TUESDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Jarrod Washburn Pitching on only three days' rest, the Angels ace gave up only three hits and didn't allow a runner past first base. IP H R SO 8 3 0 4 Hero of the day Angels OF Tim Salmon ended a brilliant pitching duel with one swing of the bat. After Jarrod Washburn and Mark Mulder dominated, Salmon broke a scoreless tie in the 10th with a solo shot off A's closer Billy Koch, giving Anaheim a 1-0 victory and a one-game lead over Oakland in the AL West. Goat of the day We couldn't let Koch get away with giving up the game-winner without slapping him with the goat tag. In fact, we didn't even have to, he slapped it on himself: "Before I went in, I was thinking, 'This is a good game. I don't want to be the goat.' After he hit that ball, I thought, 'Damn, I am the goat,''' Koch said after the game. Injuries Twins OF Jacque Jones sprained his left ankle on an awkward slide into second base. It appeared that he stumbled as he prepared to slide, and jammed his left foot into the base. ''I think Jacque hurt his pride more than anything,'' manager Ron Gardenhire said. ''That was a very creative slide -- I'm not sure what he was trying to do.'' Jones may miss a couple games. Twins OF Torii Hunter had a bruised left triceps after being hit by a pitch, and the pain was so bad it prevented him from taking a shower after the game. He may also miss a couple games. Twins 3B Corey Koskie (yes, another Twins injury) bruised his right shin after fouling a ball off his leg. Yankees SS Derek Jeter left Tuesday game with a bruised right wrist after being hit by a pitch. He's not expected to miss any time. Brewers OF Ryan Thompson tore his right hamstring running down the first-base line on a leadoff hit in the third. Thompson, who will miss the rest of the season, hopped down the line on his left leg and grimacing, dived onto the bag. "He's torn his tendon off the bone,'' manager Jerry Royster said. Streak of the day Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield (11-5) allowed one earned run for his seventh straight start, lowering his ERA in that stretch to 1.24. He is 8-2 since leaving the bullpen and joining the Red Sox rotation on July 23. Stat of the day Arizona is 92-58 overall but just 39-45 when Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling don't start. The last word "They call this the funny bone, but there is nothing funny about this. This is the mean bone right now." -- Twins OF Torii Hunter, who was hit by a pitch in the triceps.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Indians-Red Sox
CLEVELAND: The Indians increased their club record for most players used in one season on Monday to 59 when LHP Brian Tallet made his major league debut in a 7-1 win over Boston. The record before this season was 55. ... RF Karim Garcia's 48 RBI since his promotion from Triple-A Buffalo on Aug. 6 are the most in the majors since then. He went 0-for-7 in Monday's doubleheader and didn't start Tuesday. ... SS Omar Vizquel singled on his first two at-bats after going hitless on his previous seven. ... Rookie 2B Brandon Phillips did not start Tuesday after getting his first major league hit and run Monday.

BOSTON: C Jason Varitek served the second game of his three-game suspension for his role in a bench-clearing brawl July 28 against Baltimore. ... Shea Hillenbrand's third-inning double gave the Red Sox at least one double in 134 of their 151 games. ... C Doug Mirabelli, replacing Varitek, entered the game hitting .351 against lefties this season and .216 overall.

Blue Jays-Orioles
TORONTO: OF Shannon Stewart's streak of reaching base in 29 consecutive games was snapped Monday night, when he went 0-for-4 against Baltimore's Sidney Ponson. ''There are very few guys that (Stewart) doesn't hit well,'' Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca said. ''We just assume that this guy will get a couple of hits a night.'' ... OF Vernon Wells snapped an 0-for-26 slump Monday, but Tosca said he doesn't think Wells needs a day off. ''I'm not so sure it wouldn't be good for him to go through the thing,'' Tosca said. ... While growing up in Brandon, Fla., outside Tampa, Tosca's favorite football player was Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas. Funeral services were held Tuesday in Baltimore for Unitas, who died Sept. 11 at 69. ''Johnny Unitas was my favorite football player,'' he said. ''We loved the Colts and we loved Johnny U.''

BALTIMORE: OF Gary Matthews Jr. remains sidelined with tendinitis in his right wrist, even though he was activated from the disabled list on Sept. 11. Matthews, a switch-hitter, felt pain swinging from the left side on Monday. ''There hasn't been any talk of shutting him down,'' manager Mike Hargrove said. ''I thought he was close to coming back, but after yesterday I'm not sure.'' ... Picking the Orioles' most valuable player isn't as easy as last year, when Jeff Conine was a near-unanimous choice. Rodrigo Lopez (15-7, 3.38 ERA), Tony Batista (30 HRs, 84 RBI), Buddy Groom (3-2, 1.53 ERA), Jorge Julio (2.08 ERA, 25 saves) and slick-fielding shortstop Mike Bordick are all viable candidates. ... Julio had gone 31 games since Aug. 15 without a save opportunity. Baltimore was 8-23 in that span.

