FRIDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Lee Stevens Despite facing All-Star Mark Buerhle for the first time, Stevens homered twice to lead the Indians to a 9-7 win over the White Sox. AB H HR RBI 4 3 2 6 Hero of the day Giants outfielder Reggie Sanders singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth in San Francisco's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks. Goat of the day Tigers starter Mark Redman gave up nine hits and seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in Detroit's 8-1 win over the Yankees. Injury report Cardinals outfielder Albert Pujols left in the third inning with spasms in his upper left shoulder. It's unknown if he will play Saturday night. Cards outfielder J.D. Drew left in the second inning with tightness in his left quadriceps. Mets catcher Vance Wilson left in the third inning with a lower back bruise after being hit by a pitch in the second inning. Braves catcher Javy Lopez missed his sixth straight game with a sore right shoulder. Indians outfielder Matt Lawton didn't play with a sore left shoulder strain. He is expected to miss a significant amount of time. Stat of the day St. Louis starter Andy Benes faced his younger brother, Alan, in the Cardinals' 11-3 victory over the Cubs. It's believed to be the seventh time in major league history that two brothers have faced each other on the mound. Streak of the day Braves starter Kevin Millwood won his seventh straight decision in Atlanta's 5-0 victory over the Expos. The last word "It's amazing -- 20 games in a row and we still haven't really pulled away." -- A's catcher Scott Hatteberg on how Oakland is only two games ahead of the Angels in the AL West.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Blue Jays at Red Sox
Toronto: The Blue Jays, who had lost seven of their last nine series, could guarantee at least a split with a win. ... Roy Halladay (15-6) is Toronto's first right-hander with 15 wins since Roger Clemens did it in 1998. ... Toronto needs 20 home runs to reach 4,000 in franchise history.

Boston: Manager Grady Little said RHP Pedro Martinez, who will miss his second straight start with a hip/groin injury, will throw Saturday. "There's nothing new,'' Little said. "He's going to throw on the side tomorrow. We'll make a decision after that.'' Little went on to say that the earliest Martinez could pitch would be Monday. ... Benny Agbayani, claimed off waivers Aug. 26 and recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday, made his Red Sox debut, batting sixth and playing left field. "I'm showcasing myself,'' he said. "One of the goals (was) to see if I could help one of the 29 teams.'' Agbayani batted just .205 in 117 games with Colorado before being sent to the minors, where he hit .272 with 11 homers and 32 RBI. When asked to describe his season thus far he uttered one word, "terrible.''

Angels at Orioles
Anaheim: The Angels have a great chance to reach the postseason for the first time in 16 years. "They know the challenge ahead of them over the last 20-some games, and they're ready for it,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. "You've got a whole new divisional lineup with wild cards and divisional titles. Realistically, the mini-season has begun.'' ... Angels relievers had 46 saves in their first 139 games. Anaheim needs only seven to tie the team record of 53 (1998). ... Nine of Garrett Anderson's last 10 home runs came on the road. ... Leadoff hitter David Eckstein had hit in 18 of his last 20 games, batting .405. The Angels are 24-1 when Eckstein scores two or more runs. ... Rookie starter John Lackey had pitched into the sixth inning in 12 of his first 13 major league starts.

Baltimore: Orioles manager Mike Hargrove gave OF Melvin Mora the night off and put 2B Jerry Hairston in the leadoff spot. "Just giving him a break,'' Hargrove said. Mora had started 11 straight games since sitting out the opener of a split doubleheader Aug. 24. ... The Orioles needed a sweep of Anaheim this weekend to avoid losing the season series for only the 10th time in the last 42 years. The series has been tied nine times over that span.

