 28 (65-89). ... Wil Cordero is tied for the NL lead in pinch-hit homers (3) with Philadelphia's Ricky Ledee and Cincinnati's Reggie Taylor. ... Bartolo Colon, Thursday's starter, is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts against the Phillies this season. Colon's start was bumped up a day.

Philadelphia: Through the first 24 games of August, the Phillies were 15-9 -- assuring the team of its third consecutive winning month. The last time the Phillies had three straight winning months was 1999 (May, June, July). ... CF Doug Glanville was batting .450 (9-for-20) in the last four games but wasn't in the starting lineup. He has eight leadoff home runs with the Phillies, third on the team's career list behind Juan Samuel (12) and Lenny Dykstra (12). ... In the last 14 games, Phillies pitchers are 11-3 with a 1.80 ERA.

Padres at Astros
San Diego: In 132 games this season San Diego has used 55 players, most in the big leagues. The major league record is 56, shared by the 2000 Padres and the 1915 Philadelphia Athletics. The Padres have used 15 players who were making their major league debuts. Of the 15, 11 are pitchers.

Houston: The Astros assigned RHP Scott Linebrink to Triple-A New Orleans, removing him from the 40-man roster. ... Reliever Pedro Borbon Jr. and his father are one of only two father-son tandems in major league history with saves. The other is Julio and Jaime Navarro.

Cubs at Brewers
Milwaukee: 2B Eric Young became the 39th player to reach 400 career steals Tuesday. "When you reflect on a season, I always look at the positive because I'm not going to dwell on the negative,'' Young said. "It's something that you build on and try to do better next year. The next goal is 500.'' The Brewers will honor Young for his milestone Thursday by presenting him with the base he stole. ... LHP Andrew Lorraine makes his first major league start of the season Thursday against the Cubs, his former team. His last start was April 30, 2000, with the Cubs. ... An usher summed up the feelings of his fellow workers at Miller Park when he said, "One more game and then we'll be off for a week, a month or a year.''

Chicago: OF Sammy Sosa missed his fourth straight game. He hasn't taken batting practice before any of the first three games in Milwaukee. ... The Cubs faced four former teammates -- C Robert Machado, 2B Eric Young, SS Jose Hernandez and RF Matt Stairs -- and go against another when LHP Andrew Lorraine makes his Brewers debut Thursday. ... Barring a strike, RHP Kerry Wood should surpass his career high of 28 starts in 2001. He made his 27th Wednesday. ... 1B Fred McGriff needs eight RBI to become the 40th player to reach 1,500.

Giants at Rockies
San Francisco: The three home runs Barry Bonds hit Tuesday came on variety of pitches in different locations. "When you are hitting like he is they are going to try everything else,'' manager Dusty Baker said. "It he had a weakness they would have found it by now.'' Bonds is hitting .467 with nine home runs and 17 RBI over his last 21 games. ... Baker is hoping a swinging bunt single and a flare that drove in the go-ahead run Tuesday will get SS Rich Aurila out of an 8-for-51 slide. "We need him down the stretch,'' Baker said. "Maybe that dribbler will get him going.'' ... Baker said he was never a player representative and didn't want to be. "Back in those days it was a very dangerous proposition,'' Baker said. "Player reps were always getting traded.'' ... Bonds won't get the day off Thursday if the players still plan to strike Friday. "Maybe it will be the last day,'' Baker said. "He could get plenty of time to rest.''

Colorado: Manager Clint Hurdle said OF Larry Walker seems to be healthy after missing five games with a back injury. Walker was 2-for-5 with two RBI on Tuesday. "He was hitting away at things last night and got a couple runs. He's amazing. Didn't miss a play,'' Hurdle said. ... Hurdle missed Tuesday's game because he learned his infant daughter has a birth defect. If he were in the dugout, Hurdle said he wouldn't have walked Barry Bonds, even though the slugger hit three solo homers. "To walk a guy with nobody on, that's ludicrous. Again, as I've said before, if it was a pennant race it could be different. But it's not for us and I really don't care how the Dodgers feel about it or the Diamondbacks. We pitched to their guys all year. We went right at him. It's the right thing to do as far as I'm concerned,'' Hurdle said.

Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Arizona: The Diamondbacks have a scheduled day off Thursday. They will be at home, waiting to see if there will be a strike Friday -- or if LHP Randy Johnson will go for his 20th victory in the opener of a three-game series against San Francisco. ... Johnson needs 21 strikeouts for his fourth NL season with 300 or more, which would break the NL record he shares with Sandy Koufax and Amos Rusie, who had his third 300-K season 100 years ago. Johnson also had 308 strikeouts with Seattle in 1993 -- and missed 300 by just six during the strike-delayed 1995 campaign. ... 3B Matt Williams, who had 43 home runs with the Giants in 1994 when a strike canceled the final 48 games and the postseason, does not regret losing the opportunity to become the first player to surpass Babe Ruth's 61 homers because he felt the union issues were more important. "I was one of the guys who signed my name. I supported the union in our beliefs, collectively, and I didn't even think in those terms,'' Williams said. "The home runs didn't have anything to do with it. I was concerned about getting a deal done, first and foremost, so I didn't look at it as not getting a chance to break the record. Besides, it would have been shattered by now, anyway.''

Los Angeles: The Dodgers assembled in center field before batting practice to take their team photo, just in case it was their final game of the season. ... INF Alex Cora, who got a concussion in a collision at second base with Arizona's Tony Womack on Monday night, did some cardiovascular work on the bicycle and treadmill and also lifted weights. He spent most of the day doing phone interviews with the media from his native Puerto Rico. "I had to make sure I cleared everything up with the press back home because all the pictures I saw on the internet made it look tragic,'' Cora said. When asked if he has ever been hit in the head by a pitch, Cora said with a sly grin, "Not that I can remember.'' ... RHP Paul Shuey has three wins and a save in the Dodgers' last five victories and entered with a scoreless streak of 7 2/3 innings.