THURSDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Mark Bellhorn Became the first player ever in the National League to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning, connecting for two home runs in the fourth inning in the Cubs' 13-10 victory over the Brewers. AB H HR RBI 4 2 2 5 Hero of the day Reds starter Jimmy Haynes delivered at the plate and on the mound in Cincinnati's 7-0 win over the Cardinals. He tossed eight shutout innings and knocked in three runs in the victory. Goat of the day Despite being 7-1 against the Blue Jays since he joined the Yankees, Roger Clemens was torched in a 7-4 loss to Toronto. The Yankees starter gave up seven earned runs on 10 hits in five innings. Injury report Cubs OF Sammy Sosa missed his fifth straight game with a sore neck. Braves OF Gary Sheffield missed his third straight game with sprained thumb. Brewers reliever Valerio De Los Santos left after the sixth inning with flulike symptoms. Stat of the day Rockies outfielder Larry Walker, a six-time Gold Glove outfielder, committed errors for consecutive games for the first time in his career. It was a span of 1,640 games. Streak of the day Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent hit back-to-back homers for the third straight game in the Giants' 10-6 win over the Rockies. Kent has homered in four straight games, while Bonds has connected for five homers in his past three games. The last word "The Yankees are the ones that get blamed for everything. I think it's unfair. Whether you like George Steinbrenner or not, he doesn't go anywhere else with his money. A lot of these owners who are complaining, spend a lot of money and say 'Oops, what did I do?' They blame it on somebody else.'' -- Yankees manager Joe Torre defending owner George Steinbrenner.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Yankees at Blue Jays
New York: Manager Joe Torre said criticism of how owner George Steinbrenner spends his money is unwarranted. "The Yankees are the ones that get blamed for everything,'' Torre said. "I think it's unfair. Whether you like George Steinbrenner or not he doesn't go any where else with his money. A lot of these owners who are complaining, spend a lot of money and say 'Oops, what did I do?''' They blame it on somebody else.'' ... OF Rondell White was with the first-place Montreal Expos in 1994 when the season was canceled because of the strike. "We had the best record in the game. We had guys having All-Star years,'' White said. "Too bad it didn't continue. We were the team to beat in 1994.'' That team included Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, John Wetteland and Marquis Grissom. ... Torre said he hasn't made plans for dinner on Friday night because he doesn't know if they'll be playing. Torre said he expects to stay in Toronto for the weekend.

Toronto: Club president Paul Godfrey said talk of a strike has already hurt attendance. "It's been going on most of the year. Attendance is down between five and 10 percent across the board,'' Godfrey said. "That's an indication that the fans do not like it, but part of it is because of the competitive imbalance in the game too. Only five or six teams go into spring training knowing they are the only teams that are going to qualify for postseason play.'' ... GM J.P. Ricciardi said smart management is more important that having an owner with tons of money. "It comes down to management,'' said Ricciardi, who is Oakland's former director of players personnel. "I lived it. We were in Oakland. We did it. There's no reason why you can't do it. It may take a bit longer because obviously you have to be lucky with a couple of decisions that come through.'' The A's have made the playoffs two years in a row and are leading the AL West this season. ... Ricciardi said a strike would rob the Blue Jays from being able to evaluate their young players. "I'd like to see the young kids play the last four weeks of the season,'' Ricciardi said. "We want them to develop.'' ... The Blue Jays played the Yankees in their final game before the 1994 strike wiped out the season.

Mariners at Twins
Seattle: The Mariners left the Metrodome on Thursday to return to Seattle, where they're scheduled to play Kansas City this weekend. ... Seattle's been struggling to score, but with Jamie Moyer shutting down the Twins, two runs was enough to win Thursday's game. It also kept Desi Relaford, who homered, and Ben Davis, who hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth, from going hungry. "I told the players before the game that I'm buying steaks for RBI,'' manager Lou Piniella said. "I guess I'm buying two steaks. I was hoping to have to buy eight or nine.'' ... The Mariners have posted 12 shutouts this year -- their third-highest total in history. ... CF Mike Cameron is 16-for-33 in his last nine games, but he's in a baserunning slump. The Twins picked him off first base three times in the last two games. ... Seattle's 2-0 win over Minnesota Thursday broke a string of nine straight losses when scoring three runs or fewer.