Rangers at Devil Rays
Texas: SS Alex Rodriguez has played in 365 consecutive games, the third-longest current streak in the majors. "You need to be out there to help your team win,'' Rodriguez said. "It's something I take a lot of pride in, being in the lineup every day.'' ... LHP John Rocker (left shoulder) rejoined the team and reported no pain after a bullpen session. He will throw again Sunday. ... Manager Jerry Narron said Kevin Mench should see considerable playing time in right field over the final three weeks of the season. ... The Rangers announced a two-year player development contract extension with Triple-A Oklahoma. The deal runs through 2006.

Tampa Bay: The Devil Rays are looking at Damian Rolls as a utility player for next season. He started in left field and will play in center Saturday. "We know he brings a little energy to the yard,'' manager Hal McRae said. "I like him as a swing guy because he plays the infield and all three outfield positions.'' ... LF Greg Vaughn, who hurt his right shoulder in June and was on the DL until Sept. 1, continues to be an odd man out as the Devil Rays look at younger players. His role has been reduced to pinch-hitting. "He's ready to hit,'' McRae said. "I'm sure something will come up ... a matchup type thing.'' Vaughn is in the third season of a $34 million, four-year contract.

Tigers at Yankees
Detroit: Since Aug. 1, opponents have nearly doubled the Tigers' extra-base hit totals. While the Tigers have 77 extra-base hits (48 doubles, three triples and 26 home runs), their opponents have 134 extra-base hits (82 doubles, 14 triples and 38 home runs). ... Detroit's opponents are batting .297 after the sixth inning this year, the highest such average in the AL. The Tigers are hitting only .222 after the sixth, the lowest in the AL. ... The Tigers have lost the first three games they've played against the Yankees this year, but have six more chances. Against the Yankees this season, the Tigers have a 5.47 ERA and are hitting .264. ... After losing 10 of 11 at home, the Tigers are on a seven-game road trip. Detroit is 20-49 on the road this season.

New York: Manager Joe Torre said early reports on RHP Mariano Rivera's progress were encouraging, but the team will proceed with caution. Rivera, on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain, played catch in Tampa, Fla., with roving pitching coordinator Rick Tomlin. "The most important thing is making sure you don't push the envelope too much -- he's too important to the future of this team,'' Torre said. "You can't be afraid to let it go, and in that regard, I think he'll be honest with us, because he has too much at stake. And so do we.'' ... Torre gathered his players Thursday for a team meeting, but downplayed its importance. "I'm not Knute Rockne here,'' he said. "I didn't have a meeting specifically to tell them to keep working. I just reminded them we have a lot of work to do -- but I don't think they needed to be reminded of that.'' ... OF Rondell White has only one hit in his last 23 at-bats, and only eight in his last 77 plate appearances. Torre said he was concerned about White, who is hitting .235 with 12 home runs and 51 RBI, but still had confidence in the left fielder. "You just talk to him and tell him you support him,'' Torre said. "The best way is to put his name in the lineup. I've been there: I was an MVP and won a batting title, and I was a mess the next year. You find yourself, when you're in a slump, thinking about mechanics. You can't hit like that. But one day he'll start whacking it again.'' ... Orlando Hernandez's impressive outing in Thursday's 9-3 win over the Tigers made Torre's playoff rotation decisions a bit harder. "We've always done it with four pitchers, and we favor four, but I haven't ruled out five,'' Torre said. Asked of the advantages of using a five-man rotation, Torre said: "Yeah, not having to tell one of those guys they aren't going to start.''

Indians at White Sox
Cleveland: OF Matt Lawton is expected to miss an extensive amount of time with a left shoulder strain. "They are going to evaluate his AC joint and see what the next step is,'' manager Joel Skinner. "What we are trying to stay away from is the recurring step. They will evaluate it and make their recommendations.'' Skinner doesn't think the team will have to make any roster moves for Lawton. "We've got (Chris) Magruder and (Lee) Stevens and they (Triple-A Buffalo) are in middle of the playoffs.'' ... RHP Ricardo Rodriguez injured his right index and middle fingers pitching Thursday night. He is not expected to miss a start. ... Jim Thome had the night off against LHP Mark Buehrle.

