SATURDAY'S TIDBITS Line of the Day Shea Hillenbrand Rumored to be on the block all winter, Hillenbrand has been focused so far. AB R H RBI 5 2 3 6 Hero of the day Jeff Liefer slammed a three-run, game-winning homer off Armando Benitez to give the Expos an 8-5 victory. Goat of the day Two starts, two losses for Chan Ho Park, who could not get on track again for the Rangers. Park lasted just three innings in a loss to the M's. Injuries Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., who dislocated his right shoulder on Saturday, likely will miss 6-10 weeks, according to the team doctor. Edgar Martinez of the Mariners will be sidelined three-to-five days with a hamstring strain. Stat of the day The Tigers are 0-6 for the second straight season. The last time that happened: the '62 and '63 expansion New York Mets. The last word "I felt good, I just pitched bad. Weak pitches, walked guys -- all the things you can do wrong I did wrong in the first inning." -- Arizona's Curt Schilling after giving up four runs in the first inning.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Mariners at Rangers
Seattle: The Mariners play their home opener Tuesday against Anaheim, the first of a 10-game homestand. Boston is the only other AL team that hasn't played at home, and the Red Sox won't do so until Friday. Seattle started the season on the road for only the seventh time. In season-opening road trips, the Mariners are 11-27 and have never had a winning record on a trip. They are 3-3 to start this season. ... Seattle relievers have allowed just four earned runs in 20 2/3 innings (1.74 ERA). Shigetoshi Hasegawa pitched 2 2-3 shutout innings in relief of Freddy Garcia on Sunday.

Texas: RHP Chan Ho Park is 0-2 for the first time in his eight-year career, and has consecutive starts of three innings or less for the first time. Park was lifted after a leadoff hit in the fourth Sunday. He threw just 2 2/3 innings in his first start, a 10-0 loss at Anaheim on Tuesday. ... With his 44th multihomer game Saturday night, Juan Gonzalez tied Willie McCovey and Mike Schmidt for 14th on the career list. It was the 41st two-homer game for Gonzalez, to go along with three three-homer games.

Red Sox at Orioles
Boston: Manny Ramirez's first-inning double extended his hitting streak to 20 games, tying a career high. It was his first hit against Baltimore starter Rodrigo Lopez in 11 career at-bats. ... The Red Sox have opened the season by winning consecutive road series for the fifth time in club history. ... Nomar Garciaparra is batting .500 (7-for-14) lifetime against Lopez. Garciaparra was a single short of becoming the 20th Boston player to hit for the cycle, the first since John Valentin in 1996. ... RHP Tim Wakefield evened his career record against the Orioles at 8-8 in 28 appearances. ... Garciaparra has five multihit games in Boston's first seven. Baltimore: Jay Gibbons hit his first homer of the season and only the fourth for the Orioles this year. ... After retiring his first 14 batters this season, reliever Rick Bauer walked Todd Walker and allowed a homer to Nomar Garciaparra. ... The Orioles' bullpen has allowed eight runs on 14 hits in 26 1/3 innings and has been scored upon in only five innings. ... Jose Morban made his major league debut by replacing SS Deivi Cruz in the field to start the eighth inning. Morban grounded into a forceout in his only at-bat. ... Rodrigo Lopez allowed a career-high eight runs. He was 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA against Boston in 2002.

Yankees at Devil Rays
New York: With SS Derek Jeter out with a dislocated left shoulder, manager Joe Torre is giving serious thought to having LF Hideki Matsui move from fifth to second in the lineup on occasion. ... CF Bernie Williams' offseason efforts to strengthen his shoulders have already paid off. Williams, often a slow starter, is hitting .444 with two homers and nine RBI through six games. "His bat is so much quicker than it was a year ago,'' Torre said. "He's not jumping, trying to manufacture bat speed. He's very comfortable at the plate.'' ... Williams went 7-for-15 with two homers and seven RBI in the Tampa Bay series. His .438 lifetime average (56-for-128) is the highest by an opponent at Tropicana Field. ... 1B Jason Giambi has been the DH in three of six games this season. "To me, it helps him keep his strength and health,'' Torre said. Tampa Bay: The Devil Rays' duo of 21-year-old OFs, Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli, went 0-for-8 with five strikeouts against RHP Roger Clemens. "He handed it to us today,'' Crawford said. Baldelli struck out in all four at-bats. ... Manager Lou Piniella said 3B Aubrey Huff will start Tuesday against Baltimore in right field. Damion Easley will play third. ... Piniella is 56-56 as a manager against the Yankees. ... C Javier Valentin's three-run homer off Clemens was his first home run since August 13, 1999, and the ninth of his career. ... Since LHP Joe Kennedy allowed one earned run on Opening Day, Devil Rays starters have a 9.82 ERA.

