MONDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Jamie Moyer Mariners starter pitched his first shutout in nearly four years. IP H R BB 9 5 0 0 Hero of the day SS Cristian Guzman hit a double in the bottom of the 15th inning Monday night, giving the Minnesota Twins a 6-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves in a rematch of their thrilling World Series 11 years ago. Goat of the day Royals reliever Mac Suzuki gave up a whopping seven runs to the Marlins in the 14th inning, allowing Florida to coast to a 15-8 victory. He gave up four hits and walked five in the inning. Injury report Reds OF Ken Griffey Jr. missed his third straight game Monday because of a strained right hamstring. Dodgers starter Kevin Brown is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday at the USC Medical Center to repair an extruded disc in his lower back. It will take several days after the procedure before his playing status might be determined. Blue Jays rookie 3B Eric Hinske missed Monday night's game against the Giants with a slightly pulled left hamstring. Reds starter Carlos Almanzar left Monday's game with a hairline fracture of his right ring finger, and Cincinnati placed him on the 15-day disabled list after the game. Mets reliever David Weathers had to leave Monday night's game after taking a ball off his right shin and later getting tangled up with Mets catcher Vance Wilson. Mets 2B Roberto Alomar sprained his left knee chasing a blooper to shallow right. Alomar stayed in the game and fielded his position in the eighth, but was replaced by Joe McEwing to start the ninth. He's day-to-day. Indians DH Ellis Burks was a late scratch from Monday's lineup with a sore left knee, but he's still expecting to make his first start in the outfield Tuesday. Burks was going to have his left knee drained Monday night. The Cardinals placed CF Jim Edmonds on the 15-day disabled list because of a sprained right wrist. Indians 3B Travis Fryman didn't start for the third straight game because of lower back spasms. Red Sox 2B Rey Sanchez was put on the DL with a right hamstring strain. Boston starter Derek Lowe left after six innings with a 7-2 lead as a precaution because a blister developed on his right thumb. D-Backs 2B Junior Spivey left the game in the sixth after his right hamstring cramped up. He's day-to-day. Streak of the day Red Sox starter Derek Lowe gave up solo homers to Todd Zeile and Bobby Estalella on Monday -- the first home runs he has allowed in 108 innings. Lowe's homerless streak was the longest in the majors since Kevin Brown went 118 innings in 1996-97. Stat of the day Yankees rookie Marcus Thames homered on the first pitch of his major league career Monday night (against Randy Johnson, no less), becoming just the second Yankee in history to go deep in his first at-bat. John Miller did it first in 1966. The last word "I haven't eaten any supper tonight and now I probably won't. I'm too excited." -- Lester Thames, father of Marcus Thames, who expected to talk to his son after Monday's game (see Stat of the day).

INTERLEAGUE
Marlins-Royals
Florida: The Marlins announced rookie left-hander Michael Tejera will start Tuesday against the Royals. It will be his second major league start and his first this season. His other start was Sept. 8 against Los Angeles. ... Infielder Marty Malloy refused an outright assignment to Triple-A Calgary, and after clearing waivers became a free agent Monday. Malloy hit .120, going 3-for-25, in 25 games with the Marlins. ... Luis Castillo, who did not play Sunday, returned to the lineup. Castillo has a 25-game hitting streak, the longest in club history.

Kansas City: Rookie LHP Jeff Affeldt will miss his next start because of a blister on his left index finger. Manager Tony Pena said with off days Thursday and next Monday, the club would go with a four-man rotation. ... Reliever Jason Grimsley threw Monday for the first time since straining his side. Grimsley is one of five Royals on the DL. ... The Royals' past three victories have all been by one run. The last time they won three consecutive one-run decisions was June 9, 10 and 14, 2000.

Reds-Rangers
Cincinnati: OF Ken Griffey Jr. wasn't in the starting lineup for the third straight game because of a strained right hamstring. Manager Bob Boone decided to remain cautious and not use him as a DH. Griffey was injured running out a grounder in Friday night's loss at Anaheim. Boone said Griffey wouldn't return before Wednesday's series finale at Texas or Friday against Pittsburgh after a day off. ... Russell Branyan might not realize he's playing for an NL team yet. For the third straight game since being traded Friday from Cleveland to the Reds, he was the DH.

