SATURDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Mark Buehrle Allowed only three hits in eight innings in the White Sox's win over the Tigers. IP H BB SO 8 3 0 3 Hero of the day Al Martin's single with one out in the ninth inning knocked in the winning run in the Devil Rays' 6-5 win over the Yankees. Goat of the day The Braves' Greg Maddux continues to struggle this season, surrendering nine runs in two innings in the Marlins' 17-1 victory. Injuries Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. dislocated his right shoulder in the eighth inning and left the game. X-rays found no break and Griffey will be examined again Sunday. Phillies starter Kevin Millwood was forced to leave the game in the third inning with a strained right groin. Millwood expects to make Thursday's start. Angels starter Jarrod Washburn left with two outs in the seventh inning after being hit by a line drive in the arm. Washburn is expected to make his next start. Indians starter C.C. Sabathia hyperextended his left elbow on a pitch with two outs in the seventh inning. He will be examined Sunday, but Sabathia expects to make his next start. Tigers outfielder Hiram Bochachia was scratched with flu-like symptoms. Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy missed his second straight start with a bruised hamstring. He came into the game in the eighth inning. Stat of the day After having baseball's best record in spring training, the Royals are 5-0 for the first time in team history. The last word "I think we spoiled everybody, including ourselves. We're not going to win every game. There's going to be some games that are going to hurt like this one because you had a lead." -- Yankees manager Joe Torre, whose team lost 6-5 to the Devil Rays.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Mariners at Rangers
Seattle: C Dan Wilson rejoined the Mariners on Saturday, but wasn't taken off the disabled list even though he was eligible for activation. He instead worked out and the team will see how he feels Sunday. Wilson started the season on the 15-day DL because of a strained oblique muscle in his left side. He didn't get any at-bats during spring training and caught just two games at Double-A San Antonio. ... RHP Kazuhiro Sasaki on Friday became the 19th AL pitcher to strike out four batters in an inning. He was the first to record a save with a four-strikeout inning. Only two other four-strikeout innings came in the ninth, the last by Boston's Tim Wakefield in a win on Aug. 10, 1999. Texas: The last three AL pitchers to strike out four batters in an inning did it against the Rangers, the latest Seattle's Kazuhiro Sasaki in the ninth inning Friday. Cleveland's Chuck Finley struck out four in the third on April 16, 2000, and Oakland's Erik Hiljus in the seventh on June 30, 2001. ... Rookie Mark Teixeira got his first career start at first base on Saturday night. Teixeira was drafted as a third baseman out of Georgia Tech, but the Rangers also see him as a possible first baseman, a position at which he worked out some in spring training. Regular 1B Rafael Palmeiro was the designated hitter and second-year player Hank Blalock started at third. Teixeira has had two other starts, one at third and another as DH.

Red Sox at Orioles
Boston: RHP Chad Fox has been charged with both Red Sox losses. ... Of Boston's first six games, all but Thursday's 14-5 win at Tampa Bay have gone down to the final pitch. ... LF Manny Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 19 games Saturday, including the final 13 games of 2002. His career best is 20 games in 2000 with Cleveland. ... 2B Todd Walker has hit .370 (20-for-54) in 15 career games in Baltimore ... Grady Little needs three wins for 100 as Red Sox manager. ... RHP Pedro Martinez has an 0.60 ERA in two starts but is still winless. Baltimore: DH David Segui, who broke his right thumb March 12, went 1-for-3 in his season debut. He was activated from the 15-day disabled list late Friday night. ... RHP Rick Bauer hasn't allowed a hit in four innings this season. ... 2B Jerry Hairston's triple was the Orioles' first of the year. Hairston is .368 (7-for-19) lifetime against Boston ace Pedro Martinez, with two doubles and a triple. ... RHP Pat Hentgen's relief appearance Friday was his first since April 14, 1993, with Toronto. He made 265 starts in-between ... OF Marty Cordova is day-to-day with a lower back strain. ... RHP Jorge Julio's save opportunity Saturday was Baltimore's first since Aug. 23, 2002. Julio's last save came on Aug. 15.

