WEDNESDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Greg Colbrunn Completed the first cycle of his career -- thanks to a ninth-inning triple -- in the Diamondbacks' 10-3 rout of the Padres. AB H HR RBI 6 5 2 4 Hero of the day Third baseman Scott Rolen hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Cardinals to an 8-5 victory over the Rockies. It was his first multihomer game with St. Louis. Goat of the day When a team has a slim chance to make the playoffs, a poor defensive showing is the last thing it needs. The Red Sox committed four errors -- which led to three unearned runs -- in Boston's 6-4 loss to the Indians. Injuries Indians manager Joel Skinner confirmed C Einar Diaz (elbow) and OF Matt Lawton (shoulder) are done for the season. Braves SS Rafael Furcal missed his second straight start with the flu. Yankees starter David Wells was scratched from his scheduled start with the flu. Yankees OF Bernie Williams missed the game because of mild inflammation behind his left knee. He is likely to miss a couple of games. Yankees OF Shane Spencer left in the third inning after re-aggravating a left hamstring injury. Astros starter Brad Lidge left in the fourth inning because of soreness on his left side. Brewers outfielder Ryan Thompson is out for the season after tearing a tendon in his right hamstring while running to first base Tuesday. Streak of the day Marlins outfielder Kevin Millar singled in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to 24 games in Florida's 4-2 loss to the Expos. Stat of the day The Mets beat the Cubs 2-1 to take a 318-317 lead in the all-time series against Chicago. New York has a losing record against the other nine NL teams that played in the Mets' first season (1962). The last word "It was big. We haven't been able to pick up our pitchers very often. They've carried us all year and it's nice to return the favor.." -- A's 3B Eric Chavez on starter Barry Zito. Oakland homered four times to help the A's defeat the Angels 7-4.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Indians-Red Sox
CLEVELAND: Manager Joel Skinner confirmed that C Einar Diaz (elbow) and OF Matt Lawton (shoulder) are done for the season. ... Jim Thome entered Wednesday's game hitting just .229 against left-handed pitching and .327 against righties. ... Ryan Drese made his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Sept. 13. ... Buffalo manager Eric Wedge was selected minor league manager of the year by The Sporting News. The former Red Sox catcher led the Bisons to a franchise-record 91 wins and a spot in the International League finals.

BOSTON: SS Nomar Garciaparra, who made comments earlier in the week that indicated he did not like playing in Boston, said he would like to finish his career with the Red Sox. ... RHP Tim Wakefield was honored before the game as the Red Sox winner of the Roberto Clemente Award for work in the community. ... The Red Sox announced that their Double-A affiliate will be in Portland, Maine, next year instead of Trenton, N.J.

Blue Jays-Orioles
TORONTO: The Blue Jays have used 24 pitchers and 18 rookies this year, both club records. ... RHP Roy Halladay is the first Toronto RHP to win 15 or more games since Roger Clemens in 1998. ... Eric Hinske's 23 HRs (entering Wednesday) were the most by an AL rookie since Nomar Garciaparra hit 30 in 1997. ... Toronto, which lost its 82nd game Tuesday at Baltimore, will finish with a losing record for the second straight season and 12th time in franchise history. ... LHP Mark Hendrickson will make his third start of the season Thursday vs. Baltimore. ... RHP Kelvim Escobar, who recorded career save No. 50 on Monday, had 14 saves in his last of his last 16 chances entering Wednesday. ... 1B Carlos Delgado was hitting .467 (14-for-30) with 14 runs in nine games through Tuesday. ... C Ken Huckaby snapped an 0-for-18 drought with a single Tuesday.

BALTIMORE: RHP Willis Roberts returned to the bullpen Wednesday, having completed a five-game suspension for his role in a bench-clearing brawl July 28 at Boston. ... The Orioles hit a season-high five HRs Tuesday vs. Toronto, giving them 157, 21 more than last year. ... Baltimore entered Wednesday having turned 164 double plays, most in the majors, including 29 in the previous 28 games. ... SS Mike Bordick brought a 99-game errorless streak into Wednesday's game, two shy of the major-league record for shortstops. ... Closer Jorge Julio had made only five appearances since Aug. 24, but still leads major league rookies with 25 saves.