Chicago: LHP Mark Buehrle was looking for his 18th win of the season. Manager Jerry Manuel has made it clear the team will do as much as possible to help Buehrle win 20, but he had already pitched 205 innings coming in. Manuel was asked if the team would shut Buehrle down early if he does reach 20 wins. "I really haven't thought about it,'' he said. "If there is nothing really at stake there is a possibility that we will possibly shut him down for next year.'' ... Despite a disappointing season, Manuel thinks if the club reaches .500 it can be a building point for next year. "I think if we get to .500 with this group that we have it would be a lot of positive involved in that,'' he said. "That would mean a lot of the young players are playing well. You can really become more optimistic about the upcoming season.'' Chicago is four games below .500 and has been getting strong play from its minor league callups since trading Sandy Alomar Jr., Kenny Lofton, RHP Bobby Howry and Ray Durham.

Mariners at Royals
Seattle: Mark McLemore had successful surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow surgery Thursday. Manager Lou Piniella said McLemore could be ready to return for the final 10 games of the season. He will join the club Monday in Texas. ... Piniella also said OF Ruben Sierra, out since Aug. 27 with a strained left quadriceps, should be able to return for the series against the Rangers. ... Ichiro Suzuki led off the game with his 58th walk. Suzuki walked only 30 times as a rookie last year. ... RHP Joel Pineiro will skip a start because of a sore hip flexor.

Kansas City: Manager Tony Pena wasted no time in inserting shortstop Angel Berroa into the lineup after he was called up. "He's going to play at least five games a week,'' Pena said. "Let's find out what he can do.'' Berroa hit just .214 with Triple-A Omaha, but will likely replace Neifi Perez at shortstop next season. Perez, who is hitting .236 with only a .260 on-base percentage and has committed 18 errors, will probably not be back next year. ... The Royals called up four others players: 2B Carlos Febles and OF Brandon Berger from Omaha, and RHPs Mike MacDougal and Jeremy Hill from Doubel-A Wichita. That brings the roster to 31. ...The Royals released LHP Tony Cogan, who was 0-4 with a 5.84 ERA in 39 relief appearances last year with Kansas City. ... Pena said OF Chuck Knoblauch is still unavailable to play because of an injured big right toe, which he hurt last Saturday in Seattle.

Athletics at Twins
Oakland: During their 20-game winning streak, the A's have gained only 7{ games in the standings. That's because Anaheim has played well -- the Angels entered with a seven-game winning streak of their own and trailed the A's by just three games in the AL West. Howe's counterpart this weekend, Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire, took a 13-game lead into Friday night's game. "I'd rather be sitting in Gardy's shoes,'' A's manager Art Howe said. "I'd like to have that big lead, but we don't.'' ... Oakland's streak has included wins against sub-.500 teams like Detroit, Kansas City and Cleveland. Starting Friday against the AL Central-leading Twins, the A's play 14 straight games against opponents well above .500 -- Minnesota, Anaheim and Seattle. ... Howe walked on the field to do his pregame chat with the media, looked at the size of the group gathered and quipped, "Gotta take the bad with the good.'' ... The A's came in with the best road record in the majors at 42-26.

Minnesota: Oakland's winning streak has made Twins manager Ron Gardenhire think of his team's 15-game winning streak in 1991, when Minnesota won the World Series. "That's what it was like -- it didn't feel like you were ever going to lose,'' said Gardenhire, the third base coach on that team under manager Tom Kelly. "I remember when (Baltimore's Randy) Milligan hit one in the gap against (reliever Rick Aguilera) in the ninth inning to beat us, and we were watching the guy round the bases, and we were like, 'No way, he's going to trip. No way he's going to score. No way we're going to lose.''' ... The first 20,000 fans got Homer Hankies -- the white handkerchiefs waved by fans during the Twins' championship runs in 1987 and '91. ... Rookie Michael Cuddyer started in right field, and indications are he might get a decent amount of starts in September ahead of fellow rookies Dustan Mohr and Bobby Kielty, who have shined in a platoon there this year. That's because Gardenhire likes the flexibility of being able to bring Mohr and Kielty off the bench and because Cuddyer benefits from playing more regularly. "We didn't bring him up here to be sitting on the bench,'' Gardenhire said. "He's got a longer swing, and the more he plays and gets in a groove, the better he is.''

