SUNDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Magglio Ordonez Tied a career high with six RBI as the White Sox bats finally got going. AB H R RBI 5 3 1 6 Hero of the day In a tie game, Royals DH Raul Ibanez led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run into the right-field bullpen to give Kansas City a 3-2 win over St. Louis. He last ended a game with a home run Sept. 26, 1999 against Anaheim. Goat of the day After the Astros scored five runs in the top of the eighth to tie the A's at 6, reliever Octavio Dotel surrendered a solo home run to Miguel Tejada in the bottom of the inning as Oakland beat Houston 7-6. Injury report White Sox OF Kenny Lofton left Sunday's game with a mild right hamstring strain. Lofton beat out a bases-loaded grounder, but slowed down right before reaching first. He gingerly walked with a slight limp off the field after a brief visit from the team trainer. Reds OF Ken Griffey Jr. missed his second straight game because of a strained right hamstring. He hopes to be ready for the series starting Monday night at Texas. ''It felt better today,'' Griffey said. ''I went on the treadmill and did some light running and walking, things like that. Tomorrow we'll see what happens and how I respond.'' Giants 2B Jeff Kent sat out with a sore toe after fouling a pitch from Mariano Rivera off his foot in the ninth inning Saturday. ''It's tough to run,'' manager Dusty Baker said. ''Jeff asked to rest so I knew it was something. He never wants to come out.'' Astros SS Julio Lugo missed his third straight game because of a strained groin, but manager Jimy Williams thinks he'll be back in the lineup soon. ''It's sore, but I don't think it's going to be long,'' he said. Lugo was injured during a ninth-inning rundown play on Wednesday in Arizona. Cardinals OF Jim Edmonds missed his seventh straight game with a sprained right wrist. White Sox C Sandy Alomar Jr. said he has a sore right shoulder and would miss a couple of days. Alomar, who came in as a late-inning replacement Saturday night, said he aggravated an old ailment when he made a throw to second without getting loosened up properly. Astros OF Brian Hunter remained out of the lineup since he jammed his shoulder Wednesday. Indians 3B Travis Fryman missed his second straight game because of lower back spams. Tigers LF Bobby Higginson missed Sunday's game and will likely be out two-to-three more days with a tight left hamstring. "Basically, he's day-to-day for the Montreal series," Detroit manager Luis Pujols said. Tigers 3B Chris Truby didn't play on Sunday -- his second-straight missed game -- because he pulled something in his back or side during batting practice on Saturday. Pujols said that Truby will play Monday against Montreal. Streak of the day For the second straight day, a Red Sox starter suffered his first loss. John Burkett dropped to 7-1 one day after Pedro Martinez fell to the same record. They were the last two unbeaten regular starters in the majors. Stat of the day Angels light-hitting SS David Eckstein hit his third grand slam of the season Sunday, which leads the majors. Eckstein, whose three slams in three months also tie a team record for an entire season, only has four homers on the year. The last word "I've got a lot of respect for Roger (Clemens) as a pitcher. What do they call him, the Rocket? Maybe Roger the Dodger, that's good enough." -- Giants manager Dusty Baker, after Clemens hit Barry Bonds with a pitch and walked him three times Sunday.

INTERLEAGUE
Reds-Angels
Cincinnati: Ken Griffey Jr. missed his second straight game because of a strained right hamstring. He hopes to be ready for the series starting Monday night at Texas, when he is reunited with former Seattle teammate Alex Rodriguez. ''It felt better today,'' Griffey said. ''I went on the treadmill and did some light running and walking, things like that. Tomorrow we'll see what happens and how I respond.'' ... Despite Sunday's 7-4 loss at Anaheim, the Reds remained a game ahead of St. Louis in the NL Central. They have not been out of first place since April 25.