Yankees at Devil Rays
New York: Closer Mariano Rivera (right groin strain) threw 35 pitches in batting practice at the team's minor league complex in Tampa. "I'm feeling really good,'' Rivera said. The right-hander is scheduled to pitch one inning in an extended spring training game next Wednesday and should rejoin the Yankees later this month. ... 2B Alfonso Soriano has put his shoulder injury from spring training behind. He has hit safely in the Yankees' first five games. "I was thinking too much about my shoulder,'' Soriano said. "My shoulder is OK. I don't have to think about my shoulder.'' ... Moments after going 4-for-5 in Friday night's 12-2 win at Tampa Bay, RF Raul Mondesi was working on his hitting with Yankees' special adviser Reggie Jackson in the clubhouse. ... Jackson and manager Joe Torre spent part of batting practice signing autographs down the third-base line. ... Backup C John Flaherty is scheduled to make his first start Sunday. He'll catch RHP Roger Clemens, who will be looking his 295th career win. Tampa Bay: Yankees manager Joe Torre believes manager Lou Piniella's knowledge and passion for baseball will help turn the Devil Rays around, but there will be difficult days. "While getting there, you're going to have people take some lumps,'' Torre said. "That's all part of it.'' ... SS B.J. Upton, taken second overall in last June's amateur draft, tripled for his pro hit in the third inning of Class-A Charleston's game Friday night against South Georgia. ... Piniella is considering moving 3B Aubrey Huff to right field. There's no timetable for a decision. The plan is to work with him for a while and determine if he's comfortable playing the outfield. If he does make the switch, Damion Easley likely would move from second to third base.

Blue Jays at Twins
Toronto: Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay started Saturday with a chance to make up for his struggles on opening day. He gave up eight runs in 5 1-3 innings against the Yankees. Manager Carlos Tosca wasn't worried, though, about Halladay, who went 9-1 on the road last year. "The only thing he didn't have was a good sinker,'' Tosca said. Halladay was itching to get back out on the mound again. "That's one of the plights of being a starting pitcher,'' Tosca said. "You have to wait before you go out and pitch again.'' ... As the only other team in the American League that still plays on AstroTurf, Toronto might seem to have a better time adjusting to the Metrodome than most clubs, but Tosca wasn't sure that's the case. "This is a tough place to play,'' he said. "The turf is faster than our turf. You can lose the ball a lot easier here.'' ... C Ken Huckaby was one of four new faces in the Jays' lineup Saturday after Friday's 7-2 win. This was Huckaby's first appearance since he went 0-for-3 on opening day and collided with Derek Jeter's shoulder on a play at third base. Minnesota: RHP Mike Fetters reaggravated a hamstring pull he had in spring training and probably won't be available for another four or five days. The Twins are off on Tuesday. ... 3B Corey Koskie told manager Ron Gardenhire he was feeling a lot better Saturday and was back in the lineup after missing Friday's game with flu-like symptoms. He might've eaten some bad food, possibly on the flight back from Detroit. "I have no idea what he eats,'' Gardenhire said. "I'm not getting on airline food. I enjoy it. We eat it enough.'' ... LHP Eric Milton, who had knee surgery last month and isn't expected back until at least after the All-Star break, has shed his crutches. He's still walking with a limp, but Gardenhire was encouraged. "He looks fantastic from everything he's been through. He knows it's going to be a hard road for him. But he's a competitor.'' ... 2B Luis Rivas, who's made an error and a baserunning blunder and has just two hits in 10 at-bats, was given Saturday off in favor of Denny Hocking. But Gardenhire thought Rivas swung the bat better in Friday's loss to Toronto. "Denny needs to get in the ballgame,'' Gardenhire said.

Indians at Royals
Cleveland: Jason Bere, who went on the disabled list Friday, is expected to be out at least a month with a strained right rotator cuff. ... Jake Westbrook, 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA in spring training while holding opposing batters to a .196 average, will replace Bere in the rotation and start Sunday. ... The Indians dropped to 78-101 at Kauffman Stadium, where they have lost nine of their past 12 games. Kansas City: James Baldwin, who pulled an oblique muscle on March 18 while pitching in a spring training "B'' game against Texas, threw five minutes off a mound Saturday, his first time throwing off a mound time since the injury. ... Royals starting pitchers have a 2.37 ERA ... OF Dee Brown missed his second straight game with a sore right elbow after being hit by a pitch Thursday. ... Kyle Snyder and Zack Greinke, two former first-round draft picks, pitched well in their 2003 debuts in the minors. Synder threw six shutout innings, allowing four hits, walking none and striking out two, in Triple-A Omaha's 8-1 win over New Orleans. Greinke, the sixth overall pick in the 2002 draft, pitched five shutout innings, giving up three hits, walking none and striking out four in Class A Wilmington's 3-1 victory over Myrtle Beach.

