AMERICAN LEAGUE

Yankees vs. Tigers
New York: Just when manager Joe Torre had hopes of getting one or two of his injured pitchers back into the rotation, another hurler went down. Torre said before Wednesday night's game that RHP Ramiro Mendoza (7-3, 3.72) was going on the 15-day DL (retroactive to Sunday) with weakness in the back of his right shoulder. Mendoza was supposed to start Thursday night's series finale at Detroit, but LHP Andy Pettitte (7-4, 4.90) will replace him. Pettitte will pitch on three days rest. ... RHP Roger Clemens, on the DL since June 15 with a strained right groin, was scheduled to throw batting practice Thursday at Tampa, Fla. Torre said Clemens could pitch Sunday at Tampa Bay if all goes well with the workout. ... RHP Orlando Hernandez will work out Thursday in Detroit with hopes of returning to the rotation this weekend. Otherwise, Torre said he'll go on the DL. El Duque hasn't pitched since spraining his right elbow June 18 against Chicago. ... 3B Scott Brosius was back in the lineup Wednesday after missing Tuesday's game with a stiff hamstring. ... Tuesday's 7-6, 11-inning loss to the Tigers made the Yankees the last AL team to lose a game they led by at least three runs. New York had an early 3-0 lead Tuesday. ... RHP Dwight Gooden will start for the Gulf Coast League Yankees Thursday night at Legends Field in Tampa. He'll face the GCL Phillies. Detroit: Juan Gonzalez was a late scratch from the Tigers lineup Wednesday night with a recurrence of soreness in his left foot. Gonzalez was injured Saturday night at Cleveland when he fouled a pitch off the foot. He didn't play Sunday at Cleveland but was back in the lineup Tuesday, going 0-for-6 against the Yankees. ... Tuesday night's crowd of 37,512 pushed season attendance at Comerica Park to 1,031,938, an average of 29,484 after 35 dates. The Tigers have sold more than two million tickets for games this season.

Orioles vs. Red Sox
Baltimore: The Orioles 11-31 road record is the league's worst. Their batting average is better on the road than at Camden Yards, where Baltimore has a 20-12 record, second best in the league. Before Wednesday's game at Boston, the Orioles were hitting .276 on the road, compared to .267 at home. ... The Orioles, who ended a nine-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over Boston on Tuesday, have been streaky all year. Baltimore had a six-game winning streak just before its recent slide. This season, the Orioles have had six losing streaks of four games or more, and four winning streaks of four games or more. ... Ryan Minor was recalled from Triple-A Rochester Wednesday, and started at third base in place of the injured Cal Ripken. Boston: A severe toothache following a root canal sidelined CF Carl Everett for the second straight day Wednesday. ... Hipolito Pichardo, who's worked out of the bullpen since beginning the season at Pawtucket, will start against Chicago on Friday. Pichardo is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 10 games. ... C Jason Varitek has struggled throwing out base-stealers this season. Following Delino DeShield's first inning steal for Baltimore on Wednesday, Varitek had caught just 11 of 57 (19.3 percent) would-be base stealers this season.

Blue Jays vs. Devil Rays
Toronto: RF Raul Mondesi rejoined the Blue Jays and was in the starting lineup. He left Sunday for the Dominican Republic to see his seriously ill older brother. ... SS Alex Gonzalez was out of the starting lineup for the third straight game because of a strained right groin. ... RHP Chris Carpenter, 6-6 with a 5.49 ERA in 16 starts, threw five minutes of batting practice before the game. Tampa Bay: LHP Tony Saunders, who broke his left arm delivering a pitch last year, threw 61 pitches in his latest batting practice session. "I feel better than I did last time (Friday) endurance-wise," Saunders said. ... DH Jose Canseco (strained left heel) resumed his running program, but doesn't have a timetable for a possible return. "The pain is going away," Canseco said. "I'm not running full speed, but we're going forward." ... CF Gerald Williams (sore left hip) was out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive game.

Indians vs. Royals
Cleveland: The Indians got good medical news on Wednesday. OF Kenny Lofton and 2B Roberto Alomar, who both had to leave Tuesday night's game, appear to be OK. Lofton, who got hit in the right shin by a pitch, is day-to-day after X-rays were negative. Alomar, at first thought to be headed for an MRI exam, was back in the lineup Wednesday. The Indians recalled RHP Kane Davis from Triple-A Buffalo and sent RHP Paul Rigdon and Jaime Navarro to Buffalo. Kansas City: 2B Carlos Febles, out since June 5 with a strained left shoulder, began a 20-day rehab assignment in Florida. He will play with the Gulf Coast Royals. The Royals sent C Brian Johnson and RHP Miguel Batista down on Wednesday and recalled RHP Doug Bochtler and C Jorge Fabregas from Triple-A Omaha.