CF Darin Erstad, one of only 15 players in history to get at least 240 hits in one season, was used in the DH role for the second time this year and was 0-for-4. Erstad is hitless in his last 24 at-bats as a DH -- including all 15 last season -- but was 52-for-137 before that (.380). ... SS David Eckstein, who had 41 RBI last season as a rookie, increased his total this year to 30 after hitting his major league-leading third grand slam against Cincinnati's Joey Hamilton. Eckstein became the second player in the Angels' 42-year history to hit three grand slams in one season. The other was Joe Rudi, who did it in 1978 and again in 1979. The only shortstop to hit more than three career grand slams for the Angels was Dick Schofield, who had four over a three-year stretch. ''I don't like it, because there's nobody on base when I come up.'' said Erstad, Anaheim's No. 2 hitter.

Braves-Rangers
Atlanta: 1B Julio Franco made his ninth start in 11 games Sunday night ahead of Wes Helms. The last two starts came against Texas, the team he played for from 1989-93, but not in the same park. The old Arlington Stadium was torn down the year after he left as a free agent. While with the Rangers, Franco made three All-Star teams and won the AL batting title in 1991 with a .341 average. ''Fun place to play. Fun place to hit for people who like hot weather,'' he said. Franco was teammates in Texas with Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez. ... 2B Jessie Garcia, a Texas native, got his second start of the season, batting ninth. ... Gary Sheffield, the DH the first two games of the series, was back in RF on Sunday night and Darren Bragg was the DH.

Texas: LHP John Rocker was recalled Sunday in time for the final game of the series against his former team, Atlanta. Rocker was 0-1 with a 7.53 ERA and one save in 17 relief appearances with the Rangers before he got sent down to Oklahoma for the second time this season on May 21. With the Triple-A team, the reliever was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 8 2-3 innings, striking out 14 and walking two. ... With Saturday night's 6-3, 10 inning loss to Atlanta, the Rangers were 0-7 in extra-inning games. That matched Milwaukee (1-7) for the most extra-inning losses in the majors this season. In those seven losses, the Rangers were outscored 18-3 in the 10 extra innings (four 10-inning games and three 11-inning games).

Phillies-Tigers
Phillies manager Larry Bowa doesn't want to hear anymore about his team's struggles on the road. Philadelphia is 8-22 away from Veterans Stadium. ''I'm trying to get them (the players) to quit talking about it,'' he said. ''I don't want to talk about it. we're just losing a lot of close games. The more you talk about it the worse it gets.'' ... Marlon Anderson has already tied his career high with four triples.

Detroit: LF Bobby Higginson missed Sunday's game and will likely be out two-to-three more days with a tight left hamstring. ''Basically, he's day-to-day for the Montreal series,'' Detroit manager Luis Pujols said. ... 3B Chris Truby didn't play for a second-staright game because he pulled something in his back or side during batting practice on Staurday. Pujols said Truby will play Monday against Montreal.

Padres-Devil Rays
RHP Kevin Jarvis (right elbow strain) is scheduled to pitch Thursday in the Padres exhibition game with their Double-A team in Mobile, Ala. ''Then two rehab starts, and he'll go in about two weeks,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. LHP Kevin Walker (left elbow surgery) is also slated to pitch in the contest. ... Bubba Trammell started in right field. He was the designated hitter Saturday, one day after leaving the game with a tight right hamstring. ... 3B D'Angelo Jimenez went 2-for-14 in the three-game series against Tampa Bay after recording a career-high eight-game hitting streak. The hits came in final his two at-bats Sunday. ... RHP Trevor Hoffman picked up his 329th save. He is one away from tying John Wetteland for seventh place all-time

TAMPA BAY: LHP Nick Bierbrodt, who was shot in the right arm and chest Friday, continues to improve in a Charleston, S.C., hospital. Bierbrodt is listed in serious, but stable condition. He will undergo additional tests Monday, at which time his status will likely be re-evaluated. ... RHP Tanyon Sturtze (0-7), the Devil Rays Opening Day starter, is the only qualifying major league pitcher (minimum one inning pitched per game played) without a victory this season. ''I don't think I've stepped backwards. I don't think I've stepped forward either,'' Sturtze said. ... RF Ben Grieve snapped an 0-for-15 slide with a seventh inning single.