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Mets at Phillies
New York: Manager Bobby Valentine gave C Mike Piazza a rest Friday night because the Mets play a day game Saturday. Vance Wilson, who started for Piazza, left before the bottom of the third inning after he was hit in the back with a pitch in the second. Rookie Jason Phillips took over behind the plate. ... 2B Roberto Alomar was back in the lineup after sitting out Thursday night with bursitis in his left knee. ... RHP Tyler Walker will make his first career start Saturday. He pitched one inning in relief against the Phillies on July 2.

Philadelphia: 3B Placido Polanco has hit in 15 of 17 games. He had a two-out, two-run single off Al Leiter in the first inning of Friday night's game. ... Dave Hollins was scratched from the lineup because of a sore right hand that he injured last Sunday in his first game back after spending four months on the disabled list. Todd Pratt took his spot at first base. ... The Phillies are 30-15 on the road since starting 5-22. ... Rookie RHP Brett Myers walked just 20 batters in 128 innings at Triple-A Scranton. He had 20 walks in his first 51 1-3 innings with the Phillies.

Marlins at Pirates
Florida: P Nate Robertson was driving home to Kansas from Portland, Maine, when he got the call that the Marlins wanted him to start Saturday's game at Pittsburgh. Robertson was near the West Virginia-Kentucky border when he noticed a voice mail message on his cell phone. It was from Jim Fleming, the Marlins' director of player development. Once he returned the call and got the news, Fleming said he and his fiance sat by the side of the road for 30 minutes. "I didn't know what to do,'' Robertson said. "It was an unbelievable feeling.'' The Marlins are in a bind because two starters (A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett) are on the disabled list and the team just had a makeup doubleheader against the Mets. The only alternative on the staff was reliever Greg Knotts, who hasn't had an appearance longer than three innings this season. Robertson will become the second Marlins pitcher in five days to make his major league debut. Justin Wayne lost to the Mets earlier in the week.

Pittsburgh: 2B Pokey Reese missed another start on Friday because of a leg injury he sustained with a late slide while playing in Atlanta on Tuesday. Abraham Nunez took his place at second and C Jason Kendall replaced him as the leadoff hitter ... Because of minor league recalls, the Pirates have 33 players on the active roster -- 17 position players and 16 pitchers. Manager Lloyd McClendon said he has no firm plan for using the new additions. He said his agenda is winning as many games as possible rather that using the last month to take an extended look at any of the extra players. ... RHP Salomon Torres, who beat the Braves on Wednesday for his first major league win since 1997, will stay in the rotation. RH Bronson Arroyo will remain in the bullpen.

Expos at Braves
Montreal: RF Vladimir Guerrero has been intentionally walked 27 times this season, breaking Tim Raines' team record of 26 in 1987. Only Barry Bonds has been issued more free passes, albeit almost twice as many (53). ... The Expos agreed to a four-year extension with Double-A Harrisburg. In 12 seasons affiliated with Montreal, the Senators have been to the playoffs 10 times and won five Eastern League titles.

Atlanta: RF Gary Sheffield was back in the lineup after missing nine games with a bruised thumb. Sheffield, injured during batting practice before the Aug. 27 game at Pittsburgh, was hitting .400 with five home runs and 12 RBI in the 16 previous games. ... 3B Vinny Castilla also returned from a one-game rest as he continues to try to snap the longest power drought of his career. Castilla, hitting .204 with 12 RBI in his past 64 games, hasn't hit a home run in 236 at-bats since June 11. He has switched a longer, thicker bat provided by Sheffield in hopes that it will keep his hands from moving around too much through the strike zone.