Twins-Tigers
DETROIT: Of the three Twins who left Tuesday night's game because of injuries, only LF Jacque Jones was significantly hampered. He slightly sprained an ankle while sliding into second base and is day to day, according to manager Ron Gardenhire. Also sitting out Wednesday night's game were CF Torii Hunter and 3B Corey Koskie. Hunter was hit on the arm by a pitch on Tuesday and Koskie fouled a ball off of his foot. Gardenhire said that both could have played on Wednesday, but he took the opportunity to get other players into the lineup. ... The only regulars in the starting lineup were C A.J. Pierzynski and 2B Luis Rivas. "Only one coach screamed when he saw the lineup,'' Gardenhire said. "That was a good sign. The other five were OK with it.''

MINNESOTA: Closer Matt Anderson, on the 60-day DL, threw and could be activated by the weekend, according to manager Luis Pujols. ... After playing nine games at SS since his recall from Triple-A Toledo, Omar Infante started at 2B Wednesday night. Fellow rookie Ramon Santiago was in the starting lineup at SS.

Yankees-Devil Rays
NEW YORK: LHP David Wells (stomach virus) was scratched from his scheduled start. Manager Joe Torre said Wells would pitch either late this weekend or early next week. ... CF Bernie Williams (right knee inflammation) will likely miss a couple games. He could start on Friday. "Nothing long term,'' GM Brian Cashman said. ... Closer Mariano Rivera (right shoulder) will throw in the bullpen Thursday and should be activated from the 15-day disabled list by this weekend. ... SS Derek Jeter started the game hitting .296 with 17 homers and 70 RBI, which is considered a down year for him. "There hasn't been a long period where I felt really good,'' Jeter said. "You have good years and bad years. If this is a bad year, I hope all bad years are like this.'' ... RHP Mike Mussina was selected as the Yankees' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

TAMPA BAY: Manager Hal McRae expects to discuss his status with GM Chuck LaMar during the Devil Rays' season-ending series next week in Boston. "If I'm not back, it's sort of like losing a girl friend in high school,'' McRae said. "You just get another one.'' McRae, who has one year left on his contract, wants to return next season. "I would prefer not to be a lame duck guy. It's impossible to get things done.'' ... The Devil Rays are the first AL team to open the season with three straight wins and lose 100 games. The 1969 San Diego Padres, along with the 1906 and 1909 Boston Beaneaters, did it in the NL. ... RHP Lance Carter was selected the Devil Rays minor league pitcher of the year. OF Rocco Baldelli was the organizational player of the year. ... OF Greg Vaughn was the team's nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

Royals-White Sox
KANSAS CITY: 1B-DH Raul Ibanez was back in the lineup Wednesday night after missing five games with a sprained left thumb. "He didn't feel comfortable when caught the ball (Tuesday), but he swung the bat well,'' Royals manager Tony Pena said. Ibanez has a nine-game hitting streak going, matching his career high, and is batting .294 with 23 homers and 99 RBI. "Anytime you have a guy who's been putting up the kind of numbers he has, you miss him,'' Pena said. ... RHP Jeff Suppan, who started Wednesday night, has struggled in the second half, losing eight straight decisions. But Pena said he thinks Suppan turned a corner in his last outing, when he allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings. "He had been more aggressive, he had been throwing strikes,'' Pena said. "That's the key. ... I think he's found the key.'' ... At 58-93 going into Wednesday's game, the Royals are closing in on some dubious records. They needed to go 8-3 over their last 11 games to avoid matching the club single-season record for losses. And they have to go 11-0 to avoid their 14th straight losing month, which would be another club record. "Everybody is still having fun. I know it's tough when you come to the ballpark and see the standings,'' Pena said. "I have been pleased with the way everybody has been able to go out every day and take the field with the same focus.''

