WEDNESDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Livan Hernandez Rose to the occasion with his third shutout of the season, helping Giants cut D-Backs' West lead to two games. IP H ER SO 9 2 0 2 Hero of the day Mike Cameron kept the Mariners' razor-thin playoff hopes alive with a two-run homer in the eighth inning of a 3-2 win over the A's. Seattle has won four straight games, while Anaheim has lost four straight. In order to force a one-game playoff, the M's would need to win their next four, and have the Angels lose four straight. The teams close with a three-game series against in Anaheim. Goat of the day They're not playing for much more than pride at this point, and the Expos certainly had nothing to be proud about Wednesday. Montreal committed six errors in a 10-2 loss to the Marlins. Injuries Twins 3B Corey Koskie sat out with a bruised right ankle suffered in Tuesday night's game. Reds SS Barry Larkin will have surgery Monday to remove bone spurs from his right big toe. He'll be available to pinch-hit in the Reds' remaining games. Streak of the day Just a week ago, the NL West crown seemed a slam dunk for the Diamondbacks. But not anymore after a six-game losing streak during which the Giants have crept to within two games. Stat of the day Rafael Palmeiro and Alex Rodriguez homered in the same game for the 16th time this season, a major league record. Rodriguez and Palmeiro also became only the fifth set of teammates to combine for 100 homers. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle hold the record; they combined for 115 HRs for the 1961 Yankees. The last word "When he's right on, there's none better.'' -- Braves manager Bobby Cox on his center fielder Andruw Jones, who had three home runs in a 7-1 victory over the Phillies.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Orioles at Blue Jays
Baltimore: The Orioles, who were 63-63 on Aug. 23, entered Wednesday's game 23 games below .500. ... The Orioles play their final road game of the season in Toronto on Thursday night and return home on Friday to conclude the season with a three-game set against the New York Yankees. ... INF Jose Leon made his sixth start at 3B. Toronto: 1B Carlos Delgado, a native of Puerto Rico, said he was surprised to see that a group of investors are interested in purchasing the Montreal Expos and moving the team to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2004. "As a Puerto Rican, I'm excited because it would be a great attraction for the fans there,'' Delgado said. "But it's like any other city. If they do good, people are going to watch it. There a lot of baseball fans there.'' ... President Paul Godfrey wouldn't say whether the rebuilding Blue Jays will ask Delgado to waive his no trade clause in the offseason. Delgado is due $36 million in the final two years of his contract. "He's got a no-trade contract,'' Godfrey said. "I don't have a crystal ball to look into and say what could happen. I think we always have to look at ways at strengthening this club. Right now he's a solid No. 4 hitter on this club.'' Godfrey said the Blue Jays can afford to keep him. "If he continues to play the way he has lately why would you want to get rid of him?'' Delgado entered Wednesday's game hitting .426 in his last 15 games.

Devil Rays at Yankees
Tampa Bay: The Devil Rays entered 9-10 in extra-inning games, the most extra-inning games for an AL team since 1996. ... 3B Aubrey Huff came in batting .323 and needing 26 plate appearances in the last five games to qualify for the AL batting race. He struck out in his first two at-bats. ... OF Randy Winn entered with 176 hits, three shy of Quinton McCracken's team record set in 1998. ... Tampa Bay's 54 wins after 157 games are the fewest in the AL since the 1996 Detroit Tigers. ... The Devil Rays hit 90 batters with pitches, three short of the major league record set by Boston last season. New York: The Yankees came in one victory shy of their first 100-win season since 1998 and the 16th in franchise history. "That's a big number. You don't do that very often. That's a mark of excellence,'' manager Joe Torre said. "But when you're in this uniform, winning 100 games doesn't mean a thing unless you play in that last series of the year.'' ... Torre said closer Mariano Rivera would pitch Wednesday night and probably again Thursday. The right-hander came off the disabled list last Saturday after being sidelined more than a month with a strained shoulder. "Going into the postseason, we're certainly thinking of pitching Mo only in the ninth inning,'' Torre said. ... Torre has decided on his starter for the first game of the playoffs. "I'm not going to tell you because I haven't told the Game 1 starter yet,'' he said, adding he will probably inform the pitcher Friday or Saturday. ... OF Shane Spencer, who has missed all but two games this month because of a left hamstring injury, took extra batting practice. "He's probably going to be OK to be an offensive player off the bench. But I have no plans until he tells me he's OK to play,'' Torre said.