Minnesota: The Twins left the Metrodome on Thursday for Oakland, where they're scheduled to play the A's this weekend. If a strike doesn't keep the series from happening, it could be a preview of the first round of the playoffs. The A's have won 15 games in a row. "We've got our work cut out for us there,'' 1B Doug Mientkiewicz said. ... RHP Juan Rincon was optioned to Triple-A Edmonton after the game, but the Twins will hold off on filling his roster spot until the labor situation is settled. ... Rick Reed has not walked more than one batter in 10 straight starts. ... Mientkiewicz is 15-for-33 over his last 10 games. ... Fans chanted "No strike, no strike!'' when SS Denny Hocking, the Twins' union rep, batted Thursday. And he wasn't real happy about it. "I guess I'm the only one they don't want to strike,'' Hocking said. "I looked at the umpire and said, 'Who are they talking to, me or you?''' ... A horde of TV cameras clogged the Twins' clubhouse after Thursday's game in search of comments about the strike, and players quipped that they had just clinched the division. Jacque Jones shouted, "Yeah, the youngest team in the league is going to know everything about the strike.''

Orioles at Rangers
Baltimore: RHP Sidney Ponson, who has been on the DL since Aug. 9 with tendinitis in his right shoulder, threw three innings of a simulated game during early batting practice Thursday and felt fine. The Orioles will likely activate Ponson (6-5, 4.17 ERA in 23 starts) before the start of a six-game homestand Tuesday. ... Going into Thursday night's game at Texas, the Orioles had been successful on 35 of their last 49 stolen base attempts and were fourth in the AL with 92 stolen bases.

Texas: SS Alex Rodriguez was charged with an error in the first inning Thursday night when he could get to Chris Richard's grounder behind second base. It was the second error in as many innings for Rodriguez, who had gone 52 straight games without an error before an error in the ninth inning Wednesday night. He has just seven errors this season. ... The Texas Rangers are cutting their remaining ties to Port Charlotte, Fla., their spring training home the past 16 years. The Rangers were already moving spring training next year to a new facility in Surprise, Ariz. On Thursday, they confirmed they are selling the Charlotte Rangers, their Class-A Florida State League team in Port Charlotte, to the St. Louis Cardinals for an undisclosed amount. The Rangers are looking for another Class-A team in another league.

Devil Rays at Angels
Tampa Bay: 2B Brent Abernathy, who played for the 2000 U.S. team that won the Olympic gold medal in Sydney, was dismayed by the International Olympic Committee's proposal to drop baseball from the next summer games. "It really shocked me,'' Abernathy said. "I know how successful baseball and softball were in Australia -- a country that doesn't even play those sports a lot. It was a great environment to play in, and everyone in it represented what the Olympic spirit should be about. I'm not knocking any of the other sports they have, but it would be a shame to get rid of baseball and softball and keep some of the ones that they've got.'' ... Manager Hal McRae said the only real sign he's noticed among the Devil Rays during the labor negotiations "is that the players huddle up some.'' He added, "But once we go on the field and start to stretch, nothing's different.'' His take on the negotiations going down to the wire: "They know this is it, a chance not to take the game down, so I feel they're going to get it resolved.'' ... Wednesday's 8-5, 10-inning win over Anaheim was the Devil Rays' first win in six games against the Angels.

Anaheim: X-rays on RHP Ben Weber's leg were negative. Weber was struck in the right shin by a liner hit by Carl Crawford in the seventh inning of Wednesday night's game. ... Angels GM Bill Stoneman knows firsthand what it's like to have a work stoppage when a team is doing well. He was the Montreal Expos' VP of baseball operations when there was a strike in 1994. The Expos were eight games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East when play stopped. The Angels were a half-game ahead of Seattle in the AL wild card race heading into Thursday's game in Anaheim. ... Wednesday night's 8-5, 10-inning loss to Tampa Bay marked the Angels' fifth consecutive game without a homer. They had hit only two in their last seven games.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Braves at Pirates
Atlanta: Greg Maddux's nine-inning outing in the Pirates' 1-0, 10-inning victory Wednesday night was the longest since his complete game, 4-0 victory over Tampa Bay on July 17, 2001. ... RHP Kerry Ligtenberg may be in the uncomfortable position of going on strike for a union that doesn't include him. He was a replacement player in 1995, so his petition to join the players union was turned down. By not being in the union, Ligtenberg misses out on annual licensing fees. Braves pitcher Tom Glavine is the NL player representative, but says he's never been uncomfortable having Ligtenberg as a teammate. Glavine said, "He's one of us. He's not officially a union member, but he's been right there with us every step of the way.'' ... Marcus Giles played against his brother, Pirates LF Brian Giles, for the first time in the majors. Marcus Giles was sent back to the minors last season just before the teams met. Asked what he would do if his brother took him out on a double play, Marcus Giles said, "I'd jump up and punch him in the nose'' -- but he wasn't serious. Their father, Bill Giles, attended the series and visited both clubhouses. In his first at-bat Thursday, Marcus Giles flied out to ... Pirates left fielder Brian Giles.

