AMERICAN LEAGUE

Twins vs. Indians
Minnesota: Reliever Travis Miller had several family and friends in attendance. Miller, from Dayton, Ohio, attended nearby Kent University, where he was Mid-American Conference pitcher of the year in 1994 when he went 9-0 as a junior. ... LHP Eric Milton went 4-1 in six starts in June. ... Minnesota has won only two season series, 1991 and `93, from Cleveland in the last 10 years. Cleveland: OF Kenny Lofton is pictured on page 139 of the Minnesota media guide as the top active opposing hitter against the Twins. He entered Friday night with a .376 average vs. Minnesota. ... Manager Charlie Manuel said it is time for the Indians to have, "less talk and more play." Manuel, still recovering from preseason colon surgery, said he intends to take a more forceful, hands-on approach. "One of the things I can do now that I'm feeling better is throw batting practice, get out there and communicate more," he said. ... OF Ricky Ledee, acquired from the Yankees on Thursday, is the 18th position player used by Cleveland this season. The Indians also have tied the 1993 club record by using 26 pitchers. ... Cleveland has not won a series since taking two of three from Cincinnati, June 9-11. The Indians have gone 0-4-1 since.

Yankees-Devil Rays
New York: David Justice, acquired from Cleveland in a trade Thursday for Ricky Ledee and two players to be named, was inserted into the lineup as the DH and batted fifth. Tino Martinez, who has been struggling, was dropped to seventh. ... Orlando Hernandez (strained elbow) and Roger Clemens (strained groin) reported no problems after throwing sessions and remain on schedule to return to the rotation. Hernandez is slated to start Saturday, while Clemens is penciled in for Sunday. ... Dwight Gooden was scratched from a scheduled Gulf Coast League start Thursday night in case an extra pitcher is needed this weekend. ... C Jorge Posada returned to the lineup after missing Thursday's game against Detroit because of food poisoning. Tampa Bay: LF Greg Vaughn, out with a strained right hamstring, was eligible to be activated from the DL, but is still not ready to return. "He's doing well. I don't want to say he's going to miss this series, but it's not likely he'll play in this series," manager Larry Rothschild said. ... CF Gerald Williams also remained sidelined with a hip strain, while 3B Vinny Castilla (sore back) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham on Saturday. ... LHP Jim Morris, who made his major league debut as a 36-year-old rookie last September, underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow. He had been pitching at Triple-A Durham, where he'll begin a throwing program in approximately four months.

Blue Jays-Orioles
Toronto: Despite blanking Baltimore in the first inning Friday, the Blue Jays have allowed 78 runs in the first, the most of any inning. ... Toronto starter Roy Halladay was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA lifetime against Baltimore before Friday's game. ... Raul Mondesi has 49 RBIs, but is 0-for-8 with the bases loaded. Baltimore: B.J. Surhoff raised his batting average 21 points to .281 during the team's 10-game road trip. His 21-game hitting streak ended Thursday in Boston. ... OF Rich Amaral, eligible to come off the 15-day DL Friday, will remain inactive at least through the weekend, manager Mike Hargrove said. ... 3B Cal Ripken, placed on the DL Wednesday, did not show up Friday. He was not required to be in attendance. "We'll get through this and get Cal back," Hargrove said.

Tigers-Royals
Detroit: Detroit announced the signing of SS Exavier Logan and RHP Matthew Parris, the Tigers' respective third- and sixth-round picks. Detroit now has nine of its top 10 draftees under contract. Kansas City: The Royals announced the resignation of scouting director Terry Wetzel. Wetzel, a 17-year member of the Kansas City organization, had been promoted to senior director of scouting in 1998. The Royals haven't selected a replacement. ... Royals C Brian Johnson was released after clearing waivers and refusing an assignment to Triple-A Omaha.