Twins vs. White Sox
Minnestota: 1B Ron Coomer, who grew up in suburban Lockport, Ill., brought lunch from one of his favorite Italian beef sandwich shops to the ballpark Wednesday. Coomer also has lots of friends and family in attendance at Comiskey Park. "This is my hometown," Coomer said. "The White Sox love me coming here because the concessions go up because of my family and friends." ... Mike Lincoln made his first start of the season Wednesday and first since July 19, 1999, when he lost 8-4 to St. Louis. ... Reliever Eddie Guardado has pitched in six of eight games on the Twins' current road trip. Chicago: LHP Jim Parque will start Friday, getting two extra days between starts because of soreness in his left side. Rookie Kip Wells will take Parque's spot Thursday but is still pitching on five days rest because of an off day. ... OF Chris Singleton and Jeff Abbott, 3B Herbert Perry and C Brook Fordyce were all feeling under the weather Wednesday, and a few complained of possible food poisoning. ... Manager Jerry Manuel said he's not worried about James Baldwin, who lost his second straight start Tuesday. "The league is making an adjustment to him," Manuel said of Baldwin, who started the year 7-0.

Rangers vs. Athletics
Texas: 2B Luis Alicea was scratched from the starting lineup because of a continued problem with tightness in his lower back. He hasn't played since Sunday. ... LHP Kenny Rogers will not start on three days rest, as Texas manager Johnny Oates planned. Oates wanted to use Rogers because the Athletics have been vulnerable against left-handed pitching this season. But Rogers has been bothered with back troubles the past few years and vetoed the idea. Rogers will start on Friday against Seattle, with RHP Esteban Loaiza returning to the rotation on Thursday. Loaiza was 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA for 9 2-3 innings last year against Oakland. ... DH/1B David Segui leads the majors with a .473 batting average in day games. ... 1B Rafael Palmeiro reached the 20-homer plateau on Tuesday night, the 10th consecutive season he has done so. He's the fifth active major leaguer to accomplish the feat. Palmeiro needs one home run to tie Frank Howard and Jim Rice for 38th on the career list with 382. ... The Rangers have lost 15 games in a month twice this season (April and June) and are 9-19 since May 26, when they led the AL West by one game. Oakland: INF Olmedo Saenz, who left Tuesday night's game with tightness in his left hamstring, wasn't in the starting lineup Wednesday, but A's manager Art Howe said Saenz "is usable." ... RHP Tim Hudson was expected to throw on the side Wednesday to test the injured middle finger of his right hand. Hudson left Tuesday's game with a split fingernail. "We'll see how the finger reacts," said Howe. ... DH John Jaha has failed to put the ball in play 61 percent of the time with 29 walks, three hit by pitches and 32 strikeouts in 105 plate appearances. That's the highest figure among non-pitchers in Oakland history. ... 1B Jason Giambi is batting .447 in day games, second only to Segui.

Angels vs. Mariners
Anaheim: Ken Hill made his first start Wednesday after being placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 10 with a strained right rib cage muscle. He made three rehabilitation starts for Triple-A Edmonton (2) and Lake Elsinore (1). Seattle: C Tom Lampkin was placed on the 60-day disabled list with a torn ligament in his right elbow. Lampkin will undergo "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery Friday, performed by Mariners medical director, Dr. Larry Pedegana. The Mariners called up C Robert Machado from Triple-A Tacoma.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Braves vs. Expos
Atlanta: Braves starter Terry Mulholland is 16-4 with a 2.89 ERA (55 ER in 171 1-3 innings) in 27 career games against Montreal. ... LHP Mike Remlinger and rookie INF Rafael Furcal will rejoin the Braves on Thursday in New York. An MRI exam performed on Remlinger's left elbow Tuesday revealed no damage after he fell heavily while trying to make a play at first last Thursday against Chicago. Eligible to come off the 15-day DL Wednesday, Furcal was scheduled to make one final rehab start with Double-A Greenville before joining the team on Thursday. Montreal: Injured closer Ugueth Urbina's right elbow locked up on him overnight after throwing 40 pitches Tuesday during live batting practice. ... RHP Scott Strickland pitched two scoreless innings in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Ottawa Tuesday night.

