SUNDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Miguel Tejada MVP candidate helped his cause with a walkoff three-run homer to help the A's win their 18th in a row with a 7-5 victory over the Twins. AB H RBI HR 5 3 2 5 Hero of the day Marlins outfielder Kevin Millar knocked in the go-ahead run for the third straight game in Florida's 8-4 win over the Pirates. Goat of the day Mets starter Al Leiter had his shortest outing since Sept, 16, 1988, giving up seven runs and seven hits in two innings. Injury report Brewers center fielder Alex Sanchez broke his left ankle sliding into a base and will miss the rest of the season. Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. didn't start for the third straight game after slightly aggravating his right hamstring Thursday. He pinch-hit in the seventh. Yankees RF Raul Mondesi missed Sunday's game with a sore right knee. Yankees LF Shane Spencer is day-to-day with a strained left hamstring. Yankees 3B Robin Ventura is day-to-day with a sore back. Stat of the day The Devil Rays completed their second series sweep of the season with a 9-3 victory over the Rangers. Streak of the day The Oakland Athletics won their 18th game in a row with a 7-5 victory over the Twins. It's the majors' longest winning streak in 49 years. The last word "Every year, I take all my tapes back home (to the Dominican Republic), and I show them to my dad. This one might break. I'm going to watch it every day." -- A's SS Miguel Tejada after hitting a walkoff homer to preserve Oakland's 18-game winning streak.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox at Indians
Boston: Manager Grady Little said he still does not know if RHP Pedro Martinez (strained left hip) will start Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. "There's nothing new,'' Little said. "Like we said Saturday, we'll see that day how is doing and decide.'' ... OF Manny Ramirez has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games, going 34-for-83 (.410) with five homers and 18 RBI.

Cleveland: Manager Joel Skinner said RHP Dave Burba is a candidate to move into the starting rotation if RHP Charles Nagy is out for an extended period. Nagy left with a sore right knee. Burba replaced him and pitched 5 1-3 innings, allowing two runs. "The way he pitched today, that could be an option,'' said Skinner, who added that another starter could be called up from the minors. ... Cleveland went 5-8 on its longest homestand of the season. ... RHP Jerrod Riggan pitched two hitless innings, one day after his wife gave birth to their first child, a son named Turk Boone. The first name is in honor of Riggan's former Mets teammate Turk Wendell. ... C Einar Diaz, sidelined since Aug. 23 with a strained right elbow, will begin a rehab assignment at Mahoning Valley of the Rookie League on Monday. He is eligible to be activated Sept. 7.

Yankees at Blue Jays
New York: SS Derek Jeter tied a career high with his 30th stolen base. Jeter has only been caught three times. ... The Yankees finished the season series 10-9 against the rebuilding Blue Jays. ... 1B Jason Giambi scored his 100th run, giving the Yankees three players with 100 or more runs scored. 2B Alfonso Soriano has 110 and Jeter has 107. It's the only the fifth time since 1942 the Yankees have had three players with 100 runs ... CF Bernie Williams has 15 three-hit games this season.

Toronto: The Blue Jays won their first series at home since July 19-21 against Tampa Bay. ... Toronto is 26-24 since the All-Star break. ... OF Jayson Werth is the 16th rookie used by the Blue Jays this season. That matches a club record set in 1977. ... LHP Jason Kershner, claimed on waivers from San Diego on Friday, joined the Blue Jays. ... 3B Eric Hinske didn't play against left-hander David Wells. Dave Berg replaced him.

White Sox at Tigers
Chicago: Manager Jerry Manuel said one of the key things he will use September for is finding a potential closer for next season. Chicago has only 28 saves in 39 chances this season and Keith Foulke and Antonio Osuna are tied for the team lead with just nine each. "What does that tell you?'' Manuel asked. ... One of the leading candidates to be next season's closer is Damaso Marte, who has seven saves, including a two-inning effort Friday night in a 4-3 victory over the Tigers. Despite giving up a ninth-inning home run, Manuel called the outing "dominant.'' ... Manuel needs three wins to tie Chuck Tanner (401) for sixth place on the team's career list for managers.