Red Sox-White Sox
Boston: Manager Jimy Williams says he wants to talk to veteran Ed Sprague first but hopes to have him the lineup as early as Saturday, the middle game of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. "He's a veteran who knows how to play and knows how to win," Williams said. Sprague, acquired Friday from the San Diego Padres for minor leaguers Cesar Saba and Dennis Tankersley, was on the NL All-Star team last year with Pittsburgh. Sprague hit a game-winning homer in Game 2 of the 1992 World Series against Atlanta when he was with Toronto. Williams was a Braves coach in that series, won in six games by the Blue Jays. ... Sprague's acquisition could mean a demotion for Wilton Veras, who had just eight hits in his previous 63 at-bats before Friday. "I don't know what they want me to do," Veras said. "I don't mind." Chicago: 1B Paul Konerko was given the night off to rest. Manager Jerry Manuel says the days leading to the All-Star break are when many players are dragging. "There are a lot of guys going down at this time of the year," he said. ... 2B Ray Durham, who strained an oblique muscle in Thursday's game, was OK and in Friday night's lineup against the Red Sox. ... Manuel said the White Sox have still not decided what to do with struggling RHP Kip Wells, who's lost four of his last five decisions. Wells has already been sent to the minors once this season and been called back up. A candidate to be called up is 20-year-old Jon Garland, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who is 9-2 at Triple-A Charlotte.

Mariners-Rangers
Seattle: The Mariners have won a club-record eight consecutive series entering the three-game set against the Rangers that opened Friday night. Seattle's previous club mark was six in a row in 1991. ... Rickey Henderson entered Friday night with 2,016 walks, third career behind Babe Ruth (2,062) and Ted Williams (2,020). ... At 45-31, the Mariners had their best 76-game record in team history. Texas: If the Rangers remain out of contention following the All-Star break, a rehaul of their pitching staff is anticipated. One casualty could be RHP Mark Clark, who expects to be released following 1½ ineffective seasons with Texas. Clark is upset by recent comments from owner Tom Hicks, who took to task "high-priced veterans" for failing to perform. Clark is 6-11 with an 8.38 ERA over his season and a half with the Rangers and hasn't pitched since June 16. ... John Wetteland has 20 or more saves in nine straight seasons, tying for the seventh-longest streak in major league history. Lee Smith holds the record with 20 or more saves in 13 straight seasons.

Athletics vs. Angels
Oakland: DH John Jaha, last season's comeback player of the year, began the Athletics' series at Anaheim with only two hits and 14 strikeouts in 24 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Jaha, whose spring training was interrupted by leg and foot injuries and missed more than a month of the season because of a shoulder injury, has one homer and five RBIs in 80 at-bats. ... The Athletics, bumped from first place in the AL West on Thursday for the first time since June 13, have been in first for 26 days this season. ... The A's needed a victory Friday night to end June with a 19-6 record, which would give them the second-most victories in June since they moved from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968. The 1975 A's were 20-9 in June 1975, en route to a 98-64 record and the last of their five consecutive division titles. ... Oakland entered Friday night's game having won eight straight one-run decisions. Anaheim: If Troy Glaus (.309, 23 HR, 53 RBI) gets the nod from AL manager Joe Torre to start at third base in the All-Star Game in place of the injured Cal Ripken, Glaus would become the first Angels position player to start an All-Star Game since 1B Wally Joyner did as a rookie in 1986 _ and the second Angels 3B ever to start. Doug DeCinces did in 1982. ... The Angels have finished their third consecutive month with a record of .500 or better for the first time since May-June-July, 1995. ... Anaheim entered Friday night's game needing two home runs to match their entire output at home last season, when they hit 74. ... The Angels hit 121 home runs through their first 78 games, the same number their pitching staff has given up. ... Pitcher Jason Dickson, whose season ended prematurely last week due to arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, got engaged during the Angels just concluded road trip.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Marlins-Expos
Florida: SS Alex Gonzalez missed his fourth straight start due to an injured right middle finger. ... RF Mark Kotsay is 17-for-32 (.571) with eight RBIs in his last eight. ... Entering the final game of the month, LF Cliff Floyd is 29-for-94 (.309) with six doubles, six homers and 21 RBIs in June. He has also stolen six bases and scored 18 runs this month. Montreal: Closer Ugueth Urbina will have his injured right elbow examined by orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews next weeks after another bone chip was found in the elbow Thursday. Urbina, who had a bone chip surgically removed from the elbow on May 17, will travel with the team to Atlanta Sunday following its series finale with Florida. ... The Expos are 26-16 at Olympic Stadium, though just 4-5 on their current 12-game homestand.