Texas: Rookie 3B Hank Blalock, the Opening Day starter sent back to the minors after he hit just .200 with one homer the first 32 games, might be out up to three months with an elbow injury. The Rangers were waiting results of an MRI exam on Blalock, who is playing at Triple-A Oklahoma. ... RHP Rudy Seanez, on the DL with tendinitis in his right shoulder, is scheduled to throw Tuesday and Wednesday. He could start a rehab assignment Thursday, and if all goes well, rejoin the Rangers for next week's series at the Chicago Cubs. ... RHP Jay Powell, who signed a $9 million, three-year deal with Texas in the offseason, was in uniform for the first time Monday after being activated from the 60-day disabled list. He was out because of a tendon injury to his right middle finger.

Expos-Tigers
Montreal: Manager Frank Robinson is starting to worry about starter Carl Pavano. Pavano lost his third straight start Sunday, allowing seven runs to the White Sox in 3 1-3 innings. ''You have to show some patience, but how far do you go? Right now my patience is starting to wear thin,'' Robinson said. ... Montreal is playing in Detroit for the first time. The only other meeting between the teams was in 1997, when the Expos swept a three-game series at Olympic Stadium. ... The Expos took LHP Scott Downs off the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Ottawa. Downs had already been with the Lynx while rehabbing his reconstructed left elbow. ... LHP Joey Eischen is facing the Tigers for the first time since he left the Tigers in 1996. Eischen went 1-1 for Detroit as one of the 27 pitchers they used in a 53-109 season.

Detroit: Manager Luis Pujols announced Monday that Steve Sparks will skip his next turn in the rotation, and move to the bullpen. Sparks is 1-3 with an 11.77 ERA in his last six starts. ''I think he's close to figuring it out,'' Pujols said. ''He knows he's going through a tough time, but he's going to come out of it.'' ... 3B Chris Truby returned from a back strain to play against his former teammates, but OF Bobby Higginson (hamstring) is expected to miss the entire series. Utilityman Shane Halter started in left field on Monday.

Dodgers-Devil Rays
Los Angeles: RHP Kevin Brown is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday at the USC Medical Center to repair an extruded disc in his lower back. It will take several days after the procedure before his playing status might be determined. ... RHP Hideo Nomo made his fifth career start against Tampa Bay. It was his first at Tropicana Field. ... LHP Omar Daal will make his first career start against the Devil Rays on Tuesday. The Dodgers' three left-handed starters -- Daal, Kazuhisa Ishii and Odalis Perez -- are 18-6 with a 3.10 ERA in 29 starts. The last time the Dodgers had more wins (34) in a season by left-handed starters was 1986. ... When Tampa Bay manager Hal McRae was asked if he faced 45-year-old LHP Jesse Orosco as a player, he said yes. ''If you didn't play against Orosco, you didn't play,'' McRae said with a smile.

Tampa Bay: LHP Nick Bierbrodt, recovering from gunshot wounds to the right arm and chest, remained in serious but stable condition Monday in a Charleston, S.C. hospital. Doctors hope to move him out of intensive care soon. ... Third base coach Tom Foley missed the game to attend his father's funeral. He is expected to return Wednesday. ... OF prospect Carl Crawford is expected to miss 3-to-4 days after dislocating his right ring finger Sunday playing for Triple-A Durham.

Rockies-Red Sox
Colorado: None of the Rockies' homes were immediately threatened by the wildfire approaching Denver, a team spokesman said. ... 1B Todd Helton entered the game with 13 hits in 29 at-bats and singled twice in his first two plate appearances. ... Although Colorado made its first-ever appearance in Fenway Park, manager Clint Hurdle was the batting practice pitcher for the 1999 All-Star game.