Pittsburgh: The Pirates gave away free tickets to youngsters 12 and under for Thursday afternoon's game against the Braves, but there didn't appear to be a large number of takers. One problem: most schools in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia opened this week. ... C Keith Osik, the only Pirates player who isn't a member of the players union, got an infrequent start Thursday. Osik was a replacement player in 1995 and thus was never invited to join the union. ... Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon was a player during the last strike in 1994, but he said he hasn't talked to his team about the labor situation. McClendon said, "I don't think it's appropriate.'' ... Several players from Double-A Altoona are expected to join the Pirates after the Curve's season ends Monday. The Curve cannot make the Eastern League playoffs. Among the expected callups are OF Tony Alvarez, who made the league's all-star team. GM Dave Littlefield won't recall any player from Triple-A Nashville until the Sound's season ends. RHP Sean Lowe, demoted by the Pirates several weeks ago, is expected to rejoin the Pirates. ... LHP Jimmy Anderson has made only two relief appearances since being demoted from the starting rotation two weeks ago, allowing five runs and seven hits. ... Despite the strike threat, the Pirates flew to Miami for their scheduled weekend series several hours after beating the Braves 4-1 Thursday.

Expos at Phillies
Montreal: Tony Armas Jr. is scheduled to face Atlanta for the fifth time this season on Friday night. He is 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA in his previous four starts. ... The Expos will avoid Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine over the weekend. ... SS Orlando Cabrera, a Gold Glove winner last season, had already doubled his errors total of 11 last season. ... CF Brad Wilkerson batted cleanup Thursday night for the first time this season. He hit leadoff in the series opener and eighth on Thursday night. ... Michael Barrett, the regular catcher, started at first base for the second time this year.

Philadelphia: Left-hander Randy Wolf, who was scratched from his start Wednesday night because of a two-hour rain delay, is scheduled to start against the Mets on Saturday. Wolf (9-7) has won four straight and the Phillies are 6-0 in his last six starts. ... The Phillies are scheduled to begin a seven-game road trip on Friday with four games in New York and three in Montreal. After starting 5-22 away from home, they are 26-12. ... All-Star Vicente Padilla, who is to start against Pedro Astacio on Friday night, hasn't allowed a run in two of his last three starts.

Padres at Astros
San Diego: Ryan Klesko can usually count on fattening his batting average when he plays at Minute Maid Park. Klesko's 24 RBI in 12 games at the Astros' home field is more than he has in 11 NL seasons at Busch Stadium (17), Cinergy Field (21), Dodger Stadium (23), Pro Player Stadium (14) or Wrigley Field (20). He got two of San Diego's four hits in Thursday's series finale and for the three-game series he was 7-for-11 (.636). ... His 24 RBI rank second at Minute Maid Park behind Sammy Sosa, who has 26 RBI in 24 games. Klesko got his RBI in 12 games.

Houston: Roy Oswalt has 17 victories this season and Thursday was his 25th birthday. He's hoping a player strike isn't another day he'll have to remember. "If a strike happens, it's going to hurt a lot of people, not just us,'' Oswalt said. "It's going to hurt the fans and many other people.'' Should a strike be averted, he'll get five more starts and would have a chance to join six Astros 20-game winners, Larry Dierker, J.R. Richard, Joe Niekro, Mike Scott, Mike Hampton and Jose Lima. "The 20th win is something every pitcher wants,'' Oswalt said. "That's a goal set by the top pitchers in baseball. Everybody would be disappointed if there is a strike.''

Cubs at Brewers
Milwaukee: RHP Jamey Wright (5-13, 5.35 ERA) was scheduled to start for the Brewers on Friday night in Cincinnati, but was traded during Thursday's game to the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league OF Chris Morris and a player to be named. The Cardinals also get cash considerations. ... Lenny Harris, baseball's career leader in pinch hits with 168, is having trouble staying on the bench. He was 4-for-4 Wednesday and 2-for-5 Thursday while starting in left field. He's hitting .301. ... LHP Jimmy Osting enjoyed watching and learning from LHP Glendon Rusch in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Cubs. Osting was anxious to make his fourth start Sunday in Cincinnati but was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday to make room for RHP Nelson Figueroa on the roster. ... RHP Nick Neugebauer has been recalled from his 30-day rehab assignment in Indianapolis and will start Sunday at Cincinnati. He'll officially go on the roster Sunday when rosters expand. ... RHP Andrew Lorraine, making his debut with the Brewers, gave up a leadoff double to Bobby Hill of the Cubs to start the game Thursday. Lorraine lasted 3 1-3 innings, giving up eight hits and seven runs, five earned, against his former team. ... LHP Valerio De Los Santos left Thursday's game in the sixth with flulike symptons. ... The Brewers would normally have traveled to Cincinnati after Thursday's game with Chicago but rescheduled their flight to 12:30 p.m. Friday in case of a strike. They would go directly from the airport to the ballpark.