Blue Jays at Twins
Toronto: 3B Eric Hinske is hitless in his last 17 at-bats. ... Vernon Wells has at least one RBI in each of the team's first six games. Willie Upshaw and Carlos Delgado hold the club record with an RBI in eight consecutive games. ... Toronto won its first three road games for the second consecutive year. Minnesota: RHP Mike Fetters was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring and pitcher Juan Rincon was recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Rincon retired 15 of 16 hitters and struck out a career-high six in five innings of relief. ... The Twins gave struggling OF Torii Hunter (3-for-21) the day off and started all three outfielders who have been competing for time in right field. Bobby Kielty played left, Dustan Mohr started in center and Michael Cuddyer was in right. Jacque Jones was the DH in a last-minute lineup switch with Kielty. Jones turned his left ankle in the ninth inning Saturday. ... Chris Gomez made his first start at shortstop for the Twins. ... Manager Ron Gardenhire on his reservations about traveling to Toronto next weekend amid an outbreak of SARS that has caused at least six deaths in that city: "We're concerned about anything that affects our baseball team. We'll leave it up to smarter people than us if we should be playing baseball there.''

Angels at Athletics
Anaheim: RHP Aaron Sele, coming back from offseason shoulder surgery, made his first start since last September. Sele allowed two hits with a strikeout in two innings, throwing 29 pitches for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga at Bakersfield, Calif. ... LHP Jarrod Washburn has quite a bruise on his upper left arm after he was hit by Mark Ellis' line drive Saturday. Washburn is still scheduled to pitch Thursday in Seattle. He will have a bullpen session Monday. "Just a little sore,'' he said. "A little swelling and a lot of color.'' ... 2B Adam Kennedy started for the first time since severely bruising his right hamstring in a collision with Tim Salmon on Wednesday. Oakland: 1B Scott Hatteberg returned to the starting lineup after being used in a limited role the past two days because of a sprained right ankle. ... Adam Piatt isn't getting too excited about his homer and double in a rare start Saturday. "I don't think I showed them anything,'' Piatt said. ``My goal is just to get a good at-bat.'' ... Manager Ken Macha doesn't plan to use rookie reliever Mike Neu in a crucial situation just yet. He hadn't pitched this season going into Sunday night's game. "I'm not going to stick him in a situation that's not fair to the kid,'' Macha said. "I'm going to stick him in a situation where he can relax and we can see what he can do.''

Tigers at White Sox
Detroit: Not even a lineup shuffle could get the Tigers a victory. Bobby Higginson moved into the leadoff spot and went 2-for-5 after entering 1-for-18. "When you are in a slump, you are just trying to do something,'' manager Alan Trammell said. "He's batted leadoff before and his on-base percentage is one of the best on our club.'' Higginson had been batting third. ... Trammell, who spent three years as a coach in San Diego before returning to Detroit as a rookie manager, said dealing with the cold is something players have to do. "I'd like a 75-degree day where the guys could feel the warmth. But this is part of the process you have to deal with. It's not making it any easier, but people don't want to hear excuses. The best way to keep warm is to get hits all the time and run the bases.'' ... The Tigers had eight hits after totaling 16 in their first five games. They've scored just six runs in their six games. Chicago: Magglio Ordonez, who hit his 150th homer, needs four to tie Bill Melton for fifth on the club's career list. ... Jose Valentin is 8-for-16 with three homers in the last four games. He already has seven extra-base hits. ... Frank Thomas has reached base safely in all six games. ... Paul Konerko and Carlos Lee began the game on the bench but got in as pinch-hitters. ... The White Sox head to Cleveland, where former Indians ace Bartolo Colon will pitch for Chicago in the Tribe's home opener. He loves to pitch at Jacobs Field, where he is 36-21 with a 3.97 ERA. ... Chicago's first seven games this season are day games. The first night game is April 9 against the Indians.