Detroit: Reliever Matt Anderson threw 15 pitches off the mound. He is on the 60-day disabled list with a tear in his right shoulder. ... New coach Dave Lewis of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings threw out the first pitch. It was Stanley Cup day at Comerica Park, so anybody with Stanley or Cup as a name got in free. ... There was also a home run contest between four teams of one Tiger and one Red Wing. The team of Tigers DH Randall Simon and Red Wings backup goalie Manny Legace won. There was a shorter fence for the hockey players to clear. But Legace, a left-handed batter, managed to hit one into the right-field bullpen anyway. He also one-hopped the wall in right-center and down the right-field line.

Devil Rays at Rangers
Tampa Bay: The Devil Rays are the youngest team in the majors and the youngsters know they must play hard in September to be considered for jobs in spring training of 2003. "We have to keep battling down the stretch and have a winning attitude for next season,'' INF Jared Sandberg said. "That's what good ballclubs do.'' ... 1B Aubrey Huff had a .355 average in August (44-for-124). His 44 hits set a club record for any month and was second in the AL for August to Bernie Williams of the Yankees, who had 47. ... RHP Paul Wilson has a tired arm and will skip a start. Wilson was scheduled to start Thursday night against Anaheim. LHP Joe Kennedy will pitch in his place.

Texas: The team's 15-12 record in August was its best in any month since going 17-10 in July of 2000. ... Texas topped the majors in August with 45 homers and a slugging percentage of .503. The Rangers were second in batting average (.296) and runs (157). ... The Rangers had three of the AL's top 10 hitters in August: Carl Everett, fourth at .361; Ivan Rodriguez, seventh at .350; and Alex Rodriguez, ninth at .339. Alex Rodriguez was second in the majors with 12 homers in the month, two behind San Francisco's Jeff Kent.

Orioles at Angels
Baltimore: RHP Sidney Ponson was activated from the DL after being sidelined since Aug. 7 because of a torn labrum in his shoulder. Ponson, who signed a one-year deal for $2.65 million on Feb. 7, is 6-5 with a 4.16 ERA in 23 starts. He could have earned an additional $125,000 in performance bonuses, but he needed to make eight more starts or pitch 69 1-3 more innings -- both of which are unattainable with only a month to go. ... Babe Ruth's daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, is scheduled to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Orioles-Angels game next Friday night at Camden Yards. ... The Orioles, held to five singles Saturday night in Ramon Ortiz's first big league shutout, have failed to get an extra-base hit in only six of their first 133 games. ... Chris Singleton is 16-for-18 on stolen-base attempts.

Anaheim: The Angels activated RF Tim Salmon, who had been sidelined since Aug. 10 after being hit on his left hand by a pitch from Toronto's Steve Parris. The team's career home run leader took batting practice for the first time since the injury, hitting three balls out of the park. "Once he feels confident with the strength in his hand, he'll be ready to go,'' said manager Mike Scioscia, who will only use Salmon as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner until next week. "There's still some hurdles to get over, but he's made a lot of strides in the last couple of days and we're all encouraged by the way he swung the bat today.'' ... Utility OF Orlando Palmeiro is 16-for-51 (.314) with eight RBI since Salmon's injury. "Anytime you're in a role like mine where you don't play a lot, and a big guy like Salmon goes down and you can help a team win, that's what you're here for,'' Palmeiro said. "It's a good feeling when you give the manager confidence to keep putting you in there.'' ... The Angels also activated LHP Dennis Cook and rookie OF Julio Ramirez from the DL and recalled LHP Mark Lukasiewicz from Triple-A Salt Lake. Cook, who hasn't pitched for the Angels since July 4, missed 52 games because of a torn labrum and rotator cuff. He is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA in 33 appearances.