CHICAGO: With Gary Glover going back to the bullpen, manager Jerry Manuel is leaning toward using Jon Rauch and Todd Ritchie for Saturday's game against the Twins. "We'll probably split it up between the two of them,'' Manuel said. "Rauch probably goes as long as he can and then Ritchie will be the first guy in after that.'' ... With an 11-11 record and a 4.74 ERA, starter Jon Garland's season hasn't quite gone the way the White Sox had hoped. "It's a growing year,'' Manuel said. "He's gained a good deal of experience. Hopefully it will manifest itself in a few more wins.'' Though Garland has had some impressive games -- he pitched a shutout against the Red Sox -- he's also struggled with his command at times. "That's really supposed to be one of his assets,'' Manuel said. "It really puzzles us when he doesn't have it.'' ... There's still a possibility reliever Keith Foulke could wind up in the White Sox rotation next season. "We'll talk about it at some point,'' Manuel said. "That's our biggest job, to solidify the roles of the pitchers. We're going to have to really do a good job of that. That's going to be the foundation of any good ballclub.''

Angels-Athletics
ANAHEIM: Benji Gil started at 2B, giving Adam Kennedy a day off. Manager Mike Scioscia wanted another right-handed bat in the lineup against A's ace Barry Zito. Also, Scioscia wanted Kennedy fresh for Thursday's day game, the finale of this crucial series. ... Injured RHP Aaron Sele threw a simulated game Tuesday and will throw another Friday, and possibly next Tuesday. Sele went on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 21 with a torn right rotator cuff. ... 1B Scott Spiezio has committed only four errors in his last 238 games at first base (1,933 chances, .998), the best fielding percentage by first basemen in the majors since the start of the 2001 season.

OAKLAND: LHP Ted Lilly is slated to start Friday. "He's going to take his regular spot in the rotation,'' trainer Larry Davis said. Lilly was removed after three innings in his start Sunday because of a blister on a finger of his throwing hand. The A's have not yet said whether he will be on the postseason roster. ... RHP Tim Hudson was awarded the team Roberto Clemente Award in a ceremony before the game. ... A's starters are 25-5 with a 2.49 ERA in their last 41 games. During that span, they have thrown seven or more innings 28 times and have allowed two or fewer runs 23 times. ... Entering Wednesday's game, Oakland had not hit a double in its past six games, the team's most games without a double since Sept. 13-17, 1978. ... C Ramon Hernandez got the day off after taking a foul tip off a wrist in Tuesday night's game.

Rangers-Mariners
TEXAS: SS Alex Rodriguez, who has played in 376 straight games, was out of the starting lineup because he said he was too tired. Rodriguez, who leads the majors with 55 homers and 135 RBI, was 5-for-32 in his last eight games. "It's been a long season and I didn't get the All-Star game off, either,'' he said. "This stretch has got a little bit of the best of me.'' A-Rod took batting practice before the game. "It's hard to take it completely off,'' he said. Rodriguez did not start a game June 16 after fouling a ball off his ankle. But he later entered the game as a pinch-hitter and played defensively. The last game Rodriguez missed was July 23, 2000, when he sat it out. ... Rangers C Bill Haselman was excused from Wednesday and Thursday night's games for personal reasons. He will be back with the team Friday night in Oakland.

SEATTLE: Bret Boone (99) and John Olerud (98) were closing in on 100 RBI. Only 12 Mariners (29 times), including Boone with 141 in 2001 and Olerud with 103 in 2000, have reached 100 RBI in a season. Only five Mariners have reached 100 RBI more than once: Ken Griffey Jr. (seven times), Edgar Martinez (six), Alex Rodriguez (four), Jay Buhner (three) and Alvin Davis (two). ... After beating Texas 6-5 in 11 innings Monday night and 3-2 in 10 innings Tuesday night, the Mariners were 9-4 in extra inning games this season. They've won their last five extra-inning games after losing four in a row.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Expos-Marlins
MONTREAL: Entering the game with 36 stolen bases and 37 home runs, Vladimir Guerrero hopes to become the fourth 40-40 man in baseball. ... Orlando Cabrera stole his career high 20th and 21st bases of the season Tuesday night against Florida. ...The Expos (75-76) have won over 70 games for the first time since 1997 (78-84) but have not won 80 games since 1996 (88-74).