Angels at Rangers
Anaheim: When RHP Kevin Appier lost Tuesday night in his last scheduled start, the Angels probably missed a chance for their first trio of 15-game winners since Jim Abbott, Chuck Finley and Mark Langston did it in 1991. Appier is 14-12. Ramon Ortiz went into Wednesday night's start with a 15-9 record and Jarrod Washburn, who should get at least one more start, is 18-6. ... CF Darin Estad had his first error of the season Tuesday night, and only second in 286 games. That isn't the only impressive defensive streak for the Angels. 1B Scott Spiezo has only four errors in his last 244 games at first base (1,987 chances, .998 fielding percentage) and Garret Anderson has just three errors his last 300 games in the outfield. Texas: The Rangers used five different pitchers Tuesday, but the quintet combined to end a miserable stretch for the team. The pitchers allowed just two walks in a 2-1 win over the Angels. During a recent 1-9 roadtrip, the Rangers allowed 73 walks and 74 earned runs. ... C Ivan Rodriguez has hit 14 of his 18 homers at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Indians at Twins
Cleveland: OF Milton Bradley was still experiencing pain from a pulled muscle in his left side and was sent back to Cleveland on Wednesday. Coco Crisp replaced him in the lineup in center. Manager Joel Skinner wasn't sure if Bradley would play again before the season ends. "The season's almost over. If he can't play, he can't play,'' he said. ... Skinner said RHP Dave Burba would pitch Saturday against Kansas City for his final start of the season. Burba replaces Jason Davis, who was originally scheduled to pitch against Runelvys Hernandez. Skinner said Davis has pitched enough innings this season and wanted Burba to get in one more start. He hasn't decided who will pitch Sunday against the Royals. ... 1B Jim Thome came into Wednesday's game needing two RBI to tie Nap Lajoie for second place in Cleveland history (917). Earl Averill is Cleveland's all-time RBI-leader with 1,084. Minnesota: OF Jacque Jones, who has been resting with a sprained ankle, again lobbied manager Ron Gardenhire to allow him back into the lineup. "He came in early and was out running around like crazy. He was doing everything and came in and told me, 'I'm in the lineup tomorrow.' And I told him, 'Get out of my office.''' Gardenhire said he was wasn't sure when he would insert Jones back into the lineup. "He feels he's almost there. I still have concerns on this AstroTurf. When he says he's totally ready, I'll give him another day,'' he said. ... The Twins starting rotation is all but set for the playoffs. But Gardenhire said he isn't in any rush to name his seven relievers, although Kyle Lohse is expected to be moved to the bullpen. Gardenhire said he wants to get his relievers as much work as possible before the season ends. "These guys have to pitch. It's very important,'' he said. ... 3B Corey Koskie sat out with a bruised right ankle. Koskie fouled a ball off the ankle against the Indians on Tuesday night.

Red Sox at White Sox
Boston: Manager Grady Little says Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe could each get one more start if the Red Sox somehow stay in the AL wild card race. Boston needed five straight wins and five straight Angels losses to do that. If they are still in contenion, Martinez would pitch Friday. If not, the 20-game winner is done for the season. Lowe, who started Wednesday night, could come back and go Sunday against Tampa Bay. John Burkett is slated to start Thursday against the White Sox if Boston is still in the running. Tim Wakefield is tentatively slated for Saturday. ... Cliff Floyd returned to Boston's lineup Wednesday night after missing Tuesday's game with a strained right ankle. "I'm trying to finish the season strong,'' Floyd said. "We still have a chance. If we were out of it, I probably would not be playing.'' ... if Manny Ramirez passes Mike Sweeney and wins the AL batting title, he would be Boston's third batting champion in four years. Nomar Garciaparra won in 1999 and 2000. The Red Sox have had eight of the last 21 batting champions with Carney Lansford winning in 1981, Wade Boggs in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988 and Garciaparra. Chicago: Manager Jerry Manuel said he'd hold off offering his opinion on whether he'd be OK with Frank Thomas returning to the White Sox next season. Thomas has hit well in September after struggling most of the season. "I'm going to wait on my opinion. ... I'm not ready to give it now,'' Manuel said, adding he would offer it later after the season. "I'll wait until whatever he has to go through,'' Manuel said. Thomas has a diminished-skills clause in his contract that if invoked by owner Jerry Reinsdorf would reduce his base pay to $250,000 and defer most of his $10 million per season salary. Thomas could then opt to become a free agent. ... Thomas was hitting .365 with six homers and 17 RBI in September before Wednesday night. ... Manuel said the White Sox will still discuss whether they will move former closer Keith Foulke into the starting rotation. Manuel was asked about that based on the success of Boston's Derek Lowe, who struggled at times as a reliever and is now a 20-game winner.