Boston: OF Manny Ramirez took batting practice for the first time since breaking his left index finger on May 11. He could return by the weekend. ... C Jason Varitek stole his first base since the 2000 season. ... 2B Rey Sanchez was put on the DL with a right hamstring strain. INF Juan Diaz was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket. ... Actor Matt Damon threw out the first pitch and then played catch in center field with Johnny Damon during warmups. ... Boston agreed to terms with draft choices: RHPs Chris Smith, Brandon Smith, David Pahucki and Jose Vaquedano; LHP Luis L. Villarreal; INFs Chad Spann, Arian Alcala, Brandon Moss, Gregory Stone and Patrick Boran; OFs Ian Cronkhite, Michael Barclay and Anthony Bianucci, and C James Buckley.

Padres-Orioles
San Diego: Padres manager Bruce Bochy has been doing some sightseeing while in Baltimore. He went to Washington on Monday and planned to visit the Babe Ruth museum and Fort McHenry on Tuesday. ... Padres outfielder Trenidad Hubbard didn't exactly treat his trip to Baltimore as a fond homecoming. Traded from Atlanta to the Orioles in July 2000, Hubbard played in only 31 games with Baltimore before being released. ''It was just a blip on the radar screen,'' he said. ''It was a trade from Atlanta that I didn't really understand. Then when I got here, I didn't really play much.'' ... San Diego needed a win Monday to push its interleague record to .500 (38-39). ... OF Mark Kotsay was seeking to extend his career-best hitting streak to 17 games. He grounded out in his first at-bat.

Baltimore: C Brook Fordyce got a second straight start Monday for the first time since replacing an injured Geronimo Gil for six games April 30-May 5. Fordyce, who started the season in an 0-for-17 funk, has hit safely in six of eight games to raise his batting average to .193. ... The Orioles announced the signing of 19 draft picks in last week's amateur draft, including No. 4 pick Timothy Gilhooley, an outfielder from the University of Pacific. ... OF Gary Matthews Jr. has been nursing a sore right hamstring for the past month, but doesn't want to take an extended rest because he's hitting .296 and getting decent playing time. ''This isn't the time I want to be out of the lineup,'' he said, ''so we'll deal with it.''

Giants-Blue Jays
San Francisco: OF Barry Bonds refused to talk about Roger Clemens, who hit him with a pitch on Sunday. Clemens intimated he would hit Bonds last week. ''I don't want to say anything that I'll regret later on,'' Bonds said. ''It's really none of your business how I really feel.'' Manager Dusty Baker called Clemens ''Roger the Dodger'' after Sunday's game. ''It had nothing to do with him dodging Barry. It had something to do with him dodging,'' Baker said Monday. ''I'm a cheap rapper, but I can rap a little bit.'' ... Bonds put on a show during batting practice, hitting balls off SkyDome's hotel, into the fifth deck, and into the Sightlines restaurant in center field. Chefs were clapping after Bonds hit pitches into the restaurant.

Toronto: Fans booed 1B Carlos Delgado in the third inning after he didn't run out a grounder. ... Manager Carlos Tosca rested OF Jose Cruz Jr. ... 3B Eric Hinske missed the game with a mild left hamstring pull. ... OF Raul Mondesi hit his 13th homer.

Diamondbacks-Yankees
Arizona: Even though his team beat the Yankees in last year's World Series, manager Bob Brenly still felt he had some unfinished business back in the Bronx. ''We've yet to win a ballgame in this park. I want us to get off the schneid at Yankee Stadium,'' he said. Arizona lost the middle three games of the Series in New York, but won all four at home. ... LHP Randy Johnson, Monday night's starter, was 3-0 against the Yankees in last year's World Series. His last victory at Yankee Stadium was July 23, 1991, for Seattle.

New York: LHP Sterling Hitchcock, Monday night's starter, was hoping for a reversal of fortune against Arizona. He began the game with 0-8 record and 5.64 ERA lifetime vs. the Diamondbacks. This was his 10th career start against Arizona. ... LF Shane Spencer started the day in a 3-for-31 slump.