FLORIDA: A.J. Burnett, who was put on the 15-day disabled list in August with an acute bone bruise, pitched last night in relief. He went 1 2-3 innings, striking out five, and threw 38 pitches. He is scheduled to start Sunday at Atlanta. ... Josh Beckett, activated from the DL Sept. 10, is to start Thursday against the Expos. ... Justin Wayne, acquired from Montreal July 11, is to make his fourth start Friday in Atlanta. ... The Marlins are having a difficult time getting rid of their bobblehead dolls due to low attendance. Offering 15,000 per game, the team still has nearly half of its dolls remaining after a four-game series against the Braves that drew only 37,640.

Reds-Pirates
CINCINNATI: RHP Scott Williamson will meet with GM Jim Bowmen at the end of the season to discuss his role in 2003. It appears Williamson will be the closer, with Danny Graves moving into the rotation. "It's been my dream to be a big league starter but maybe it's my destiny to be a closer,'' Williamson said. Williamson does not want to be a setup man, as he was when Graves was the closer. ... OF Austin Kearns may not play again this season because of a strained left hamstring. Kearns was injured running out a ground ball on Aug. 27. ... Reds manager Bob Boone was livid after his team made five errors that led to nine unearned runs in Tuesday's 11-3 loss to the Pirates. Boone had a brief postgame meeting with the team. "That was about as mad as I've ever seen him,'' said 3B Aaron Boone, the manager's son.

PITTSBURGH: The Pirates want 1B-RF Craig Wilson to work on his conditioning this winter with a goal of losing weight and improving his quickness. Manager Lloyd McClendon said Wilson has been up to 232 pounds this season and he's better in the range of 220 pounds. ... The nine coal miners who were rescued from the Quecreek Mine in August will be honored by the Pirates before Thursday's game. They are to be on the field during batting practice and throw out the ceremonial first pitches. The Pirates considered producing and distributing a highlight video in order to lobby for 2B Pokey Reese to win a Gold Glove. They decided not to do it, but McClendon has talked to some other managers to drum up support for Reese.

Cubs-Mets
CHICAGO: Sammy Sosa joined with New York Gov. George Pataki and Mets pitcher Pedro Astacio in urging participation in an Oct. 19 telethon to benefit the families of Flight 587, which crashed on its way to the Dominican Republic last November, killing 260 people. "Both Sept. 11 and the 587 flight tragedy hurt all of us without distinguishing classes nor individuals,'' Sosa said. ... The Cubs lead the majors in strikeouts on the mound (1,231) and at the plate (1,185). The last time a team led in both categories was in 1884 when Boston of the Union Association did it. ... C Todd Hundley, who is 6-for-18 with three homers in his career off Steve Trachsel, started for the first time since Sept. 8.

NEW YORK: After struggling most of the season, Jeromy Burnitz came into the game batting .300 with seven homers and 14 RBI this month. He is only hitting .220 on the season with 19 homers and 53 RBI -- his lowest production numbers since 1996. "He obviously got into a rut early this year that he couldn't get out of,'' GM Steve Phillips said. "He's always been a streaky hitter. It was just that the cold streak was longer than usual this year.'' ... Injured pitcher John Franco was the Mets' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. The national winner, taken from each team's nominations, will be announced before Game 3 of the World Series. ... Manager Bobby Valentine will have his appeal of a one-game suspension heard Friday. Valentine and reliever David Weathers were suspended after Weathers hit Colorado's Juan Uribe with a pitch last month. Weathers' appeal of a three-game suspension will also be heard Friday.

Phillies-Braves
PHILADELPHIA: LHP Rheal Cormier was sent back to Philadelphia to get an MRI on his pitching shoulder. The Phillies said he might only have a tired arm. ... C Johnny Estrada, who left the team for personal reasons, was expected back Thursday night. ... Bobby Abreu extended his hitting streak to 12 games with two hits Tuesday night, and he scored the team's only run in a 2-1 loss. ... The Phillies have posted a 2.98 ERA in their past 35 games dating to Aug. 11. They're 20-15 in that span.