Royals at Mariners
Kansas City: Jeff Suppan's eight-game losing streak is the longest by a Royals pitcher this season. In that skid, he has an 8.46 ERA. The start was his 29th of the season, tied for most in the AL. Suppan is 1-11 with a 6.11 ERA on the road this season. ... Mike Sweeney hit his first home run since Aug. 18. He had gone 45 at-bats without an extra-base hit. ... LF Chuck Knoblauch was wearing a walking cast on his right foot after the game. He sprained his right big toe Saturday night and is day-to-day. ... Carlos Beltran went 10-for-16 with five runs scored in the series.

Seattle: The Mariners became the first team to reach 3 million in attendance this season. The Mariners reached 3 million fans for the fourth time in franchise history. ... Mike Cameron tied Ichiro Suzuki for the team lead with 27 stolen bases. ... DH Edgar Martinez returned to the lineup after having the night off Saturday and went 0-for-2. He is stuck in an 0-for-17 slump.

Twins at Athletics
Minnesota: The Twins were as happy as they could reasonably expect to be after blowing a ninth-inning lead in a 7-5 loss to Oakland. Minnesota rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the top half with three homers. "That's one for the books,'' manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That was a heck of a game, and they got us at the end. We proved a lot to ourselves by coming back in that game.'' ... The Twins made no callups from Triple-A Edmonton because the Trappers are in the Pacific Coast League playoffs, but they're expected to activate LHP Eric Milton in time to start against Seattle on Monday. Milton, who leads the Twins with 13 victories, has been out since Aug. 7 after minor knee surgery to repair a small tear in his meniscus. ... Rookie Mike Cuddyer's moment in the sun didn't last long. Cuddyer hit a solo homer -- the third of his career -- in the ninth that put the Twins up 5-4 -- then watched Miguel Tejada win it for Oakland in the bottom half. "That's what's crazy about this game: it can turn on you in an instant,'' Cuddyer said.

Oakland: The Coliseum crowd of 37,676 was huge by Oakland standards, though many showed up for Jermaine Dye bobblehead dolls. Dye went 1-for-4, grounding into a double play and striking out with the bases loaded. ... By allowing two homers to Minnesota in the ninth, LHP Mark Mulder blew a chance for his fourth straight victory and ninth career complete game. Still, Mulder is in the midst of another strong campaign. He spent 29 days on the disabled list early in the season with a strained forearm, but he still has a shot at his second straight 20-win season. Mulder went 21-8 last season, finishing second in the AL Cy Young voting. ... Miguel Tejada's improved hitting with two strikes is one reason for his MVP-caliber season. His game-winning homer came with two strikes -- and moments earlier, Tejada stepped out of the batter's box to talk to himself. "I was saying, 'C'mon, you can do it,''' Tejada said. "I do that sometimes. When I have two strikes, I concentrate on hitting anything that's by the plate. That pitch was a little low, but I saw it all the way.''

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Braves at Expos
Atlanta: Closer John Smoltz got his major league-leading 49th save as the Braves won 6-4 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep. Smoltz, who saved all three games, is one short of becoming just the seventh reliever in major league history to save 50 games in a season. Bobby Thigpen set the major league record with 57 saves for the Chicago White Sox in 1990. Randy Myers' National League record of 53 saves with the Cubs in 1993 was tied by San Diego's Trevor Hoffman in 1998. ... RHP Kevin Millwood won his sixth straight decision and improved to 13-1 over his last 20 starts since May 24. ... Seeking their 11th straight division title, the Braves finished a 6-6 road trip and lowered their magic number to clinch the NL East to 11.

Montreal: 3B Fernando Tatis returned to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension Saturday because of a run-in with manager Frank Robinson prior to the team's 5-3 loss. Tatis didn't start but he contributed a pinch-hit RBI grounder in the eighth. "Right now, we're fine. We're perfect,'' Tatis said. ... Expos SS Orlando Cabrera dove to his left to catch Rafael Furcal's hard-hit grounder up the middle and threw him out at first from his knees for the first out of the seventh. ... The Expos have lost four straight, and six of seven to fall a season-low four games under .500 at 66-70.