Cubs vs. Pirates
Chicago: A small group of Cubs fans who clearly don't want Sammy Sosa to depart in a trade gave him a loud ovation during batting practice Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. Sosa turned, tipped his cap, smiled and waved to the fans, several of whom held up "Sammy Don't Go" signs. ... Nearly a dozen major league scouts watched Wednesday night's Cubs-Pirates game as both teams continued to hold trade talks. ... The Cubs signed LHP Carmen Pignatiello, their 20th round pick in the June draft. They have signed 13 of their top 15 picks and 23 overall. ... Manager Don Baylor turned 51 on Wednesday and acknowledged it wasn't a very happy birthday. Baylor said, "Not winning is wearing on me." Pittsburgh: As GM Cam Bonifay talks trade with several teams, assistant GM Roy Smith was dispatched to Detroit to scout the Yankees. New York has interest in one of two Pittsburgh starting pitchers, Todd Ritchie or Francisco Cordova. ... LHP Jimmy Anderson returned to the Pirates on Wednesday, nearly two weeks after being demoted to Triple-A Nashville after losing five consecutive decisions. Anderson was brought back when RHP Rich Loiselle went on the DL with bursitis in his right shoulder. LHP Scott Sauerbeck (sprained elbow) still isn't ready to return. ... Despite Anderson's return, rookie RHP Bronson Arroyo (0-1) will make his scheduled start Saturday at Philadelphia. ... Jose Silva, who starts Thursday, is 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts but has lost his last six decisions as a starter. His last victory as a starter was May 15, 1999. ... The Pirates aren't talking much these days about Doug the Camel. The foot-high leather camel rests atop the stereo cabinet in the Pirates' clubhouse, but has quickly ceased to become a center of attention. Purchased last week in a Montreal subway store by three Pirates as clubhouse mascot, he was nicknamed by C Jason Kendall, who said the camel would help the Pirates "get out of the big hole we've dug."

Cardinals vs. Reds
St. Louis: The Cardinals traded reliever Darren Holmes from Triple-A Memphis to Baltimore. The rest of the deal hasn't been arranged. ... In his first five games against the Reds this season, Mark McGwire was 4-for-14 (.286) with one homer, one RBI and four strikeouts. ... The Cardinals have not had a double-digit lead in the standings since Sept. 21, 1968. They were up by 8{ heading into Wednesday's game. Cincinnati: Elmer Dessens made his ninth career start Wednesday. He was 0-6 with an 8.75 ERA in his eight previous starts, giving up 35 runs in 36 innings. ... Heading into the game, the Reds had scored 366 runs, eighth-lowest in the major leagues. They were hitting only .237 with runners in scoring position. ... The Reds had at least 10 hits in each of their last six games.

Marlins vs. Mets
Florida: The Marlins had been 5-0 in series against NL East teams before dropping the first two in New York. ... A.J. Burnett, who injured his right thumb in spring training, will start in an exhibition against Florida's Double-A Portland affiliate on Thursday. ... SS Alex Gonzalez missed his third straight game with a bruised right middle finger. New York: C Mike Piazza extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single through an overshifted infield. With 2B Luis Castillo playing on the shortstop side of second, Piazza bounced a slow roller to where Castillo is normally positioned. It went into right field for a single. ... 3B Robin Ventura missed his second straight game with a sore right shoulder and is day-to-day. ... 1B Todd Zeile and 2B Edgardo Alfonzo got the night off. ... Mark Johnson started at first base for the first time since Sept. 16, 1998. ... OF Darryl Hamilton, out since the first week of the season with a sprained left foot, played his first minor league rehab game Wednesday. He started at DH for Class-A St. Lucie.

Brewers vs. Phillies
Milwaukee: CF Marquis Grissom has batted in each of the first seven slots in the batting order this season. He made his first appearance in the third hole on Wednesday. ... The Brewers will begin a 10-game homestand on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. ... Thursday's starter Jason Bere (4-6, 5.18 ERA) is 2-0 lifetime against the Phillies with a 4.35 ERA. In his six losses, the Brewers have been outscored 44-19. ... 2B Ron Belliard owns the club's longest hitting streak this season at 13 games from May 9-23. ... 3B Coach Chris Speier celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday. Philadelphia: Reliever Wayne Gomes was missing for Wednesday's team photo shoot. Manager Terry Francona said Gomes was excused for personal reasons. Gomes' availability for the game was uncertain. ... Mike Jackson also missed the team picture. He was receiving treatment on his right shoulder at the time. Jackson, who will not pitch this season, is recovering from shoulder surgery. ... 1B Pat Burrell is 4-for-5, including one homer, in bases-loaded situations. ... David Coggin will make his second career start on Thursday. He picked up a win in his debut against Montreal on June 23, allowing five earned runs and eight hits in six innings.