Giants-Yankees
San Francisco: Barry Bonds, often criticized for his attitude, was a big hit with early-arriving fans. He hit three long home to the back row of the bleachers during batting practice and was cheered as he left the cage. Then he greeted fans in the front row by the San Francisco dugout and signed autographs for nearly 10 minutes. ... 2B Jeff Kent sat out with a sore toe after fouling a pitch from Mariano Rivera off his foot in the ninth inning Saturday. ''It's tough to run,'' manager Dusty Baker said. ''Jeff asked to rest so I knew it was something. He never wants to come out.'' ... RHP Russ Ortiz has lasted at least six innings in 11 of his 13 starts this season. ... The Giants are 44-33 in interleague games. ... The Giants have not won a series against the Yankees since the 1922 World Series.

New York: The Yankees placed rookie OF Juan Rivera on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured right kneecap, and closer Mariano Rivera could follow in the next few days because of a strained right groin. The All-Star reliever will miss at least a three-game series against Arizona that begins Monday night. ... The Yankees are 50-37 in interleague play. ... Former OF Paul O'Neill, who retired after last season and is now part of the Yankees' broadcast team, received an enormous ovation when he was shown on the video scoreboard. ... The Yankees have 98 home runs in 63 games. The 1961 team, which set a franchise record with 240 homers, reached 100 in the 70th game of the season.

Rockies-Blue Jays
Colorado: The Rockies were held to three runs and 12 hits in the three-game sweep against Toronto. ... The Rockies went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position in the series. ... Manager Clint Hurdle is 25-16 since taking over for Buddy Bell on April 26. ''He's helped a lot of guys relax,'' Larry Walker said. ''He's got an easy attitude and a lot of the young guys have calmed down.''

Toronto: Starter Luke Prokopec will miss his next start with a sore right elbow. RHP Brandon Lyon will replace Prokopec for Tuesday night's game against San Francisco. ''He has a little bit of stiffness in his elbow,'' Manager Carlos Tosca said of Prokopec. ''We'll back him off from a start and go from there.'' Prokopec said his two-seam fastball has caused the stiffness. ''I'm trying to force movement with it instead of throwing it relaxed,'' Prokopec said. ... The three-game sweep was the third of the season for Toronto.

Dodgers-Orioles
Los Angeles: RHP Odalis Perez has pitched at least eight innings in six of his 13 starts this year. ... RHP Eric Gagne picked up his major league-leading 21st save Sunday, but his streak of 13 consecutive batters retired, dating to May 29, was ended by pinch-hitter Gary Matthews' leadoff double in the ninth. ... Before going 2-for-2 Sunday, OF Brian Jordan was0-for-10 lifetime against Orioles starter Sidney Ponson. ... The Dodgers hit into two double plays and have a major league-high 69.

Baltimore: Sunday's game was the first since May 12 that neither the Orioles or their opponents hit a home run. ... The Orioles left only eight men on base in the three-game series against the Dodgers. ... Baltimore has drawn 980,034 to Camden Yards this season, and should eclipse the 1,000,000-fan plateau Monday night against San Diego ... 3B Tony Batista has made 10 errors, twice as many as anyone else on the Orioles. All his errors have come in the last 35 games. ... Despite Matthews' pinch-hit double Sunday, Baltimore pinch-hitters are only 3-for-17 this season.

Astros-Athletics
Houston: SS Julio Lugo missed his third straight game because of a strained groin, but Astros manager Jimy Williams thinks he'll be back in the lineup soon. ''It's sore, but I don't think it's going to be long,'' he said. Lugo was injured during a ninth-inning rundown play on Wednesday in Arizona. ... 1B Jeff Bagwell served as the team's DH all three games in Oakland. He said he'd rather be playing first, but understands the need to take time off as he continues to recover from offseason right shoulder surgery. ''It does get frustrating,'' Bagwell said. ''I like to be able to play defense, but I'm a realist. Sometimes I feel I'm not able to do the things I'm supposed to do. I know it's going to get better.'' ... OF Brian Hunter remained out of the lineup since he jammed his shoulder Wednesday.