Angels at Athletics
Anaheim: 2B Adam Kennedy did not start for the second straight game because of a severely bruised right hamstring that he hurt in a collision with Tim Salmon on Ruben Sierra's shallow flyball against Texas on Wednesday. ... After getting no hits from the bottom five batters in the order in Friday's 7-3 loss, the Angels managed just two hits among their last four hitters Saturday. ... Starting LHP Jarrod Washburn was hit by Mark Ellis' line drive in the upper area of his left arm with two outs in the seventh. Washburn immediately retired from the game with a contusion that wasn't considered serious. He is expected to make his next start. It was particularly scary because Washburn sprained his left shoulder when he landed hard on it during a pitching drill at spring training and only made two exhibition starts. "It could have been worse, it could have hit my elbow,'' he said. "I know it's going to be sore but it's just going to be a bruise. I threw well. I made a couple mistakes but overall I was happy with it. I'm not happy that I didn't win.'' Oakland: Eric Byrnes started in CF in place of Chris Singleton, and Adam Piatt got a rare start in LF. Piatt homered and doubled and made an athletic, running catch in the second on a hard-hit ball by David Eckstein. ... After two flyouts, Erubiel Durazo drove in his 11th run of the season with a seventh-inning double. Durazo, the regular designated hitter, started at first base for the second straight day while Scott Hatteberg nurses a sprained right ankle. Hatteberg came in to play first in the eighth after pinch-hitting in the seventh. Durazo is hitting .400 (6-for-15) in his first five games. ... After a shaky spring, starting LHP John Halama didn't allow an earned run in 5 2-3 inning. He improved to 8-1 in his career against the Angels. The wins are his most against any team. "I don't know what the reason is,'' he said. "No idea.''

Tigers at White Sox
Detroit: Alan Trammell promises to keep an upbeat attitude, despite the early woes that look very similar to a year ago when Detroit started 0-11. "Sometimes you have to go through some tough times. I don't like losing any game. But I'm not going to hide,'' Trammell said after Saturday's 7-0 loss, the Tigers' fifth straight to start the season. "Our job is to pump them up a little bit.'' The Tigers just can't hit right now. Blame it on their offense, good pitching by the opposition or cold weather, but four runs in five games and just 16 hits don't cut it. "It's obvious we're not going to the plate with a lot of confidence right now,'' Trammel said. "What will change it, I'm not sure, but probably when we start to get a few hits. Things are magnified because it's the beginning of the year and it's because the team has gotten off to another poor start.'' ... Shane Halter had one of the three hits off Mark Buehrle and has experienced great success against Chicago's young left-hander. Halter is now 11-for-28 (.393) in his career against Buehrle. ... Hiram Bochachia was a late scratch because of flu-like symptoms and was replaced in center by Gene Kingsale. Chicago: Manager Jerry Manuel says adjusting to the cold weather is part of playing in Chicago. "You can't envision sunny days,'' he said, adding that players have to get their gloves and long underwear ready for the first couple of weeks. "It's a deterrent to some players. But it's still baseball.'' ... Since making four errors Thursday in losing a third straight game at Kansas City, the White Sox have played errorless ball the last two. Even though they didn't take batting practice in the cold Saturday, they did work on their fielding. ... Mark Buehrle's win was the 40th of his young career. He's entering just his third full major league season. He retired the side in order five times Saturday. ... The White Sox are 36-16 against Detroit since the start of the 2000 season. ... Frank Thomas' homer was the 377th of his career, moving him into a tie with Norm Cash for 49th place.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pirates at Phillies
Pittsburgh: The Pirates' bullpen allowed six runs Saturday after not giving up any in 11 innings over the first four games. ... RF Reggie Sanders got Saturday off, even though he had four homers and 11 RBIs in the first four games. SS Jack Wilson also didn't play after fouling a ball off his foot Friday. ... RHP Kris Benson (1-0) makes his second start Sunday. He didn't allow an earned run in 6 1-3 innings in a season-opening 10-1 victory over the Reds. ... Aramis Ramirez hit his first triple Saturday since Aug. 23, 2000. ... Saturday's 16-1 loss to the Phillies was the Pirates' most lopsided since St. Louis beat them 19-4 on May 20, 2000. Philadelphia: Jim Thome has reached safely in 60 straight games, dating to last season. It's the longest streak in the major since Mark McGwire reached in 62 straight for Oakland in 1995-96. ... Ricky Ledee got his first start of the season, playing center field instead of rookie Marlon Byrd. Ledee went 1-for-2. ... Eight Phillies alumni, including Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning, will meet and greet fans at the stadium gates before Sunday's game. ... Brett Myers makes his season debut Sunday. The former first-round pick was 4-5 with a 4.25 ERA in 12 starts last season.