Indians at Royals
Cleveland: 1B Ben Broussard, on the disabled list since March 14 with a strained right oblique, has begun a 20-day injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Buffalo. ... The Indians are hitting just .132 (12-for-91) with five runs over their past three games. They had only seven at-bats with runners in scoring position in losing two games at Kansas City. ... The Indians were 4-1 and tied for first place after five games last season. They are 2-3 and three games behind the Royals in the AL Central after five games this season. ... C Josh Bard is 0-for-12 against right-handed pitchers this season. ... The average time for Indians games this season is 2:21.

Kansas City: LHP Darrell May is the only Royal not to appear in the first five games. May was scheduled to start Sunday, but the game against the Indians was rained out. Manager Tony Pena said May would be in the bullpen for the next couple of games before being inserted back into the starting rotation Saturday at Cleveland. Pena said May might throw a simulated game before Saturday, "if we need to do that to keep him sharp.'' ... The Royals' 5-0 homestand was their first undefeated homestand since June 2-8, 1988, when they went 7-0. ... Runelvys Hernandez held opposing hitters to an .098 batting average in his first two starts. ... The Royals lead the AL with a 2.40 ERA. ... C Brent Mayne has three multihit games and seven hits in his past nine at-bats.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pirates at Phillies
Pittsburgh: Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner will throw out the first ball at the Pirates' home opener on Monday. Kiner, who played in Pittsburgh from 1946-53, hit 301 home runs with the Pirates and 369 overall. ... RHP Kip Wells will start the home opener. He got a no-decision his first time out, giving up four runs and eight hits in six innings. ... The Pirates finished the season-opening road trip 5-1. ... Reggie Sanders has homered for the cycle in just six games this season. He hit a grand slam on Friday and has a three-run, two-run and a solo homer this season. Philadelphia: RHP Kevin Millwood, who left Saturday's game with a strained right groin, is optimistic about his recovery. "I'm doing fine, it's better than I thought,'' said Millwood, who expects to start on Thursday against Atlanta, his former team. Although he admits to having extra motivation in playing against the Braves, he added that ``you have to be smart about it.'' ... The Phillies also received good news about injured RHP Brandon Duckworth, who is on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis. Duckworth pitched on Sunday with Class-A Clearwater and allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out five in 4 1/3 innings. He will make a start on April 11 before a decision is made on his activation. ... The Phillies drew 112,075 fans for the opening series with Pittsburgh, the largest opening series since 1981 when 114,634 came to also see the Pirates the year after Philadelphia won its only World Series championship.

Giants at Brewers
San Francisco: Sunday's starting lineup would be considered a spring training split squad. Manager Felipe Alou rested OF Barry Bonds, 2B Ray Durham, C Benito Santiago and 1B J.T. Snow. Only Snow was used in the 5-0 victory at Milwaukee. ... The three Alou brothers -- manager Felipe, Matty and Jesus -- will toss the ceremonial first pitch in Monday's home opener against San Diego. ... OF Jose Cruz Jr. has hit safely in all six games. Durham had hits in the first five games before sitting out Sunday. ... The Giants are 6-0 and have outscored their opponents 36-16. They've also won their first six road games for the first time in franchise history. They're best overall starts were 9-0 in 1918 and 7-0 in 1930. ... The Giants also started last season with six straight victories. ... Alou doesn't hesitate when asked what has been the most satisfying aspect of his new team so far. "The bullpen,'' he said, adding that with closer Rob Nenn sidelined "that could have been a big blow, but the guys have accepted the challenge.'' Milwaukee: The Brewers are winless in their first six games for the first time in franchise history. ... Milwaukee was 9-23 against left-handed starters last year. On Sunday they faced a lefty for the first time this season, losing 5-0 to San Francisco's Kirk Rueter. ... 2B Eric Young, who batted .190 in April 2002, is hitting .385 (10-for-26). His career average in the month of April is .293. ... RF Jeffrey Hammonds is off to a slow start, batting .167 (4-for-24). ... The 50th anniversary of the Braves moving from Boston to Milwaukee will be celebrated on Milwaukee Braves Day on Monday, April 14 in a ceremony before playing the Cardinals. The Braves played the Cardinals on April 14, 1953 in their first game at County Stadium.