ATLANTA: LHP Chris Hammond lowered his ERA to 1.01 with two-thirds of an inning of scoreless relief Tuesday night. He's trying to become the third pitcher since 1900 to have an ERA under 1.00 (minimum 70 innings pitched). Dennis Eckersley had a 0.61 for the Oakland Athletics in 1990, and Ferdie Schupp had a 0.90 for the Giants in 1916. ... Manager Bobby Cox hinted he probably would go with a 10-man pitching staff in the best-of-5 divisional series. ... A victory Wednesday night would've made Cox only the 12 manager in history to reach 1,800 victories.

Astros-Brewers
HOUSTON: INF Mark Loretta, traded by the Brewers to the Astros on Aug. 31, feels right at home this week in Milwaukee. "This is like a homestand for me,'' said Loretta, who is staying with his wife and daughter at their downtown Milwaukee condo. Loretta, who struck out as a pinch-hitter with two runners on base to end Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Brewers, was 19-for-47 (.404) going into Wednesday's game. ... 1B Jeff Bagwell needs to score nine runs, drive in six runs and walk four times in the team's final 11 games to add to his major league record of six straight seasons in which he's had 30 HR, 100 RBI, 100 walks and 100 runs. "I'm not on the Hall of Fame committee, but those are Hall of Fame numbers for any player,'' Houston manager Jimy Williams said. ... Roy Oswalt (19-6) starts Thursday with hopes of becoming the first Houston pitcher to win 20 games since both Mike Hampton (22) and Jose Lima (21) both did it in 1999. Oswalt was 6-0 in August. ... The Astros face former prospect Wayne Franklin (0-1) in Thursday's game. Franklin and 3B Keith Ginter were the players to be named later in the trade for Loretta. ... Ginter started 5-for-8 with Milwaukee before going 3-for-27 for a .229 average since joining the Brewers.

MILWAUKEE: Ben Sheets (10-16) and reliever Luis Vizcaino combined for a no-walk performance in Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Astros. The Brewers are 4-0 this season when their pitchers do not issue a walk. Glendon Rusch was the starter in the team's other three walkless games. ... Wednesday's MRI revealed that the knee injury of OF Ryan Thompson, suffered while running to first base Tuesday, won't require surgery. "It's not nearly as bad as they thought last night,'' Thompson said prior to Wednesday's game against Houston. "In six weeks I'll be OK and they say it'll be stronger than it was before.'' ... The Brewers haven't hit a home run against a LHP since hitting three against Chicago's Steve Smyth on Sept. 2 at Wrigley Field. ... 1B Richie Sexson hasn't homered since Aug. 8. He needs two more to become only the second Brewer right-handed hitter with at least 30 in back-to-back seasons. The other was Gorman Thomas, who did it three straight years (1978-80).

Cardinals-Rockies
ST. LOUIS: 2B Fernando Vina was back with the team. Vina was in California to attend to personal matters and missed Tuesday night's game. ... Manager Tony La Russa said he never lost confidence in 1B Tino Martinez, who started slowly and has heated up in September. "He went through a period of adjusting to pitchers,'' La Russa said of Martinez, batting .314 over his last 30 games. "This guy has a track record of doing it year after year. There isn't a player on this team that has gotten more big hits.'' ... When asked about Martinez's Gold Glove chances, La Russa said, "Who is a better first baseman in our league? I see him every day and I haven't seen anybody better.'' ... C Mike Matheny was the St. Louis nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is presented annually to the major leaguer who combines outstanding skills on the field with devoted work in the community. ... When asked who would be rested once the Cardinals clinch the division, La Russa didn't hesitate. "If I had to point to one guy, it would be Edgar Rentaria. Jim Edmonds has aches and pains, but I think he is in the best shape right now than he has been in the last two years. I think we are reasonably healthy and reasonably fresh for having played for five months.''