Twins-Tigers
DETROIT: Doctors found bone chips in RHP Oscar Henriquez's elbow, and scheduled season-ending surgery for early Wednesday morning. With Juan Acevedo day-to-day with a stiff back and Matt Anderson still a couple days away from being activated, rookie Franklyn German will serve as the closer. ... 2B Damion Easley (knee) remained sidelined Tuesday, with Damian Jackson replacing him. SS Omar Infante is expected to get some playing time at second base before season's end to give the Tigers a look at a possible Infante-Ramon Santiago double-play combination.

MINNESOTA: Two days after clinching the AL Central, the Twins were still giddy with their rise from contraction candidates to division champs. ''We got a taste of the pennant race last year, and we wanted to finish it off this year,'' pitcher Joe Mays said. ''We had a lot to prove after everything that happened in the winter, and we did it all. Now we are going to the playoffs.'' ... Most pro athletes will never express a preference about playoff opponents, but CF Torii Hunter isn't one of them. ''We want Anaheim, believe me,'' Hunter said. ''Oakland has a great pitching staff, and even though we think we can beat them, they've given us a lot of trouble this year.''

Yankees-Devil Rays
NEW YORK: Closer Mariano Rivera (right shoulder) threw 31 pitches in batting practice and could be activated from the 15-day disabled list by this weekend. ''I feel really good physically,'' Rivera said. ... LF Shane Spencer (left hamstring) was in the starting lineup after missing the past 15-games. ''It took a couple weeks, but everything is fine,'' Spencer said. ''It feels nice and loose.'' ... Yankees' special adviser Reggie Jackson was at the game. ... Manager Joe Torre said he plans on carrying 10 pitchers in the playoffs. ... Although he would like to see Rondell White start in the left, that spot to begin the playoffs remains open. ''He's the one with the most experience,'' Torre said.

TAMPA BAY: SS B.J. Upton, taken second in this year's amateur draft, was briefly hospitalized because of dehydration. He was taking part in his first workout with the Devil Rays' Florida Instructional League team after signing a $4.6 million contract last week. ''I started to cramp up,'' Upton said. ''The cramps kind of all hit me at the same time. Probably not enough water.'' ... Manager Hal McRae said the Yankees, who have a chance to clinch the AL East title during a three-game series at Tampa Bay, are still the team to beat in the playoffs. ''The road has always gone through New York,'' McRae said. ''The team with experience is always the team to beat. They play better when they need to.''

Royals-White Sox
KANSAS CITY: 1B-DH Raul Ibanez was out of the starting lineup again Tuesday night. Ibanez has missed the last four games with a sprained left thumb. ... Starting pitcher Miguel Asencio got his first major league victory against the White Sox in a 3-2 win on June 4. ... With six road games left, Kansas City needs to go 5-1 to avoid matching the club record for road losses in a season (53, 1992 and 1970). ... Kansas City hasn't had a winning month since August 2000.

CHICAGO: Rookie C Miguel Olivo, who homered in his first major league at-bat Sunday, got the night off Tuesday. Though Olivo is Chicago's catcher of the future, Mark Buehrle needs to win his last three starts to become the first White Sox pitcher to win 20 games since Jack McDowell in 1993 and manager Jerry Manuel doesn't want to interrupt his routine. ''I'd like to have Mark have somebody he's familiar with,'' Manuel said. ''Olivo will get plenty of playing time from here on out. But I'd like to do what I can to assist in his getting 20 wins.'' ... Olivo's impressive start didn't spare him the usual rookie razzing. When Olivo went to his locker after Sunday's game, his street clothes were gone and a bright, flowered dress was hanging in their place. ''I kept that dress,'' the good-natured Olivo said. ''I'm going to show it to my mom.'' ... The upper deck at Comiskey Park is closed for the final homestand in preparation for offseason renovations of the concourse. Anyone with upper deck tickets for the final nine games got to exchange their tickets for seats in the lower deck.

Angels-Athletics
ANAHEIM: All-Star OF Garret Anderson was back in the lineup Tuesday night after missing two straight games, including the series opener in Oakland, with a slightly strained hamstring. Anderson has missed just three games all season. ... David Eckstein entered the night leading the AL with 25 hits in September. ... The Angels are guaranteed to finish with the best record in franchise history after winning their 94th game on Sunday night. The previous franchise record for victories was 93, set in 1982. ... Anaheim entered Tuesday night's game at 13-2 in September after going 6-21 after Aug. 31 last season.