Chicago: OF Sammy Sosa tried to take batting practice but experienced pain in his shoulder and sat out his fifth straight game. In his absence the Cubs are 2-3. .. The Cubs had scored eight runs in their first four games without Sosa, six coming in one game. But they broke loose for 10 in the fourth inning en route to a 13-10 win Thursday at Milwaukee. 1B Mark Bellhorn highlighted the outburst with two home runs, one from each side of the plate, becoming only the second player in major league history to accomplish the feat. The other was Cleveland's Carlos Baerga in 1993. ... Bellhorn's homers drove in five runs, tying a team record for one inning set by Billy Williams in 1964. ... RHP Matt Clement hadn't given up a hit through three innings Thursday, but after the long 10-inning rally, he allowed three hits and issued two walks as the Brewers scored three runs. ... Barring a strike, the Cubs and Cardinals are scheduled for a day-night doubleheader Saturday. The extra game Saturday is the makeup of the game postponed by the death of St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile. ... Player rep Joe Girardi wasn't expecting his teammates to clear out lockers Thursday night. "I think, under the worse case scenario, if we didn't play Friday I don't think they'll throw our stuff in the street,'' Girardi said.

Giants at Rockies
San Francisco: Jeff Kent went 3-for-4 Thursday, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Kent was 8-for-18 in the four-game series at Coors Field with five homers and 10 RBI the last three games. ... Kent's 33 home runs match his career high set in 2000. He has homered in four consecutive games, a career best. ... The Giants have won 10 of their last 12 games against Colorado. ... Asked if Barry Bonds would be helped by a strike in his quest for a batting title but hurt in his long-term chase for a home run record, manager Dusty Baker said, "This isn't about Barry. This is about baseball. If there is a work stoppage, it will hurt everybody. It's about us, it's about everybody. Would Barry trade his records to play? I would say yes. As far as the batting title is concerned, he is doing well enough to do it whether there is a strike or not. If he keeps hitting the way he is now, he could jump up to .390, which isn't too bad.'' ... Baker was asked if he will go fishing in the event of a strike. "I'm not ready to go fishing,'' he said. "I will go underground, deep underground.''

Colorado: The Rockies gave 1B Todd Helton the day off. "I know it's probably always somewhat of a surprise when he's not in the lineup,'' manager Clint Hurdle said. "But he probably needs a day off as bad as I needed one off the other night. He played a month-and-a-half with a back (injury) on and off and he just needs a day off. And we're continuing to play this game as if it's not the last game of the season.'' ... Although regarded as a good-hitting pitcher, Mike Hampton never hit a homer in his first eight seasons. He hit seven for the Rockies last year -- tying the NL record -- and hit his third of the season on Thursday. ... Six-time Gold Glove RF Larry Walker had his second error in as many games, dropping Reggie Sanders' fly ball in the third. ... The Rockies were swept in a four-game series at Coors Field for only the second time ever. Arizona did it earlier this year, April 11-14. ... Fans, upset with the possibility of a strike, displayed several signs during the game, including one that read: "Field of Greed.'' ... The game was delayed 38 minutes in the bottom of the ninth, first by a power outage in the ballpark and then by a thunderstorm. A tornado warning also was posted in the area. Cardinals at Reds
St. Louis: RHP Jason Simontacchi was optioned to Triple-A Memphis to open a roster spot for Woody Williams, who was activated and started against the Reds. Simontacchi was one of the Cardinals' biggest surprises this season, going 9-5 in 20 starts with a 4.36 ERA. The 28-year-old rookie, whose main claim to fame was playing for Italy in the 2000 Olympics, steadied a rotation that was shaken by injuries and Darryl Kile's death. ... The NL Central leaders are getting their rotation closer to intact. Garrett Stephenson came off the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday night and pitched four scoreless innings in his first start in three months. Williams went four innings on Thursday. He had been on the disabled list since July 7 with a strained muscle in his left side. Matt Morris went on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained left hamstring. ... Williams gave up five runs and eight hits. In his last 19 starts, the right-hander had not allowed more than three earned runs in a game.

Cincinnati: RHP Jimmy Haynes became the first Reds pitcher to drive in three runs in a game since Mike Remlinger knocked in three on Aug. 15, 1997, in Los Angeles. ... Haynes is the Reds' best-hitting pitcher. He went 2-for-3, raising his average to .196. He has 10 hits this season -- the same as backup infielder Juan Castro -- and six RBI, one more than Castro. ... Manager Bob Boone sent Russell Branyan to pinch-hit for Haynes in the eighth. Haynes had thrown 118 pitches. ... Branyan struck out, leaving him 0-for-26 since he hit three homers on Aug. 4 in San Diego. ... In the middle of the fifth inning, the countdown board was changed to reflect 13 games left at Cinergy. The last scheduled series is Sept. 20-22 against Philadelphia.