COLORADO: The Rockies, reduced to the role of spoiler, play their last 19 games against contenders. In their first eight games of that streak, they have gone 4-4. ... LHP Mike Hampton will miss his second straight start because of a strained ligament in his right foot. Hampton's spot on Friday -- opposite Arizona's Curt Schilling -- will be taken by Randy Flores. ... The Rockies have shut down one of their top pitching prospects, Aaron Cook. Cook, who began the year at Double-A Carolina, has pitched a combined 195 innings, including 35 2-3 innings with the Rockies. He went 2-1 with a 4.54 ERA with Colorado. "He's had a full season, and he's done well,'' manager Clint Hurdle said. "I think there's a lot of fatigue setting in right now. We're going to shut him down. I just think it's in the best interests of the kid to close the book on his 2002 campaign, which is a very good read.'' Cook's next start would be on Sunday, but Victor Santos will take his spot. ... LHP Denny Neagle expected to start on Saturday despite an MRI that showed he has loose particles in his pitching elbow. Neagle (8-10) said he wants "to finish off strong. I want to get to 10 wins. The way I understand it, there's no risk of making it worse. If it was April or May, it could be different. I want to try to pitch through it, and then we can talk about getting it cleaned up.'' ... OF Jay Payton, out the past week with a strained right oblique muscle, has resumed hitting and running and was expected to be available for pinch-hit duties Wednesday night.

Diamondbacks-Padres
ARIZONA: Randy Johnson will try to improve his 10-1 record against San Diego when he starts the series finale Thursday. Johnson's only career regular-season loss to the Padres came in San Diego on July 21, when he allowed eight runs and eight hits in five innings. Since then, Johnson beat the Padres twice, both in Arizona. ... A victory Thursday would tie Johnson with teammate Curt Schilling for the NL lead with 23 wins.

SAN DIEGO: By beating the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, Adam Eaton extended San Diego's major league record by becoming the 23rd Padres pitcher to record a win this season. ... The Padres extended their working agreement with the Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League through the 2006 season. In two years as a Padres affiliate, Lake Elsinore is 166-114 (.593).

Giants-Dodgers
SAN FRANCISCO: RHP Livan Hernandez said he looked forward to pitching Thursday night in the finale of a crucial four-game series against the Dodgers. "I think it's very exciting,'' said the 27-year-old Hernandez, MVP of the 1997 NL Championship Series and World Series while pitching for the Florida Marlins. "All the fans are screaming, I like that. I like games like this, every pitch is very important. One pitch you cane lose the game, one pitch you can win.'' Hernandez is 11-15 with a 4.40 ERA. ... LF Barry Bonds, who entered hitting .373, is not only a cinch to win the NL batting title, but is far ahead of everyone in the majors with a .581 on-base percentage and an .812 slugging percentage. Boston's Manny Ramirez had the second-highest batting average (.344) and on-base percentage (.446), and Cleveland's Jim Thome had the second-highest slugging percentage (.655). ... The Giants entered having won 12 of their last 16 road games and were 6-2 at Dodger Stadium this year. They are assured of their third straight winning road record, marking the first time they've accomplished such a feat since 1964-66.

LOS ANGELES: LHP Kazuhisa Ishii, hit in the forehead by a line drive Sept. 8 and sidelined for the rest of the season, attended his first game since the injury. "I'm sorry I'm unable to contribute at this point,'' he said through an interpreter. "All I can do is cheer for the team, and I plan on doing that the best I can.'' ... Ishii finished his rookie year with a 14-10 record and 4.27 ERA. "It's awfully nice to see Kazuhisa Ishii in our clubhouse with a smile on his face,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. "It's been awfully uplifting for all of us. He's done a remarkable job, and I told him that. We wouldn't be standing here talking about what an important series this is if it wasn't for him.'' ... Because of season-ending injuries to Ishii and Kevin Brown, 28-year-old rookie RHP Kevin Beirne made the third start of his career Wednesday night. "He's going to compete,'' Tracy said. "I don't think he's fazed. What I saw in Colorado five days ago, he made a little statement for himself.'' Beirne allowed two runs in 5 2-3 innings against the Rockies in his first big-league start since the 2000 season when he made one for the Chicago White Sox.