OAKLAND: Action movie star Jackie Chan shook hands and traded kicks while wearing an A's jacket in the clubhouse before the game. Chan, in town to throw out the first pitch and promote his new film, ''The Tuxedo,'' was playfully challenged to a fight by A's bench coach Ken Macha. ... 3B Eric Chavez doesn't mind admitting he'd rather face Minnesota in the playoffs than the Yankees, who have knocked out the A's in each of the past two postseasons. ''The media would blow the Jason (Giambi) thing way out of proportion and make it seem like that's all the series is about,'' Chavez said. Giambi led the A's to consecutive playoff berths before bolting the A's for the big-money Yankees. ... LHP Mark Mulder entered the night still holding a chance for his second straight 20-victory season. Mulder, who won 21 games and finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season, needed wins in each of his final three starts to do it. Mulder started the season slowly and spent a month on the disabled list, but he won 15 of 18 decisions after late May.

Rangers-Mariners
TEXAS: Over the previous 21 games, the Rangers are hitting .300 (217-for-724) with 35 homers and 132 runs scored. ... Texas pitchers issued a season-high 13 walks and the Rangers stranded a season-high 16 runners in Monday's 11-inning loss.

SEATTLE: With Monday's victory, the Mariners won the season series for the third straight year over Texas. They have won season series in eight of the past 10 seasons. ... The Mariners are 8-4 in extra-inning games this season and are 5-0 at Safeco Field.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Expos-Marlins
MONTREAL: Brad Wilkerson needs one homer to set a team record for homers by a rookie.

FLORIDA: RHP Josh Beckett, who was activated from the disabled list Sept. 10, will be on a 60-70 pitch limit when he starts Thursday night's game. Beckett (5-7, 4.20) has pitched four innings -- two in relief, two as a starter -- since being activated from his third trip on the DL due to blisters. ... 1B Derrek Lee played in his 198th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the NL. ... Former University of Miami football coach and current Florida Atlantic University coach Howard Schnellenberger attended Tuesday night's game.

Reds-Pirates
CINCINNATI: RHP Jose Silva is making his case for a job in the Reds' bullpen next season. He worked two scoreless innings against the Pirates on Monday night and got his first major league win since May 28, 2001, when he was with Pittsburgh. ''I'm just trying to get healthy,'' Silva said. That's been a problem throughout his career. He was seriously injured in an automobile accident when he was a minor leaguer in Toronto's system and lost most of the 2001 season with the Pirates when his leg was broken by a line drive off the bat of Atlanta's Andruw Jones. He also broke an arm while trying to bunt and was struck in the face by a batted ball while throwing batting practice one day in spring training. Silva's most bizarre injury came during spring training one year with the Pirates -- he strained his neck reaching to turn off an alarm clock. ... RHP Scott Williamson needed 13 pitches to retire Pirates CF Adrian Brown and close out Monday's 4-3 win. Brown hit seven consecutive foul balls. Williamson said that aside from a slider when the count was 1-2, every pitch was a fastball.

PITTSBURGH: The Pirates lost 100 games last year and are likely to lose at least 90 this year. That hasn't dampened manager Lloyd McClendon's enthusiasm for his work. ''I have the greatest job in the world,'' he said. ''I'm a blessed man. I won't ever take my job for granted. Never. There hasn't been a day that I've been on the job when I haven't enjoyed coming through that door and getting ready for the day's challenge.'' ... General manager Dave Littlefield has identified three positions where the Pirates need better offensive production: center field, right field and first base. The team still doesn't have regulars at the two outfield positions and incumbent 1B Kevin Young took a .240 average into Tuesday's game with 15 home runs and 47 RBI.

Cubs-Mets
CHICAGO: OF Sammy Sosa homered in the fourth inning, leaving him three shy of 500 for his career and a record fifth 50-homer season. But even with the Cubs way out of contention, he said he's not thinking about reaching those milestones. ''No, I'm just trying to finish strong. I don't pay attention to that,'' Sosa said. ''That will take care of itself. I've got to just continue to do my job. I've got to continue to play hard and continue performing.'' ... 1B Fred McGriff came in needing one home run to become the first player to hit 30 in a season for five teams. He's already done it with Toronto, San Diego, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. The last Cubs first baseman to hit 30 homers was Ernie Banks (32) in 1968. ... First base coach Sandy Alomar watched his son, Roberto, take batting practice with the Mets. They had dinner together Monday night, and by now they're used to being in opposite dugouts. ''It was thrilling when I used to see Roberto and Sandy play. Now, it's become like a normal thing. It's like seeing any other player,'' Sandy Alomar said. ''You don't want to see him fail. He wants to win. But I want to win. We separate father and son during the game.'' ... LHP Steve Smyth will not start Saturday at Pittsburgh. He's been moved out of the rotation and into the bullpen.