Giants at Brewers
San Francisco: OF Barry Bonds saluted Sammy Sosa's 500th home run Friday night in Cincinnati and then warned that more homers for the Chicago Cubs slugger might be on the way. "Sammy may have one of those years,'' Bonds said. "Once I hit 500, you know, I boomed. So, this might have relaxed him just enough to where he might hit 80 home runs this year. You don't know.'' ... LHP Kirk Rueter makes his second start of the season in the series finale Sunday against the Brewers. He had a no-decision, leaving after five innings and allowing five hits, two runs and two walks in his first career opening-day start March 31 in San Diego. ... The Giants' bullpen had held the opposition scoreless for 14 2-3 innings before Felix Rodriguez allowed a two-out RBI single to Wes Helms in the eighth. Milwaukee: 2B Eric Young and 1B Richie Sexson each hit solo home runs in Saturday's game against the Giants, giving Milwaukee 12 homers in their first five games. ... Workers spread salt outside Miller Park before the game to counter the lingering effects of the freezing mist that blanked southeastern Wisconsin on Friday night. The gametime temperature was 27 degrees outside and 61 degrees inside for the 16,255 spectators. ... The last time Milwaukee opened 0-5 was the 1984 season.

Diamondbacks at Rockies
Arizona: Randy Johnson's 10 strikeouts on Saturday marked his 187th career double-digit strikeout game, second only to Nolan Ryan (215). ... Johnson experienced cramping in his left thumb, a condition he has had before. Manager Bob Brenly said it had nothing to do with Johnson's performance or his removal from the game after six innings and 95 pitches. "It's been a recurring theme for the last couple of years,'' Brenly said. "He's had it several times. There is really no rhyme or reason when it happens. It wasn't a determining factor in taking him out of the ballgame. He was spent. He was extremely dominant today and had good command of all of his pitches. That's about as good as he can get.'' ... C Chad Moeller went 3-for-4 and is hitting .444. ... Brenly was pleased to see Byung-Hyun Kim use his changeup to left-handed hitters Friday. "Hopefully, the success he had with the changeup will give him the confidence to use it more to left-handed hitters,'' Brenly said. Colorado: Jose Hernandez's homer off Randy Johnson was just his third hit in 24 career at-bats against the Arizona ace. ... Dating to last season, the Rockies have won five consecutive home games, all against Arizona. Overall, they have beaten Arizona in six straight games at Coors Field. ... Steve Reed picked up his first win in a Rockies uniform since Aug. 23, 1997. ... Ronnie Belliard's pinch-hit single in the ninth was the Rockies' first pinch-hit of the season. They had been 0-for-10. ... Belliard injured his right knee when hit by baserunner David Dellucci while turning a double play in the 10th. After being attended to on the field, he walked off, and manager Clint Hurdle said he believed his second baseman would be OK. ... On several occasions this season, Hurdle hopes to use a former New York Mets pitcher to throw batting practice and simulate Johnson before the Rockies face the Arizona ace. Eric Hillman is a 6-foot-10 left-hander, like Johnson. Hurdle got to know him when both were in the Mets organization. "Randy Johnson's release point is an abnormality,'' Hurdle said. "Hillman is about as close as you can get to Randy Johnson. He'll give us that look, and he throws pretty good BP. I'm a firm believer in utilizing all the tools that are available to you.'' Hillman lives in Denver. ... Hurdle said Nelson Cruz, a reliever who got a start on Thursday because of injuries and earned the Rockies first win, will get at least one more start.

Expos at Mets
Montreal: After scoring 17 runs in a three-game sweep in Atlanta, the Expos have been held to one in two losses to the Mets. David Cone and Tom Glavine have shut down the aggressive Expos in the first two games. "We faced two veteran pitchers who used our aggressiveness against us,'' catcher Michael Barrett said. "We're a young club and we like to go up there and swing.'' ... RHP Tony Armas Jr. allowed three runs in five innings to fall to 5-3 in his career against the Mets. Armas beat New York three times last season and more times than any other team in his career. Armas 29 ... INF Jose Macias will begin serving his two-game suspension for his role in a bench-clearing spring brawl on Sunday. New York: C Mike Piazza will return from his four-game suspension Sunday. Piazza has been watching the games from home and working out to stay in shape. "I caught bullpen sessions the last three days and I've been hitting every day, more than when I'm playing,'' he said. "The toughest thing is my timing. I was swinging the bat well the last week in spring training and had a few good swings on opening day. It's frustrating.'' ... 1B Mo Vaughn left after three innings with a a minor strain to his right hip flexor. "I just tweaked it,'' Vaughn said. "I didn't want to do any more damage. I should be back in the lineup tomorrow.'' ... RHP Jae Seo will make his first career start Sunday. Seo, who pitched a hitless inning of relief last July, earned a spot in the rotation this spring. "He was impressive in workouts early on and then went out and competed and showed the arm strength he was lacking the last couple years,'' manager Art Howe said. "He's able to throw strikes on all his pitches and spot the ball well.''