Oakland; 2B Randy Velarde will have X-rays taken on his left wrist on Monday. It's the same wrist that was hit on opening day and forced him to the disabled list until May 4. ''If he takes a turn for the worse, we'll do something then,'' A's trainer Larry Davis said. ''The initial test indicates that there doesn't appear to be a fracture.'' ... 2B Mark Ellis made his second straight start in Velarde's place. It's Ellis' third career major league start. ''It's a little more of an opportunity this time,'' said Ellis. ... Hitting coach Thad Bosley missed his third game to attend his grandfather's funeral in Arkansas. ... The A's have not made an error in seven straight games, their longest such streak since an 11-game stretch in August of 1999.

Marlins-Twins
Florida: Manager Jeff Torborg gave the day off to Luis Castillo, who has a major league-leading 25-game hitting streak. It's the second-longest streak in the majors over the last three seasons behind Texas' Gabe Kapler's 28-game string from July 17-August 15, 2000. ... Florida improved its all-time interleague record to 52-35, the best winning percentage (.598) in the majors.

Minnesota: Rick Reed had faced 119 consecutive batters without issuing a walk, dating back to May 6 and covering seven games, before Cliff Floyd walked on a 3-2 pitch in the third inning... Reed has now allowed 17 home runs, second most in the majors behind Anaheim's Ramon Ortiz (18). ... The Twins placed RHP Jack Cressend on the 15-day disabled list with a strained rotator cuff. He was 0-1 with a 5.91 ERA in 23 appearances. C Matthew LeCroy was called up from Triple-A Edmonton.

Diamondbacks-Red Sox
Arizona: Luis Gonzalez's two RBI gave him 22 in his last 26 starts and at least one in each of his last six games. ... Tony Womack stole his 10th base, the seventh straight year he has reached double figures. ... Mark Grace's 498th double moved him within nine of tying Rickey Henderson, now with the Red Sox, for third place among active players. ... Junior Spivey became the first Red Sox opponent to hit an inside-the-park home run at Fenway Park since Junior Felix on June 2, 1989, for Toronto. It was a grand slam off Bob Stanley.

Boston: The only other time the Red Sox were swept at home in interleague play was in August 1997 against the Atlanta Braves. ... Trot Nixon continues to struggle, going 0-for-4. He is 11-for-70 since returning from his suspension for releasing his bat toward Tampa Bay pitcher Ryan Rupe on May 5. His batting average fell to .240. He also let a ball get by him in right field and made a catch while colliding with CF Johnny Damon. ... John Burkett has allowed two walks or less in each of his 10 starts.

Mets-Indians
New York: When manager Bobby Valentine sent three straight pinch-hitters to the plate in the seventh inning Saturday and reshuffled his lineup, 1B Mo Vaughn was in the leadoff spot for just the second time in 5,130 at-bats. ... 2B Roberto Alomar went 6-for-13 but grounded into two double plays in his first series back in Cleveland since being traded. He's hitting .316 (49-for-155) in his last 15 games.

3B Travis Fryman missed his second straight game because of lower back spams. The 33-year-old Fryman, who had shoulder surgery in December, has had back problems for the past three years. He's also been playing with a partially torn elbow ligament for two seasons. Fryman is batting just .213 this season and has told manager Charlie Manuel that he has considered retiring after this season if his performance doesn't get better. ''I know the last couple of years have been hard on him,'' Manuel said. ''But I think he's going to wind up having a pretty good year for us.'' The Indians have a $6 million option on Fryman for 2003. ... John McDonald made his first career start at third on Sunday, and picked up his second RBI with a single in the fourth. ... RHP Ryan Drese has won four of his last five decisions and leads AL rookies with 52 strikeouts.

Expos-White Sox
Montreal: Manager Frank Robinson said he was not about to make any rash judgments on starter Carl Pavano, who dropped to 3-8. Pavano has a 6.99 ERA in his last six starts. ''Pavano out of the rotation? I don't make those kinds of decisions right after a game, but it is certainly something we have to take a look at,'' Robinson said.