NEW YORK: C Mike Piazza was named NL player of the week for Sept. 9-15, the team's first such award this season. Piazza batted .458 (11-for-24) with four homers, three doubles and 10 RBI. ... OF Roger Cedeno, who complained his heart was racing last weekend in Montreal, was examined by a doctor and cleared to play. ''He checked out perfectly and he's fine,'' manager Bobby Valentine said. Cedeno started in left field and batted leadoff. ... RHP David Weathers, suspended three games for hitting a batter with a pitch in Colorado, is scheduled to have his appeal heard Friday. ... GM Steve Phillips said he still has no thoughts of moving Piazza to first base next season. ''No, Mike's catching,'' Phillips said. ... Injured LHP John Franco turned 42 years old.

Phillies-Braves
PHILADELPHIA: C Johnny Estrada was given permission to leave the team for personal reasons. ... During a heavy rain shower about 90 minutes before the game, LHPs Dan Plesac and Hector Mercado played long toss in left field. They were the only people on the field. ... The Phillies have nine shutouts this season, including a 1-0 victory Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Philadelphia has been shut out just twice.

ATLANTA: INF Wes Helms, who's been out for more than a month with a sprained right thumb, took batting practice for the first time Monday before the Braves' game in Florida. Helms also took BP before Tuesday night's game. He said he expected to be back in the lineup next Tuesday in Philadelphia. ... C Javy Lopez, who hit three home runs in the series against the Marlins, now has 170 as catcher, tying Del Crandall for the most in franchise history. ... The Braves are 53-5 since May 1 when SS Rafael Furcal scores a run, but he's scored just seven runs in his past 24 games.

Astros-Brewers
HOUSTON: 3B Geoff Blum and RF Orlando Merced returned to the starting lineup Tuesday after being injured last week. Blum had not played since Sept. 10 with a strained right oblique muscle and Merced has not started since Sept. 6 with a strained left hamstring. ... RHP Brad Lidge (1-0) will make his first major league start Wednesday night against the Brewers, replacing Carlos Hernandez in the rotation. Hernandez (7-5) has a sore right shoulder. ... INF Mark Loretta, traded from the Brewers on Aug. 31, made his first trip back to Miller Park Tuesday night. He was not in the starting lineup, out with a sore left hamstring.

MILWAUKEE: The Brewers' remaining games all are against teams with playoff hopes: San Francisco, St. Louis and Houston. ''Actually, this is our breather,'' manager Jerry Royster said with a laugh before his team's game Tuesday night against the Astros. ... LF Geoff Jenkins rejoined the team Tuesday, but still is doubtful to return to game action this year. He has been out since June 18 with a dislocated right ankle. ... 1B Brad Nelson and RHP Ben Hendrickson have been named the team's Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year. Nelson, 19, batted .289 with 19 HRs and 116 RBI at Class A Beloit and High Desert. Hendrickson, 21, was 9-7 with a 2.74 ERA in 27 starts at High Desert and Double-A Huntsville.

Cardinals-Rockies
ST. LOUIS: OF J.D. Drew was available to pinch-hit after see knee specialist Dr. Richard Steadman. Drew has being feeling pain much of the season because of tendinitis in his left knee. ... Manager Tony La Russa has been satisfied with what LHP Chuck Finley as done since being acquired from Cleveland in a July 19 trade. ''For a team searching for some starting pitching, he's given us a tremendous lift,'' La Russa said of Finley, 5-4 with a 4.07 ERA in 11 starts with St. Louis. ''Not only has he taken the ball, he has pitched well.'' ... Former Rockies reliever Rick White has also been a welcome addition. ''From the first day on, he has given us a big lift,'' La Russa said. ''Because people were unavailable, he pitched great and was given a lot of clutch responsibility.'' ... White, who was given his unconditional release by Colorado on Aug. 12, hasn't allowed an earned run in 12 innings of work. ''I like playing in warm weather and places where the ball breaks,'' White said. ''When I came to Colorado to take the challenge to pitch up here I just didn't get it done. I knew I could pitch and I am just glad these guys gave me a chance to pitch for them.'' ... La Russa had to shuffle his lineup with 2B Fernando Vina not with the Cardinals on Tuesday. Eduardo Perez started in right field and Miguel Cairo was at second base. ''Fernando has a personal deal that he's taking care of (in California),'' La Russa said. ''He'll be back tomorrow.'' ... The Cardinals' magic number for clinching the NL Central is seven. With a three-game series at Coors Field beginning Tuesday, that means they won't be celebrating in Denver. They return home to play second-place Houston on Friday.