Cardinals at Cubs
St. Louis: LHP Chuck Finley's two strikeouts in the first inning gave him 2,584 and moved him past Warren Spahn for 19th on the career list. He's also fifth among left-handers. "Those things are all nice, but we're concentrating on today and tomorrow and the rest of the season,'' Finley said. "I think that's something you look upon when you're done playing.'' ... Closer Jason Isringhausen wasn't available again Sunday, but manager Tony La Russa said he doesn't plan to put the right-hander on the disabled list. Isringhausen hasn't pitched since Friday, when he felt a twinge in his shoulder as he warmed up for the ninth inning. "He still feels a little something in there,'' La Russa said. "Now that it's Sept. 1, there's no reason to (DL him). Unless his season is over, and I don't think it is.'' ... The Cardinals recalled RHP Matt Duff from Double-A New Haven before Sunday's game, but his stay will be short. "Double-A is going to the playoffs, so he came up to help us out and then we'll send him back,'' La Russa said. ... Albert Pujols extended his hitting streak to 10 games, seven shy of his career high.

Chicago: Sammy Sosa missed his ninth straight game due to a mid-back strain. "I believe Sammy is going to be ready to play tomorrow,'' interim manager Bruce Kimm said. ... RHP Alan Benes, who has missed most of the last four seasons recovering from shoulder surgery, had his second strong start. Benes didn't get the win, but allowed only one earned run in seven innings. "When you have troubles with surgeries and injuries, the biggest thing is getting back to this level,'' he said. "Whether it's out of the bullpen or as a starter, I want to prove I can compete at this level.'' ... The Cubs plan to recall LHP Steve Smyth on Monday and start him in the first game of their doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers. Smyth was 1-2 with a 9.98 ERA in his previous stint with the Cubs. ... Rookie RHP Mark Prior said his sore hamstring felt better Sunday. Prior left the first game of Saturday's doubleheader in the fifth inning.

Pirates at Marlins
Pittsburgh: The Pirates activated LHP Ron Villone, who was on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis since Aug. 15. ... Craig Wilson's triple in Saturday night's game was the second of his career, and Kevin Young's was his fourth and first since Sept. 15, 1999.

Florida: CF Preston Wilson was removed from Sunday's lineup about an hour before the game against Pittsburgh for "personal reasons.'' Florida manager Jeff Torborg said the team would "play it by ear'' when asked if Wilson would accompany the team to New York for its series against the Mets. Eric Owens replaced Wilson in center field.

Phillies at Mets
Philadelphia: The Phillies activated INF Dave Hollins from the 15-day disabled list and started him at first base. He singled in the second inning for his first major league hit since June 1999. ... Philadelphia also recalled LHP Hector Mercado from Triple-A Scranton. ... Pat Burrell homered in the third inning and is hitting .313 with 15 homers and 45 RBI in 160 career at-bats against the Mets. "He's been hitting the ball everywhere. He's been doing it all year everywhere. I don't think it's just here,'' manager Larry Bowa said. ... Since hitting their low point at 11 games under .500 on May 31, the Phillies are 47-34 since June 1. "If I could have a mulligan on the first month, that would be nice,'' Bowa said.

New York: C Mike Piazza, who missed four games in August with a sore left wrist, is still bothered by it and sat out Sunday's game. "They've done as much as they can do,'' he said. "It's just something that hasn't been able to go away.'' ... Because of the injury, the Mets will recall C Jason Phillips a day early from Triple-A Norfolk. New York also will recall RHPs Tyler Walker and Satoru Komiyama, and purchase the contract of LHP Pedro Feliciano. ... OF Tony Tarsaco severely sprained his left ankle running out a grounder in the sixth inning and could miss two weeks. "I hit the bag just short and rolled it,'' he said. "I thought I broke it from the way it sounded.'' X-rays were negative. ... Al Leiter has allowed 19 unearned runs this season -- just two fewer than the entire Mets team gave up in 1999. ... RHP Grant Roberts (tendinitis in his right shoulder) will throw on the side Tuesday and could make an appearance later this month, according to manager Bobby Valentine.