Reds at Brewers
Cincinnati: The Reds started the weekend 11 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central after being only two games behind on Aug. 11. Since that date, Cincinnati is 6-17. ... RHP Scott Sullivan is on a pace to become the first pitcher ever to lead the Reds in appearances for five consecutive seasons. He's pitched in 66 games coming into Friday's game at Milwaukee. ... LHP Shawn Estes (5-11, 4.56 ERA) will make his fifth appearance with the Reds since being acquired Aug. 15 from the Mets. He's 1-2 with the Reds. ... 3B Aaron Boone, who didn't start Friday, needs one home run to become only the seventh players in Reds history to hit 25 homers and steal 25 bases in the same season. Boone, who has 27 steals, could become only the third Cincinnati player in the 30-30 club, joining Barry Larkin (1996) and Eric Davis (1987).

Milwaukee: 3B Keith Ginter, the newest of the Brewers, was introduced to his manager and fellow players Friday after learning Thursday that he was a player to be named later in the trade of IF Mark Loretta to Houston. Ginter concluded his season at Triple-A New Orleans and was heading home to California when he got the good news. "It felt good,'' Ginter said. "It's an opportunity to play. Third base is an open spot and, hopefully, I can take advantage and show what I can do.'' ... Although he wants to give SS Bill Hall a few starts, manager Jerry Royster isn't considering benching SS Jose Hernandez if/when he gets close to the all-time strikeout record of 189 in a single season by Bobby Bonds. Hernandez has 175 with 20 games to play. "He's been striking out ever since I said hello to him several years ago,'' Royster said. "He's having an All-Star year and he's not sweating the strikeout record. To be honest, we haven't talked about it one time.''

Cubs at Cardinals
Chicago: The matchup of brothers Alan and Andy Benes on Friday night was the first in the major leagues since Aug. 29, 1996, when Ramon Martinez of the Dodgers and Pedro Martinez of the Expos met in Montreal. The last time a Cubs pitcher was involved in a brother vs. brother game was July 31, 1998, when Greg Maddux opposed Mike Maddux in Philadelphia. ... The Cubs began the night with a three-game winning streak, their longest since they won their first four games after the All-Star break. ... The Cubs had outhomered the opposition 88-49 on the road, but have been outhomered at Wrigley Field by a 92-91 count.

St. Louis: Closer Jason Isringhausen played a light game of catch with trainer Barry Weinberg before Friday night's game and the team was hopeful he would be available Saturday. Isringhausen's last outing was Aug. 25 and he took a cortisone shot and had an MRI on Tuesday. ... RHP Matt Morris, who threw 80 pitches in the bullpen on Wednesday, will threw about half that amount on Saturday and is tentatively scheduled to return to the rotation Tuesday at Milwaukee. He's been on the disabled since Aug. 24 with a strained left hamstring. ... LHP Mike Matthews was eligible to come off the DL from a hip flexor injury on Friday but the team did not make a move. Matthews is one of the players the Brewers are interested in as the player to be named in the deal for RHP Jamey Wright, and said he's heard nothing about either being activated or being traded.

Padres at Rockies
San Diego: 3B Phil Nevin came to Colorado in a 5-for-31 slump, but manager Bruce Bochy has no thought of sitting him down or moving him to first base and shifting Ryan Klesko to the outfield, which would allow 3B Sean Burroughs more playing time. "Phil will stay at third base now and will be at third base next year,'' Bochy said. "I feel the same about Ryan at first base. I think he is getting better at first base.'' ... Since being recalled from Triple-A Portland on Tuesday, Burroughs has three consecutive two-hit games. ... Bochy wants to see as much of left-handers Mike Bynum and Kevin Walker and right-handers Brandon Villafuerte, Jonathan Johnson and Jason Shiell over the remainder of the season. "I want to give these guys a lot of work out of the bullpen to help in the evaluation process for next year,'' Bochy said. "Our bullpen was a problem for us all year and we have to figure out how these guys can help us.''