Phillies-Indians
Philadelphia: 3B Scott Rolen's turbulent season with the Philadelphia Phillies reached a low point Monday. The soon-to-be free agent third baseman, who has been at odds with Philadelphia's front office, reacted to a report that said his teammates were tired of his uncertain status. ''I think it is disappointing that it has come to this,'' Rolen said before the Phillies opened a three-game series with the Cleveland Indians. ''I don't know what else to say. I don't think I've done anything wrong.'' Rolen was upset with a story that quoted an anonymous Phillies player as saying ''it's obvious he doesn't want to be here, so it would probably be better that something was done.'' ... The last time the Phillies played a Cleveland team was in 1898 when the Cleveland Spiders were part of the NL. ... Phillies RHP Jose Mesa turned away reporters who were hoping to interview the former Indians closer. Mesa simply wagged his finger and said, ''I don't think so.''

Cleveland: 3B Travis Fryman, bothered by elbow, shoulder and back problems the past two years, reiterated Monday that if his production doesn't improve this season, he would think seriously about making it his last. ''I want to be an asset to the club, I don't want to be a detriment,'' said Fryman, who didn't start for the third straight game because of lower back spasms. "This is major league baseball. You perform or you don't. If you don't, you get out.'' The 33-year-old Fryman, a five-time All-Star, said he first began to contemplate the end of his career in 1999 when a torn ligament in his right knee landed him on the DL for the first time. ... DH Ellis Burks was a late scratch from Monday's lineup with a sore left knee, but he's still expecting to make his first start in the outfield Tuesday. Burks was going to have his left knee drained Monday night. ... The Indians signed three draft picks Monday: LHPs Blake Allen and Jahseam George and C Clayton McCullough. They've signed eight of their 54 picks.

Braves-Twins
The Braves' next two series, at Minnesota and against Boston, are with first-place teams. ... The Braves entered Monday's game against the Twins with a 5½ game lead in the NL East -- their biggest margin since Aug. 1, 2000. ... Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was worried about the Metrodome's dirty white ceiling. ''In order to play baseball, you've got to see it,'' Cox said. ''We'll do the best we can.'' ... CF Andruw Jones has received scores of comparisons to the Twins' Torii Hunter. ''He's great,'' Cox said of Jones. ''But they've got one over there, too. Torii Hunter's a ball of fire right now.'' ... The Braves had their first meeting against Minnesota since the 1991 World Series. There are a handful of holdovers still with the two teams. For the Twins, manager Ron Gardenhire was the third-base coach 11 years ago, current third-base coach Al Newman was a player on the '91 team, and bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek was in the same role then. For the Braves, manager Bobby Cox, pitchers Tom Glavine and John Smoltz and pitching coach Leo Mazzone are still in tact. Terry Pendleton, Atlanta's hitting coach, played for the Braves in the World Series. ... Former catcher Greg Olson, a native of Minnesota who started for the Braves in the '91 series, led a team of little leaguers from Eden Prairie, Minn., to meet Cox and get baseballs autographed before the game. Cox was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing a call with first base umpire Mike Fichter.

Minnesota: LF Jacque Jones was chosen as the AL Player of the Week Monday after batting .538 (14-for-26) with five doubles, a triple, a home run, 10 RBI and seven runs scored. His slugging percentage last week was a robust .923. ... RH reliever Jack Cressend was put on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday, because of a strained rotator cuff. He joins RH starters Brad Radke (pulled groin) and Joe Mays (inflamed elbow) on the DL. ... Because of a stretch of nine straight interleague road games that begins Friday in Milwaukee and requires the pitchers to bat, manager Ron Gardenhire would much rather have an extra position player. The one he wanted was C/1B Matthew LeCroy, who was hitting .385 for Triple-A Edmonton. LeCroy, who batted cleanup Monday against Atlanta, hit .322 in two previous stints with the Twins this year. ... There are 10 former Twins players, managers and executives on the Hall of Fame's list of candidates for the 2003 Veteran's Committee ballot. The players include Tony Oliva, Leo Cardenas, Mike Marshall, Camilo Pascual, Ron Perranoski and Jim Perry. Managers Billy Martin and Gene Mauch and executives Calvin Griffith and Bill Rigney are also on the list.