Chicago: Closer Keith Foulke is 0-4 with a 5.26 ERA after giving up a game-deciding homer to Vladimir Guerrero on Saturday. ''(Closing games) is what they pay me to do,'' he said. ''After the game last night, there were some things that I needed to think about, and that's kind of my business. I don't really feel like sharing them one bit.'' ... C Sandy Alomar Jr. said he has a sore right shoulder and would miss a couple of days. Alomar, who came in as a late-inning replacement Saturday night, said he aggravated an old ailment when he made a throw to second without getting loosened up properly. ... Chicago's No. 1 pick in Tuesday's first-year player draft, LHP Royce Ring, visited Comiskey and signed a contract Sunday. ''I signed quickly because I wasn't looking to make a record-breaking deal or anything. I just want to play ball and show people what I can do,'' said Ring, who was not sure when or where he would be assigned. ... Buehrle's last six starts have come at Comiskey Park, and his next scheduled start would also be in Chicago -- on Saturday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Cardinals-Royals
St. Louis: Umpire Derryl Cousins, who removed himself from Saturday night's game after being hit on the right hand by a foul tip, was the third-base umpire on Sunday. ... St. Louis OF Jim Edmonds missed his seventh straight game with a sprained right wrist. ... Cardinals starter Jason Simontacchi took a no-decision, leaving after 5½ innings with the score tied at 2. Simontacchi is trying to become the first Cardinals rookie since Rene Arocha in 1993 to win his first five decisions.

Kansas City: The Royals announced the signings of three draft picks on Sunday: LHP Daniel Christensen (fourth round), RHP Stephen Chamberlain (14th) and SS Eric Lonquist (34th). ... The three-game weekend series drew an announced attendance of 101,115. ... Two wild pitches by starter Miguel Asencio gave Kansas City 29 this season, the most in the American League. ... Asencio's seven-inning outing in his fourth start was his longest of the season. He has also made 10 relief appearances. ... Kansas City is now 2-2 this year in games tied after eight innings.

Cubs-Mariners
Chicago: The Cubs traded C Robert Machado to Milwaukee for minor league OF Jackson Melian. Machado did not play in Sunday's game. He hit .276 with one homer and five RBI in 58 at-bats this season. Melian, 22, began the day hitting .223 with six homers, 24 RBI and 10 stolen bases for Double-A Huntsville. He was assigned to Double-A West Tenn.

Seattle: DH Edgar Martinez, who is on the 60-day DL, left during the game to go to Peoria, Ariz., for a rehabilitation assignment at extended spring training. Martinez, 39, had surgery April 13 to remove a rupture tendon behind his left knee. If everything goes well for Martinez in Arizona, the Mariners plan to activate him Friday in San Diego. ... Carlos Guillen was back in the lineup as their DH after missing eight games with a bruised left ring finger that he sustained when he was hit by a pitch while attempting to bunt May 31 in Baltimore. Guillen went 0-for-4.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Brewers-Pirates
Milwaukee: Starter Jamey Wright has a 7-26 career record against NL Central teams after Sunday's loss in Pittsburgh. ... Reliever Jose Cabrera, who gave up Pokey Reese's tiebreaking homer on Sunday, has allowed 10 home runs in 40 1-3 innings. ... 1B Richie Sexson had one hit in 12 at-bats over the weekend in Pittsburgh. The hit was his 16th home run. ... Wright lobbied to stay in the game Sunday but didn't see that manager Jerry Royster had already signaled for Cabrera in the eighth inning. Said Wright, ''I told him, 'I got this guy, I got this hitter.' He said, 'Well, unless the umpire lets me send him back, he's in the game.'''

Pittsburgh: The Pirates' first visit to Anaheim has some meaning for RF Craig Wilson. He grew up in that area and was an Angels fan whose favorite player was Wally Joyner. ... The Pirates were 8-7 against the American League last year, their first winning record since interleague play started in 1997. ... LHP Scott Sauerbeck, who picked up the win in Sunday's game, has made eight appearances without allowing a run. That covers eight innings. ... After allowing two earned runs over four starts (28 2-3 innings), RHP Kip Wells has allowed three runs in each of his last two starts (11 innings).