Colorado: The Rockies are throwing three rookie right-handers in the weekend series against the Padres. Aaron Cook (0-1) made his third major league start on Friday night. Denny Stark (9-3) will start Saturday, and Jason Jennings (16-6) will go Sunday. ... Jennings, the NL rookie of the month for August, is one win away from tying the franchise record for victories in a season, shared by Kevin Ritz (1996) and Pedro Astacio (1999). Jennings' 16 wins are the most by an NL rookie since Cincinnati's Tom Browning won 20 in 1985. Manager Clint Hurdle said Jennings should be a lock for NL rookie of the year. "If you've paid attention to the game of baseball this year, nobody is close to what this kid has done, nobody,'' Hurdle said Friday. Hurdle also contended that if offensive numbers are dismissed at Coors Field, then pitching numbers should be given greater weight. Jennings is 9-2 this season at Coors. ... The Rockies outrighted LHP Brian Fitzgerald, LHP Mark Watson and RHP Chris Nichting off the 40-man roster. ... General manager Dan O'Dowd turned 43 on Friday. ... 3B Todd Zeile has established a club record by grounding into 26 double plays this season; Charlie Hayes had 25 in 1993.

Astros at Dodgers
Houston: RHP Octavio Dotel has made a career-high 73 appearances, ranking him second in the majors and sixth on the franchise single-season list. ... Geoff Blum's 50 RBI matched his career best, set last season with Montreal. ... Friday night's starter against the Dodgers, RHP Kirk Saarloos is a native of the Southern California area and pitched at Cal State Fullerton.

Los Angeles: After a slow first half, 3B Adrian Beltre is batting .326 with 12 homers and 38 RBI in 49 games. ... The Dodgers will soon wind up a 15-game stretch playing the top division contenders. That stretch included Atlanta for three games, Arizona for six and Houston for six. Those three clubs were a combined 80 games over .500 entering Friday. ... Heading into the game against the Astros, the Dodgers had scored first in seven of nine games and nine of 12. Los Angeles is 62-16 when scoring first.

Diamondbacks at Giants
Arizona: OF Steve Finley wasn't in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup on Friday night one day after he left a game in the third inning with tightness in his hamstring. Arizona manager Bob Brenly expects Finley to play on Saturday. ... OF Felix Jose, the 37-year-old former major leaguer who played in the Mexican League this season, got his first major league start in two years. Jose, signed by the Diamondbacks on Tuesday after he helped lead a Mexico City club to the league title, struck out in his first at-bat with the Diamondbacks on Thursday night. ... Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson are the sixth pair of teammates since 1950 to win 20 games apiece in back-to-back seasons -- but they're the first since Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally and Jim Palmer did it with Baltimore in 1970-71.

San Francisco: The Giants breathed a collective sigh of relief when they learned that All-Star catcher Benito Santiago's hand injury was only a blood blister. Santiago was hit by Arizona's Curt Schilling in the sixth inning on Thursday night, and the durable catcher had his teammates worried when he left the game. But X-rays showed nothing, and Santiago was back in the Giants' lineup on Friday night. "It's a big relief that nothing's broken,'' Giants manager Dusty Baker said. "That was the first thing that crossed my mind. He was in a lot of pain. You don't see him coming out of games.'' ... The Giants pinch-hit for backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba in the ninth inning Thursday night. If they had tied the game, rookie Trey Lunsford would have made his major league debut. Lunsford began the season in Class-A San Jose. Baker said he doesn't know much about Lunsford -- "just what I saw in spring training. He's an outstanding receiver of the ball and a thrower.'' ... Baker had no reaction to 2B Jeff Kent's disparaging remarks about hitting at Pacific Bell Park. Kent, a free agent in the offseason, said: "It's brutal playing in this ballpark. It makes it a different ballgame. I think our hitters are definitely better than what we're doing, but we've got to play under these conditions.''