Diamondbacks at Rockies
Arizona: C Rod Barajas strained his left hamstring Sunday and will go on the 15-day disabled list. C Robby Hammock will be recalled from Triple-A Tucson. Barajas was injured rounding first base on a long single in the seventh inning and left the game against Colorado. ... Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who combined for 47 wins a year ago, are a combined 0-2 after two starts apiece this season. Johnson (0-1) has a 4.26 ERA, and Schilling (0-1) has a 6.57 ERA. ... The Diamondbacks had 10 hits on Sunday, including three by Carlos Baerga, pushing the team batting average over .200 for the first time this season. They're hitting .210 but still have only one home run -- fewest in the majors. "I'm not concerned,'' manager Bob Brenly said of the lack of power. "I never considered us to be a home run hitting team, even when Gonzo (Luis Gonzalez) hit 57 (in 2001). We don't have a lot of free swingers. We're mostly contact hitters. I am disappointed that guys may be trying to do too much too early in the season. I see some guys over-swinging, being overly aggressive.'' Colorado: 2B Ronnie Belliard got the day off. While turning a double play in the 10th inning on Saturday, Belliard twisted his right knee after making contract with David Dellucci. "He's a little sore today but he's available,'' manager Clint Hurdle said. "He took a pretty good shot. He really hung in there and turned a big-time double play, knowing he was going to take a blow.'' ... The Rockies had three outfield assists Sunday, matching the club record set on July 22, 1997, at Montreal. Gabe Kapler, Preston Wilson and Larry Walker each had an assist, the latter two coming in the sixth inning to choke off a potentially big inning by the Diamondbacks. ... Colorado is 4-2, tied for the second-best start in franchise history. Colorado also was 4-2 in 1997 and 1998. The club's best start was 5-1 in 1995, when they made the postseason as a wild card. ... Colorado, which went 5-14 against Arizona last season, now has won the last seven meetings at Coors Field. ... RHP Denny Stark, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained upper back muscle, threw off a mound for the first time on Sunday. "It felt good,'' Stark said. "Hopefully, there will be no soreness (Monday).'' LHP Denny Neagle, on the DL because of stiffness in his left elbow, hopes to throw off a mound on Tuesday or Wednesday. Neagle threw from 120 feet on Saturday.

Expos at Mets
Montreal: Orlando Cabrera was 3-for-5 after entering 3-for-20 on the season. ... The Expos headed to Chicago for Monday's season opener at Wrigley Field, where snow was forecast. Zach Day, Montreal's scheduled starter, has never pitched against the Cubs. ... OF Jose Macias started serving his two-game suspension for his role in a spring training brawl. ... Liefer had never faced Benitez before hitting the go-ahead home run in the ninth inning.

New York: To get to Florida before the expected snow, the Mets moved up their departure from Shea Stadium on Monday for their charter flight from noon ET to 9 a.m. ... Tony Clark was wearing No. 00 Sunday. He said when he arrived at spring training after agreeing to a minor league contract on Feb. 20, he was offered the choice between Nos. 00 and 88. "I didn't want to hear any tight-end jokes,'' he said. "I don't know if it will stay or not.'' ... Piazza was 1-for-4 in his return to the lineup. He was suspended for his role in a spring training brawl with the Los Angeles Dodgers. ... The game-time temperature was 41 degrees with a stiff wind.