Brewers at Reds
Milwaukee: OF Alex Sanchez broke his left ankle in a play at second base and will miss the rest of the season. "It was a matter of indecison, whether to slide or stand up,'' manager Jerry Royster said. "He turned around and saw there was no play and decided to stand up and his spikes caught.'' Sanchez had reached base safely on the sacrifice by Ronnie Belliard, but then was tagged out after tumbling over the bag. The Reds' medical director performed a preliminary examination, determined the Sanchez had broken his fibula, and recommended surgery within 24 hours. ... LHP Shane Nance will miss the rest of the season. Royster said he tore his right biceps while batting in Saturday night's game. ... The Brewers reinstated RHP Nick Neugebauer from the 15-day DL. He made his first start since May 8 and allowed two runs on four hits, four walks and three strikeouts in four innings. ... The Brewers also recalled IF Bill Hall from Triple-A Indianapolis, and bought the contract of RHP Ben Diggins from Double-A Huntsville.

Cincinnati: The Reds activated RHP Jose Silva from the 15-day DL. Silva was out since June 28 because of tendinitis in his right rotator cuff. ... Cincinnati expects to recall RHP Jared Fernandez from Triple-A Louisville on Monday. The knuckleballer last pitched for the Reds in an Aug. 19 start at Houston. ... Ken Griffey Jr. was held out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive game after slightly aggravating his right hamstring on Thursday. He pinch-hit in the seventh and grounded into a forceout.

Dodgers at Astros
Los Angeles: Los Angeles is 59-16 in games in which the Dodgers score first and 61-14 in games in which it outhits its opponent. ... Los Angeles activated OF Brian Jordon, INF Jeff Reboulet and RHP Giovanni Carrara from the disabled list Sunday. ... The Dodgers also recalled C David Ross, INF Joe Thurston, OF Wilkin Ruan and LHP Jeff Wilkins from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Houston: Houston pitchers Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller combined for a 10-0 record in the month of August. Oswalt had six vitories in the month and Miller four. ... Wade Miller's nine-game winning streak equals the longest in the National League this season. Curt Schilling won nine straight from from April 23-June 8.

Giants at Diamondbacks
San Fracisco: Jeff Kent's two-run double in the first inning Sunday gave him 100 RBI for the sixth consecutive season, a major league record for second basemen. ... Leadoff hitter Kenny Lofton reached base to start each of the three games in Arizona. ... OF Marvin Benard was activated from the DL on Sunday but is available only to pinch-hit, manager Dusty Baker says. ... Barry Bonds had three RBI in the first two Arizona games, but no homers. ... The Giants' seven-game winning streak was their longest since they won nine straight from July 25 to Aug. 3 of last year.

Arizona: CF Steve Finley had the day off Sunday because of tightness in his left hamstring. Manager Bob Brenly says Finley also probably won't play Monday night against Los Angeles. ... The Diamondbacks' four-game losing streak is their longest since they dropped five in a row July 5-12 of last year. ... C Rod Barajas, called up from Triple-A Tucson with the roster expansions on Sunday, was in the lineup on Sunday night. ... INF Craig Counsell will decide this week whether to undergo season-ending neck surgery.

Rockies at Padres
Colorado: The Rockies broke their consecutive scoreless innings streak at 20 in the first inning on Sunday on Larry Walker's RBI double. It was only the second time in club history that the Rockies suffered back-to-back shutouts. Colorado has never been shutout three games in a row. ... The Rockies called up five players, including OF Ben Petrick. Petrick hit .169 with two home runs and six RBI in 27 games for Colorado this season before he was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on May 6. The others recalled included LHP Randy Flores, 1B/OF Ross Gload, INF Jose Ortiz and INF/OF Jason Romano.

San Diego: The Padres tied, then eclipsed their own major league mark by using their 57th player this season on Sunday. RHP Adam Eaton, coming back from "Tommy John'' surgery and pitching in his first game since July 2001, helped the Padres tie the mark of 56 they shared with the 1915 Philadelphia Athletics. RHP Doug Nickle's relief appearance allowed the Padres to set the record. The pair's appearances also increased San Diego's major record of having used 36 pitchers this season.