Mets-White Sox
New York: Hitting coach Dave Engle was fired Monday, becoming the first casualty of the team's poor offensive start. Several Mets players, including 2B Roberto Alomar, are hitting below past levels, and the team ranks near the bottom of the NL in runs scored. ''He doesn't hit,'' Alomar said of Engle. ''It's a sad day because it's not his fault. We still have to go out and hit the ball.'' ... Rey Ordonez has a sore elbow from diving on it, manager Bobby Valentine said, but the shortstop was in the lineup Monday night. CF Roger Cedeno has recovered from a sore knee, and ''other than that, the team's health is good,'' Valentine said. ... On Tuesday morning, a banner recognizing the Brooklyn Cyclones as 2001 co-champions of the Single-A New York-Penn League will be raised at Brooklyn Borough Hall. It marks the first championship for Brooklyn since the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the 1955 World Series. The Cyclones, part of the Mets organization, are managed by former major leaguer Howard Johnson.

Chicago: CF Kenny Lofton was not in the lineup as a precaution to rest his right hamstring, which he tweaked in the fifth inning Sunday. Lofton said he felt OK, and White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said he would be available for pinch-hitting duty. ''He could start if we needed him to,'' Manuel said. ... Royce Clayton, who was supposedly benched Thursday, started at short for the second straight game. Manuel said he was not changing his mind about the shortstop, who is hitting .187 (15-for-83) over his last 27 games entering Monday. Manuel said he is just trying to use all of his players. Jose Valentin, who was supposed to go back to his natural shortstop position, was back at third Monday. Tony Graffanino sat. ... A torrential downpour fell a few hours before the game, and strong winds blew the tarp off the infield and briefly into the air. It happened again about 20 minutes before the scheduled first pitch as lightning, strong winds and more showers sent fans and all pregame participants running for cover.

Pirates-Angels
Pittsburgh: Armando Rios, on the disabled list because of a bruised left knee, strained his right calf Monday night while running the bases in the first game of his rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona and has returned to Pittsburgh. Rios wanted to accompany the team to Anaheim instead of going on the rehab assignment, which has set him back another 7-to-10 days. ''I think in most cases, we're usually right. I mean, I understand the player's point of view, but it's our job to make intelligent decisions about their health,'' manager Lloyd McClendon said. ''This was just a freak accident. Hopefully, we can get him back on the field soon. When he's healthy, he's a productive player -- and we certainly need production in our lineup.'' ... The Pirates entered two games under .500 and just 5½ games out in the NL Central after the seventh 100-loss season in the franchise's 115-year history. ''I'm certainly pleased with our level of play. We've found ways to get it done,'' McClendon said. ''But to be honest, if you told me we'd be 30-32 now after losing Aramis Ramirez for 21-22 games, Brian Giles for the first week of the season and Pokey Reese for two weeks, I would have said you were nuts.'' ... OF Chad Hermansen was hitting .220 over his first 27 games with six homers and 35 strikeouts in 91 at-bats. ''I'm a little concerned about the strikeouts, but I think he is what he is. He's going to be a high strikeout guy with a lot of home runs,'' McClendon said. ''Speed-wise, he can do a lot of things on the basepaths and he plays a solid center field. So I'm just going to let Chad go out every day and just let him play and see what happens.''

Anaheim: LHP Joe Saunders, who signed with the Angels one day after becoming their No.1 draft pick, attended his first game at Edison Field before heading to Class-A Provo (Utah) next week. When told that 14 of the other 19 pitchers the Angels tabbed with their number one pick never threw a pitch in a major league game, Saunders said, ''Yeah, it makes me nervous. I'm nervous right now just being here. But getting drafted by the Angels was awesome. It's a great organization to be with and they have a really good farm system. So I can't be more excited. It's just starting to sink in now.'' ... INF Bengie Gil, who had five hits in his first 25 at-bats since coming off the DL, had a 10-minute discussion with manager Mike Scioscia behind closed doors before the game. Gil singled in his first at-bat. ''Bengie's a guy who's going to be important to us, especially with some of the lefties that we'll be facing,'' Scioscia said. ''We've been trying to reinforce some things with his swing that maybe he got away from last year -- and some things that may have not been locked in for him because of the layoff he had. But if he's swinging the bat the way we know he can, we're going to use him wherever we can.''