Cubs at Reds
Chicago: SS Alex Gonzalez has hit safely in each of the Cubs' first six games, going 12-for-26 with seven doubles and eight runs scored. He doubled and scored a run Sunday. ... Moises Alou was 0-for-4, ending his five-game hitting streak. ... A college student who caught Sammy Sosa's 500th home run baseball considered giving it to him, but has decided to keep it and find out what it's worth. Zach Kirk, 22, of St. Louis, was sitting in the right field stands with his girlfriend Friday night when Sosa hit a seventh-inning homer that deflected off several hands and came to rest at his feet. Kirk is a senior at Missouri and hopes to each high school and coach soccer. ... After hitting his 500th homer, Sosa went 1-for-7 with five walks. Scott Williamson struck him out with two aboard while getting the victory Saturday, and got him to hit a game-ending double-play grounder Sunday. Sosa is 0-for-12 career against Williamson with seven strikeouts. Cincinnati: Ken Griffey Jr. is expected to be out six-to-10 weeks after dislocating his right shoulder while diving for a fly ball on Saturday. Dr. Timothy Kremchek said Griffey will try to rehabilitate the shoulder without surgery, which would end his season. ... Manager Bob Boone considered using SS Barry Larkin in center field on Sunday, but dropped the idea after talking to him. Larkin is willing to play the outfield if needed, but has never appeared there in his career. He played part of one game in center during spring training, his first professional appearance in the outfield. ... RHP Jimmy Haynes, who left Saturday's game with a stiff back, will have his next start pushed back a couple of days. An MRI found no serious injury. ... RHP Pete Harnisch, making a comeback from reconstructive elbow surgery, lasted only one inning Sunday for Triple-A Louisville at Toledo. He gave up five hits and three runs in the first, then left with a tight right hamstring.

Marlins at Braves
Florida: In Saturday night's 17-1 win over the Braves, the Marlins matched a team record for runs scored and their 23 hits was one shy of the club record. The 39 total bases also equaled a club record set on Sept. 17, 1999, against Colorado. ... SS Alex Gonzalez and 3B Mike Lowell became the first Marlins teammates to hit home runs in the three straight games. Each connected off Greg Maddux Saturday night. Atlanta: LHP Mike Hampton, on the DL with a strained right calf, pitched off the mound before Sunday's game. "It felt fine. Everything felt good,'' he said. "I threw everything with the effort that I normally use. The ball was live, the ball was moving and my location was decent. I felt like I'm not far off from what was.'' Hampton is eligible to come off the 15-day DL on Saturday, but there's still no timetable as to when he will be activated. ... Another starter, RHP Paul Byrd, on the 15-day DL with a sore elbow, made a rehab start Saturday for Double-A Greenville against Birmingham. He went 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs (four earned), eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts. He threw 78 pitches. "He pitched better than his line,'' manager Bobby Cox said. "He pitched really good the first three innings then had some control problems. He might have gotten a little tired.'' Byrd could return in time to start Thursday against Philadelphia.

Dodgers at Padres
Los Angeles: The Dodgers' bullpen was brilliant in Sunday's 4-3, 13-inning win over the Padres on Sunday. Five relievers threw 6 2-3 scoreless innings. Guillermo Mota (1-0) pitched two hitless innings for the win, following two strong innings by Eric Gagne. Paul Shuey started it with 1 2-3 innings, followed by Paul Quantrill (one out) and Tom Martin (two outs). Martin has now thrown 3 1-3 scoreless innings. ... The Dodgers play their home opener Monday afternoon against Arizona, sending Kevin Brown against Elmer Dessens.

San Diego: Rookie LF Xavier Nady has had a great opening week. He hit both of San Diego's home runs, and had his first three-hit game in Sunday's 4-3, 13-inning loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's hitting .345, with a team-high 10 hits. Nady has three multi-hit games as well as two doubles and four runs scored. ... In his eighth start since having ``Tommy John'' reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in 2001, RHP Adam Eaton held the Dodgers to five hits and three runs in seven innings. ... He's gone at least seven innings in four of the eight post-surgery starts.