Tigers at Royals
Detroit: LHP Jason Jiminez, claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on Tuesday, was expected to arrive in Kansas City in time for Wednesday's game. Kansas City: Dusty Wathan, son of former Royals player and manager John Wathan, made his major league debut Tuesday. He hit an RBI double to right field in his first at bat. He became the 52nd player to play for the Royals in 2002, breaking the club record, reached in 1995, 1997 and 1998. Wathan was the ninth player to make his major league debut for the Royals since Tony Pena became the Royals manager May 15.

Athletics at Mariners
Oakland: Manager Art Howe said before Wednesday night's game that he plans to rest his regulars when his team clinches the AL West title. "Having them fresh for the postseason is the most important thing,'' he said. 3B Eric Chavez is one A's player who has complained of feeling tired. "The sooner we clinch this thing, the sooner we can give some guys some time off,'' Howe said. "But we have to do that first.'' ... Howe hopes LHP Barry Zito's no-decision Tuesday night in the A's 8-7 loss to the Mariners does not cost his ace the Cy Young Award. "I certainly hopes he still gets it because he deserves it,'' Howe said. ... The A's are 30-13 in one-run games. Seattle: Mariners manager Lou Piniella said there's nothing wrong with closer Kazuhiro Sasaki's right elbow. He used LHP Arthur Rhodes and not Sasaki in Tuesday night's game as his closer. "Don't read anything into it,'' he said. "Last night I had Rhodes up three times. If I didn't use him, I couldn't use him at all. The last time he was fully warmed up.'' ... If the Mariners, Boston and Anaheim tie for the AL wild-card berth, the Mariners would have the option of having a bye Monday while Anaheim plays at Boston. Then the Mariners would play at either Boston or Anaheim in a one-game playoff for the right to get into the postseason. "By some chance, you go to Nome, Alaska, to play that game,'' Piniella joked.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Diamondbacks at Cardinals
Arizona: The Diamondbacks had a brief players-only meeting about two hours prior to Wednesday's game. Players wouldn't discuss it, but manager Bob Brenly said the purpose was to pass along Luis Gonzalez's comments that he was with the team in spirit. Gonzalez, Arizona's top power hitter, was lost for the season and the postseason when he suffered a separated shoulder in a 13-1 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night. ... Arizona went 2-7 on its nine-game road trip to San Diego, Colorado and St. Louis, and was swept in consecutive three-game series by the Rockies and Cardinals. ... Brenly learned his team was in the playoffs in a late-night phone call from PR director Mike Swanson, who informed him the Los Angeles Dodgers had lost 1-0 to Colorado. "I was just minding my own business watching an A&E show on Robert E. Lee or something ridiculous,'' Brenly said. "I was mesmerized by Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, I guess.'' St. Louis: Manager Tony La Russa said his rotation for the first two games of the playoffs is set, but after that, it's up for grabs. RHP Matt Morris will start Game 1 and LHP Chuck Finley will start Game 2. Whether Woody Williams pitches Game 3 depends on his health. Williams has been bothered by a rib injury and left his last his last start Friday after just 4 2-3 innings with pain in his ribs. RHP Andy Benes, who has lowered his ERA to 2.93 since a mid-April high of 10.80, could be the fourth pitcher or could replace Williams if he is unable to go. ... 3B Scott Rolen, who has a sprained big toe on his right foot, was back in the lineup Wednesday and hit a three-run homer. But CF Jim Edmonds and 1B Tino Martinez sat out with general soreness. "This is not the time to push guys,'' La Russa said. ... La Russa had no qualms about pitching Garrett Stephenson Wednesday against Schilling, even though Stephenson, out most of the year with injuries, entered the game 1-5 with a 6.08 ERA. "The thing you do is take care of your own club,'' La Russa said. It worked -- Stephenson gave up just one run in five innings and got the win.<