Brewers-Athletics
Milwaukee: The Brewers placed RHP Chad Fox and C Paul Bako on the disabled list, acquired C Robert Machado from the Chicago Cubs and purchased the contract of right-hander Jayson Durocher. ... In exchange for Machado, Milwaukee sent minor league infielder Jackson Melian, who was playing at Double-A Huntsville, to the Cubs in the trade Sunday. ... Machado was in the starting lineup against Oakland, wearing No. 30. ... Fox was placed on the DL retroactive to June 8 with a strained right rotator cuff. He is 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA in 4 2-3 innings. ... Bako, who was batting .253 with two home runs and six RBI, dislocated his pinky finger in his right hand in a game against Pittsburgh on Saturday. ... Durocher was 1-0 with two saves and a 2.73 ERA in 20 appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Oakland: The A's were playing the Brewers, who were then in the American League, for the first time since Aug. 17, 1997. In that game, the A's lost to the Brewers 5-2 after the start was delayed for 3 hours, 49 minutes by rain. Matt Stairs, now with the Brewers, was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI for the A's. Oakland won the 1997 season series against Milwaukee 6-5. ... The A's came in leading all-time series against the Brewers 173-154. ... A's starter Cory Lidle's six losses match his career high from each of the last two seasons. ... Since Miguel Tejada took over the No. 3 spot in the batting order May 19, he's hitting .315 with six doubles, six homers 17 RBI and 14 runs scored. He has homered in three of his last four games. ... The A's entered with at least two home runs in 11 of their last 19 games.

Cardinals-Mariners
St. Louis: The Cardinals placed CF Jim Edmonds on the 15-day disabled list because of a sprained right wrist and called up CF So Taguchi from Triple-A Memphis. Taguchi, who was Ichiro Suzuki's teammate with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan for nine seasons, was in the starting lineup for the opener of a three-game series. The move was retroactive to June 1. Edmonds is eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday. Edmonds was injured sliding into home against Pittsburgh on May 31. It's the first time Edmonds, 31, has been on the disabled list since joining the Cardinals in a trade with Anaheim before the 2000 season. Edmonds was second in the NL with a .341 batting average. He has 12 home runs and 36 RBI in 51 games.

Seattle: The Mariners signed seven draft picks, including eighth-round choice LHP Brandon Perry, from Graham, N.C. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Perry was 9-2 with an 0.59 ERA, 153 strikeouts and 31 hits allowed in 71 innings as a senior at Graham High School. OF John Mayberry Jr., son of former major league 1B John Mayberry, was the team's first-round pick. He is unsigned.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cubs-Astros
Chicago: One month in the major leagues for rookie 2B Bobby Hill might be enough for manager Don Baylor to decide he needs more minor league seasoning. Hill made his major league debut May 10 and in 28 games is hitting .176. ''He's getting beat up every day,'' Baylor said. ''There is some doubt in his mind now. He's averaging 3.4 pitches per plate appearance. They are coming right after him.'' Of course, Hill doesn't want to go. ''I can do it at this level,'' he said. ''If I try to do it down there, who am I going to have to work with? Yeah, there's Pat Listach (hitting coach). But I hope it doesn't happen. It's hard to judge somebody on 80 at-bats.''

Houston: Throwing a chair, bats and some other items in the locker room after being benched for a game seems to have been good therapy for RF Richard Hidalgo. He's hit safely in nine of his last 11 games and had six multihit games on the road trip the Astros just completed. Hidalgo raised his average from .249 to .289. ''Yes, I got mad,'' Hidalgo said. ''I wanted to show him that I wanted to be in there. I know I can do better and I've been working on it.''