Cubs at Reds
Chicago: A day after hitting his 500th home run, Chicago's Sammy Sosa was 1-for-3 with three walks. "I don't want to get caught up in 500. It's not an end in my career. I have to let it go. After the season I'm going to celebrate the way I want, but right now it's just the fourth game of the season,'' he said. ... Paul Bako had a career-high six RBIs. His previous best was four on July 25, 2001, also against the Reds. Bako's four hits tied his career high. Cincinnati: The visitors keep winning at Great American Ball Park. The Reds had their fifth straight loss on Saturday, after they were defeated by the Cubs 9-7.

Marlins at Braves
Florida: The Marlins, who were 8-11 vs. the Braves last season (5-5 at home and 3-6 at Turner Field), have never won a season series in Atlanta. ... The Marlins tied a franchise record Friday night by hitting four home runs in the 12-7 loss. It was the 19th time they had done it. The last was Sept. 24, 2002. ... Juan Encarnacion, Alex Gonzalez and Mike Lowell homered each homered Thursday and Friday night, the first time in franchise history that the same three players had homered in consecutive games. ... OF Todd Hollandsworth had his 57-game errorless streak end Friday night, his first miscue since July 12, 2002. Atlanta: 3B Vinny Castilla, who went 6-for-55 (.109) last April at Turner Field, is hitting .500 (8-for-16) in his first four games this season at home. ... John Smoltz got his first save of the season Friday night, his 17th straight since last Aug. 8. The Braves have won the last 50 games in which he's appeared. ... Left-hander Mike Hampton, on the DL with a strained right calf, played catch before Saturday's game. If he feels all right Sunday, he'll throw off the mound. Hampton is eligible to come off the 15-day DL on April 12, but it's unlikely that he'll be ready by then.

Astros at Cardinals
Houston: RHP Tim Redding made his first start since July 21, 2002, and allowed one run in seven inning, tying for the longest outing of his career. The last time he went seven innings was May 24, 2002, against the Cubs. ... Brad Ausmus had a two-homer game on Friday after not hitting a long ball in 113 at-bats. ... Craig Biggio needs four homers to join Jeff Bagwell (382) and Jimmy Wynn (223) as the only players in franchise history to hit 200 homers. ... Astros' starters have worked 26 1-3 innings the first five games, and the relievers have gone 21 1-3.

St. Louis: Mike Matheny and Scott Rolen have hit safely in the first five games and reserve Orlando Palmeiro has hit in all four games he's played. Matheny, a career .235 hitter, is 10-for-20 and Rolen is 6-for-17 with one home run and six RBIs, tied for the team lead with Albert Pujols. Palmeiro is 5-for-8. ... Manager Tony La Russa wasn't second-guessing himself for removing Matt Morris after eight shutout innings and 103 pitches Saturday. He also resisted using LHP Steve Kline for a third straight day. "This is April, this is not the time to push it,'' La Russa said. "The wins are important, but I don't think it's a good time to throw Matt 125-130 pitches and I don't think using Kline three days in a row is smart.'' ... After piling up 51 hits in the first four games, reaching double figures each time, the Cardinals were held to seven on Saturday. ... RHP Matt Morris, who allowed three hits in eight scoreless innings on Saturday, lost in consecutive starts to the Astros last September.

Dodgers at Padres
Los Angeles: Hideo Nomo made his 250th major league start Saturday night and was seeking his 100th career victory. ... Fred McGriff hit his first home run as a Dodger on Friday night and 479th of his career. It was the 340th different big league pitcher he has homered against.

San Diego: Padres starter Clay Condrey was forced to leave Friday night's game after five innings because of a slight strain in his right hip flexor and groin. "Clay is pretty sore today. We are going to give it another 24 hours before we decide if he will make his next start in the rotation,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. ... The Padres took note that Reds star Ken Griffey Jr. dislocated his right shoulder earlier in the day. He hurt himself diving for a ball, similar to the way Padres outfielder Phil Nevin separated left shoulder in spring training. Griffey and Nevin were rumored to be traded for each other in the offseason before the deal fell through. Said Bochy: "How ironic is that? Two guys that we were talking about this winter and now they are both gone with the same injury.''