COLORADO: The Rockies expect to decide on Wednesday whether LHP Mike Hampton will make his next start on Friday as scheduled. Hampton missed his most recent start on Saturday because of a strained ligament in his right foot, and he aggravated the injury following a workout that day. Manager Clint Hurdle said the Rockies were ''tilting'' toward holding Hampton out, with either Victor Santos or Randy Flores taking the spot in the rotation. ''If he misses this start, hopefully he might be able to make one more before the end of the season,'' Hurdle said. ... The Rockies added LHP Cory Vance to their roster. He was 10-8 with a 3.77 ERA with the Double-A Carolina Mudcats. He last pitched Sept. 4 in the Southern League playoffs and has stayed in shape for the Arizona Instructional League. ... Hurdle paid tribute to the Cardinals before Tuesday's game. ''I hate to talk about our club and being beat up and hurt,'' he said. ''The team that's going to take the field in the other dugout probably deserves as much admiration and respect as any club that's played the game. The job that has been done by their general manager, their field manager, the staff and the players speaks volumes about what those men are made of. They've looked adversity right in the eye and dealt with it. They've met the challenge in a very admirable way.''

Diamondbacks-Padres
ARIZONA: INF Craig Counsell is scheduled to undergo neck surgery on Wednesday, ending his season. Counsell, sidelined since Aug. 9, has been bothered all season by a pinched nerve in his neck that causes weakness in his right hand and arm. The surgery will be performed in Dallas by Dr. Drew Dorsett. Counsell, the MVP of last season's NLCS, is expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training. Counsell batted .282 with two homers and 51 RBI in 112 games. ... With 92 victories, the Diamondbacks need to win nine of their final 13 games to break the team record of 100 wins, set in 1999.

SAN DIEGO: Despite repeated denials in recent weeks, the Padres have finally relented and admitted that RHP Brian Lawrence may be tiring. The sinkerballer has been ineffective the last five weeks as his innings pitched total has passed 200, a professional career high. To protect their No. 1 starter, the Padres will give Lawrence (12-11, 3.68 ERA) extra time before his next start, which was scheduled for Thursday. Rookie RHP Clay Condrey will get the start in place of Lawrence. Condrey has yet to allow a run in his first 14 1/3 innings.

Giants-Dodgers
SAN FRANCISCO: CF Kenny Lofton, acquired in late July from the Chicago White Sox, said he'd like to return to the Giants next year if the situation is right. ''It's not up to me,'' said the 35-year-old Lofton, eligible for free agency at season's end. ''I'm just playing. It's how other people feel.'' Lofton entered hitting .248 with two homers and seven RBI in 38 games for the Giants. ... Manager Dusty Baker refused to say the Giants were in a must-win situation before the game. ''It's a want-to-win game, not a must-win game,'' he said. ''We're back to even (in the wild-card race). A lot of people predicted this would go down to the wire.'' ... Baker said he believes rookie RHP Kevin Beirne, who starts for the Dodgers on Wednesday night, has an advantage over the San Francisco hitters. ''He knows what he can throw, where the ball is going, he's had the luxury of having watched three games up there (in San Francisco) and two here,'' Baker said. ''We'll watch film on him.'' ... When told that Dodgers LF Brian Jordan has 20 RBI in 15 games this month, Baker said: ''He likes it this time of year. You've got to want to be the one.''

LOS ANGELES: LF Brian Jordan raised his RBI total to 20 for September with his grand slam Monday night -- his fifth homer of the month. He received a lot of notoriety for his performance with Atlanta last September, when he drove in 19 runs. ... Manager Jim Tracy expressed confidence in 28-year-old RHP Kevin Beirne, who will make his second start of the season and third of his career Wednesday night in place of RHP Kevin Brown, who won't pitch again this season because he hasn't fully recovered from back surgery in June. ''He did all right the other night in Colorado,'' Tracy said of Beirne, who gave up one run in 5 2-3 innings against the Rockies last Friday night. ''He'll do just fine. Opportunity knocks in the strangest ways sometimes. I'm sure some pretty good major leaguers got started that way.'' Beirne has pitched in 34 big league games including 10 this year. ... CF Marquis Grissom, who took a home run away from Rich Aurilia with a leaping catch in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 7-6 victory Monday night, said it was probably the most significant catch of his 14-year big league career. ''I've made better catches, but considering the circumstances, it might be the biggest one,'' he said.