Marlins at Expos
Florida: LF Kevin Millar has reached base in 39 straight games, the second-longest such streak in franchise history according to the Elias Sports Bureau. 2B Luis Castillo reached base in 45 consecutive games earlier this season from Apr. 25-June 21, a streak that included his team-record 35-game hitting streak. Millar is hitting .408 (64-for-157) with 20 doubles, five homers and 22 RBI since Aug. 10, raising his batting average from .255 to .312 over the course of the streak. ... 3B Mike Lowell is hitting .302 (29-for-96) in September. Lowell, who homered twice in Tuesday's 9-6 win for his third career multihomer game, has six doubles, five homers and 18 RBI so far this month. ... At 76-81, The Marlins need to win their last five games for just their second .500-or-better season. Florida finished a franchise-best 92-70 in 1997 to win the NL wild card before going on to beat Cleveland in the World Series. Montreal: RF Vladimir Guerrero needs one more home run to join Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez as the only major leaguers to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in the same season. Guerrero, who has a career-high 40 stolen bases, hit his 39th homer Tuesday for his NL-leading 200th hit of the season. New York's Alfonso Soriano was also one homer short of a 40-40 season through Tuesday. ... SS Orlando Cabrera had two stolen bases in Tuesday's 9-6 loss to tie Tim Raines' team season record of 20 straight successful steals set in 1981. Raines, who is playing his 22nd major league season with Florida, had a team-record 27 consecutive stolen bases from 1979-81. ... CF Endy Chavez brought a 13-game hitting streak into Wednesday night's game. Chavez is hitting .390 (23-for-59) with five doubles, three triples, one homer and seven RBI over the course of the streak.

Mets at Pirates
New York: Tuesday's loss in Pittsburgh assured the Mets of their first losing record since 1996. "Even if we finished over .500 I don't think anybody would be happy,'' RHP Steve Trachsel said. ... RHP David Weathers has a 1-3 career record against the Pirates. He wasn't charged with Tuesday's loss but he did allow two runs to score. "I don't know what it is about Pittsburgh,'' he said. "When they announce my name here, you may as well give me two earned runs and save me the pitches.'' Pittsburgh: The Pirates released their 2003 home schedule on Wednesday. It includes an interleague visit from the Boston Red Sox June 3-5. That will be the first time a Boston franchise has played in Pittsburgh since 1903, when the Boston Pilgrims and Pirates played in the first World Series. The Pirates will also renew their rivalry with the Cleveland Indians with a weekend series June 20-22. The Pirates and Indians did not play this season. The home opener is April 7 against Milwaukee. ... Last year the Pirates raised some ticket prices $1 and $2 after a 100-loss season. With attendance down about 400,000, there is no price increase for 2003. ... C Jason Kendall is having another disappointing season. Some fans have booed and Kendall and his $60 million contract are regular targets for talk show criticism. "I have no problem with that,'' he said. "Point them at me. That way nobody else has to deal with it. I don't care what people say about me -- except my mom.''

Braves at Phillies
Atlanta: 1B Julio Franco was scratched from the lineup because of a sore ring finger. ... Tom Glavine has had just seven runs scored for him in his last five losses dating to Aug. 24. ... Andruw Jones drove in his 90th run on a solo homer in the second inning Wednesday night. He has at least 90 RBI in three straight seasons and four of the last five. ... Kevin Millwood goes for his 18th win Thursday night. He's 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA in four starts against the Phillies this year and 9-5 with a 2.97 ERA in 17 career starts against them. Philadelphia: Manager Larry Bowa hasn't decided who will pitch the regular season finale against Florida. It'll be either Hector Mercado or Eric Junge. The Phillies are seeking consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 19 years. ... Junge's 4 2-3 innings pitched in relief of starter Vicente Padilla on Tuesday night was the most by a Phillies reliever this season. ... Joe Roa will try to beat Atlanta for the first time this season on Thursday night. He's 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA against the Braves in two starts.

Reds at Cubs
Cincinnati: Reliever Scott Sullivan, who will lead the Reds in appearances for a fifth straight season, is likely done for the season because of back spasms. He was working out Sept. 18, a day after he last pitched, when his back locked up. "Which is not conducive for a sidearm pitcher,'' he said. "Physically, I can't throw.'' Sullivan said his back feels much better than it did a week ago, when he could hardly bend over. Sullivan appeared in 71 games for the Reds, pitching 78 2-3 innings. He is 6-5 with a 6.06 ERA and one save. "He's an important guy,'' manager Bob Boone said. "Right now, we've got kind of short-inning starters. We're probably going to be in the same boat next year, so we're going to need a real powerful bullpen and Sully's a big part of that.'' ... Chances are slim the Reds will activate rookie OF Austin Kearns before the season ends. Kearns was hitting .315 with 13 homers and 56 RBI and was in the running for rookie of the year honors before pulling a hamstring Aug. 27. He's been on the disabled list ever since. While Boone thinks Kearns deserves rookie honors, Cincinnati's last five games probably won't determine it. "Pinch-hitting a couple of times isn't going to get him over the hump, I know that,'' Boone said. ... RHP Danny Graves, who has spent most of his career in the bullpen, will make his fourth start Thursday. "I've thought he was a starter for quite a while now,'' Boone said. "I wanted to do it in spring, but I didn't feel like I had the back end covered.'' ... SS Barry Larkin will have surgery Monday for turf toe. He'll be available to pinch-hit in the final five games. Chicago: LF Moises Alou was out of the lineup Wednesday night. He left Tuesday night's game in the second inning with a sore calf. "I don't think there's any way he can play today,'' manager Bruce Kimm said. ... Roosevelt Brown got the start in left, but Kimm has several other options. "For the most part, it really hasn't mattered who we've had in the lineup. We really haven't scored much,'' he said. ... With five games left, the Cubs lead the majors in strikeouts on the mound (1,281) and at the plate (a club-record 1,235). The last major league team to lead both categories in the same year was Boston -- in 1884.