Giants vs. Rockies
San Francisco: One day after managers Dusty Baker and Buddy Bell exchanged heated words following a pitch thrown over the head of Rockies OF Tom Goodwin by Shawn Estes in the seventh inning of Tuesday's game, each received phone calls from baseball disciplinarian Frank Robinson. "Frank told me our stories are the same. I don't anticipate anything coming from this and I considered the matter closed when I left the ballpark on Tuesday." ... Baker recalled making a prediction to Chicago White Sox GM Ron Schueler that the White Sox would be a big winner when they obtained relievers Bobby Howry and Keith Foulke. "I really like Howry and Foulke and at the time hated to see them go," Baker said. "That's why I told Schueler, who was a teammate of mine when we were both with the Phillies, that they would make the White Sox a winner." Colorado: Commissioner Bud Selig and Donald Fehr, the executive director of the players association, were at the ballpark as the eight-year-old Colorado franchise had its 20 millionth fans pass through the turnstiles. When asked if Selig's presence would provide a calming affect between the two teams, Baker said, "Calming influence? Was that his purpose for coming?" ... Colorado recalled OF Angel Echevarria from Triple A Colorado Springs and optioned C/OF Adam Melhuse to Colorado Springs. ... Versatile Terry Shumpert has already played parts of two games at first base for the Rockies, but refuses to use a standard first basemen's glove. Now that Melhuse is gone, Shumpert becomes Colorado's emergency catcher and he will have to get a catcher's glove.

Padres vs. Dodgers
San Diego: The Padres have gone longer without a complete-game victory than any team in the majors -- 105 games, dating back to Andy Ashby's 7-3 victory over Chicago last Aug. 31. The five pitchers who currently comprise the team's injury-decimated starting rotation -- Matt Clement, Will Cunnane, Brian Meadows and rookies Adam Eaton and Brian Tollberg -- have recorded only one complete game in a combined 144 starts. Meadows pitched the Florida Marlins to a 5-1 victory over Colorado with a nine-hitter on April 24, 1998. ... Before giving up Todd Hundley's game-tying home run in the ninth inning Tuesday night, Trevor Hoffman converted all 28 of his career save opportunities against the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and 47 of his previous 48 chances against NL West rivals since July 24, 1996. Los Angeles: The day after the Dodgers waived 41-year-old Orel Hershiser, Dr. Frank Jobe -- who performed reconstructive shoulder surgery on Hershiser in 1991 -- marveled at how much extra mileage the operation gave the 18-year right-hander. "He was already in his 30s then, and you didn't know what kind of tissue he had. So you never knew until you tried," Jobe said Wednesday. "But I'd been hoping and praying for him all this time. And the fact that he worked so hard and was smart enough to understand his medical problem so well, he just enlarged on what an ordinary person would have been able to do. A lot of people don't get anything out of it." ... In 1991, midway through his tearful, emotion-packed press conference on the night before his surgery, Hershiser suddenly stopped talking when one of a dozen micro-cassette tape recorders sitting on the table in front of him automatically clicked off. Before saying another word, Hershiser picked up the recorder, flipped the tape around and turned the recorder back on so its owner wouldn't miss anything. ... Closer Jeff Shaw was placed on the DL Wednesday for the first time in his career, retroactive to June 27, because of tendinitis in his right elbow. "He's been pitching a lot and his elbow was getting sore, so we thought we'd better stop him, get him well and give him a chance to come back completely. I think two weeks is about the right amount of time he needs." ... Replacing Shaw on the roster is right-hander Jamie Arnold, who was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque. Mike Fetters most likely will assume the closer role during Shaw's absence.

Astros vs. Diamondbacks
Houston: The Astros have faced every National League team this season except Florida and New York. ... Houston's 12-4 victory Tuesday night marked the Astros' biggest offensive output since a 13-8 victory over Colorado on May 9. ... INF Bill Spiers, who hasn't played since reaggravating his strained left hamstring on Sunday, was available to pinch-hit Wednesday night. Arizona: RHP Todd Stottlemyre, on the 15-day DL for the second time this season with tendinitis in his right elbow, will be out for two months, not the three weeks initially reported. Team doctor David Zeman said Stottlemyre is not responding as well to treatment and has a slight muscle tear in the elbow. ... 1B Erubiel Durazo may go back on the DL with soreness in his surgically repaired right wrist. Durazo has experienced soreness in the wrist and has not been in the lineup the last two days. ... Arizona is considering calling up RHP Nelson Figueroa from Triple-A Tucson to replace Stottlemyre in the rotation.