Brewers at Astros
Milwaukee: Despite winning 3-1 over the Astros on Tuesday, the Brewers have not done well when scoring three or fewer runs this season. They are only 8-69 in those contests. ... The Brewers have lost 52 road games, most for the franchise since being in the National League. They are still three road losses from tying the all-time low for the club, which was set in 1970, and have four games at St. Louis to finish the season. Houston: Pitcher Carlos Hernandez had a second opinion on his left shoulder from Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday and it was decided surgery was not needed. He will undergo an aggressive off-season rehabilitation program to strengthen the shoulder, which has been diagnosed as having impingements. ... Home run totals at Minute Maid Park dropped considerably this season with only 155 total -- 86 by the Astros and 69 by opponents -- entering Wednesday's final game. That's compared to 230 total last season and 266 in the first season in the park.

Rockies at Dodgers
Colorado: RHP Denny Stark (11) and RHP Jason Jennings (16) have combined for 27 victories, the most by an NL rookie duo since Tom Browning (20) and Ron Robinson (7) did so for the 1985 Cincinnati Reds. Stark beat the Dodgers 1-0 Tuesday night, while Jennings made his final start of the season Wednesday night. ... Rookie pitchers have combined for 29 of Colorado's 73 victories. ... Colorado's 1-0 win Tuesday night was its seventh such victory in franchise history, making the team 7-3 in 1-0 games all-time. Los Angeles: CF Dave Roberts, who has a partial tear of an internal rib cage muscle, is unlikely to return by the weekend, manager Jim Tracy said. ... Tracy said he'll decide starters for Saturday and Sunday based on whether either game still has meaning for the Dodgers in the NL wild-card race. If the games don't, RHP Andy Ashby won't start Saturday and LHP Odalis Perez won't start Sunday. Ashby still has a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, but Tracy said it's getting better. ... The Dodgers announced their 2003 schedule and it includes interleague series against four AL Central Division teams -- the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City.

Padres at Giants
San Diego: 1B Ryan Klesko entered Wednesday's game needing one double for his sixth 40-double season. Steve Finley was the last Padre to do reach the mark, in 1998. ... Since San Diego went 4-2 at Candlestick Park in its NL championship season of 1998, the Padres were just 8-22 (.267) in San Francisco against the Giants. ... The Padres needed at least one win in their final five road games in order to not match the organization's lowest road-win total in a non-strike year of 24. They entered Wednesday's game 24-52 away from home. ... Wednesday starter Clay Condrey had not allowed a home run in 21 1-3 innings pitched for the Padres. San Francisco: 3B David Bell was named the 2002 "Willie Mac'' award winner, which is voted on by the team for the most inspirational player. It was established in 1980 in honor of Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, who was on hand to congratulate Bell and present him with the award. McCovey played with both Bell's father and grandfather. Bell is in his first season with the Giants after being acquired in the offseason from Seattle. "To win an award that has his name on it means a lot to me,'' an emotional Bell said. "Since I found out I have really thought a lot about this award. There's not an award I'd rather win than one named after Willie. He's such a great player and such a great man.'' He said the honor is a testament to his teammates and how they have accepted him. McCovey said Bell plays a lot like his father. "His grandfather was an outfielder and looked up at a few I hit over the wall,'' McCovey said. ... Manager Dusty Baker hasn't decided on a postseason rotation because there are still questions -- like whether the Giants will play a makeup game in Atlanta on Monday, or will need to play a tiebreaker with the Dodgers on Tuesday. "I don't even know what all the scenarios are,'' Baker said. "It's giving me a headache thinking about it. This is more scenarios than I've ever been involved in.'' It's possible, if the Giants have clinched a playoff spot before Sunday, scheduled Sunday starter Russ Ortiz would not start and would instead possibly pitch the opening playoff game.