Pirates-Phillies
Pittsburgh: Bronson Arroyo will make his fourth major league start Saturday. The right-hander, 23, is 0-1 with a 10.66 ERA. He was shelled for nine earned runs in 2 2-3 innings in his last start against the New York Mets on Friday. ... Brian Giles leads the major leagues with 10 outfield assists. The last Pirates OF to lead the majors in assists was Dave Parker with 26 in 177. ... Through 77 games, the Pirates (33-44) are seven games behind last year's pace. Philadelphia: The Phillies' series with Pittsburgh is the first of the season between the interstate rivals. The only team the Phillies haven't played is San Diego, which will host a three-game series starting on July 31. ... Starting Monday, 15 of the next 18 games will be on the road for the Phillies. ... The Phillies enjoyed their best month of the 1999 season (17-11) in July. ... Saturday's starter Paul Byrd is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts since being recalled from Triple-A Scranton on June 18. In 12 innings, he has allowed four earned runs. Byrd, an All-Star in 1999, is 1-6 with a 6.83 ERA.

Braves-Mets
Atlanta: 3B Chipper Jones missed Friday's game to return to Atlanta, where his wife was scheduled to give birth. ... Greg Maddux, scratched from a scheduled start Thursday because of flu, was feeling better and was rescheduled for Saturday's game. ... OF Reggie Sanders was scratched just before gametime and replaced in left field by Trenidad Hubbard. New York: The Mets put RHP Rick Reed on the 15-day disabled list with a broken left wrist, expected to sideline him 2-3 weeks, and recalled RHP Jim Mann from Norfolk of the Triple-A International League. The Mets also signed free-agent pitcher Jose Martinez, the 24-year-old brother of Pedro, and four draft picks; RHP Robert Keppel, OF Jeffrey Duncan, C Jose Castenada and 3B Justin Wendt.

Cubs-Brewers
Chicago: The Cubs didn't get to their team hotel in Milwaukee until 6 a.m. Friday. The flight out of Pittsburgh after their night game was delayed until a spare part could be flown in from Canada. ... Coming into Friday night's game, the Cubs and the Brewers have faced each other 28 times since Milwaukee joined the NL Central in 1998. Sammy Sosa has hit 20 homers during that span. ... In the last five, Mark Grace is 0-15 and Henry Rodriguez is 1-for-16. Milwaukee: Geoff Jenkins, who sprained his right middle finger June 27 at Philadelphia, missed his third straight game. His status is day-to-day, but he could play if needed. ... In the 28 meetings between the Cubs and Brewers coming into Friday night's game, Jeromy Burnitz has hit 14 homers. ... C Henry Blanco has thrown out 17-of-29 (58.6 percent) baserunners attempting to steal, including 12 of the last 20.

Astros-Cardinals
Houston: With the Astros unable to win more than two in a row all season, manager Larry Dieker may be showing some strain. Dierker snapped at an Arizona radio reporter for being late to his postgame press conference for the third straight day Thursday and terminated the interview. ... The Astros arrived in St. Louis after 4 a.m. Friday. Several NL teams have complained about the Diamondbacks unwillingness to schedule day games on getaway day. St. Louis: Even though the Astros have the worst record in the majors, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa wasn't providing any bulletin board material before the three-game weekend series. "They are going to be a handful, there will be some championship players on that field," La Russa said. .... Choosing which player to cut to make way for Fernando Tatis was not easy, according to La Russa. Tatis, who had been out since April 29 with a torn groin, was activated Friday and Larry Sutton was optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Sutton had reached base in his last three pinch-hit appearances and is 5-10 as a pinch-hitter this year. Sutton said he was disappointed about being sent down, but took the move in good spirits. "That's the way baseball is, I'm just doing everything I can to try and stay on the team," Sutton said. ... Mark McGwire, 1-for-15 in the four-game visit to Cincinnati, was glad to leave Cinergy Field. "The batter's box is atrocious," he said.

Reds-Diamondbacks
Cincinnati: To make room for RHP Pete Harnisch, activated off the DL in time to start Friday night's game, Cincinnati optioned RHP Scott Winchester to Triple-A Louisville. ... Going into Friday night's game, the Reds had never lost at Bank One Ballpark, going 3-0 in 1999 and 3-0 in 1998. ... With one day to go, Ken Griffey Jr. had hit 12 homers in June, tied with Albert Belle for the most in the majors. ... Cincinnati plays four games in Arizona against the NL West-leading Diamondbacks, then goes to NL Central-leader St. Louis for three against the Cardinals. Arizona: RHP Mike Morgan, Friday night's starter, is the temporary replacement for injured RHP Todd Stottlemyre in Arizona's rotation, but after the All-Stark break, the Diamondbacks could look elsewhere. If there's no trade, a top candidate is RHP Nelson Figueroa, who is 9-3 in Tucson and leads the PCL in wins. ... Morgan, 40, was facing another of his former teams in the Reds. Morgan holds the major league record by playing for 12 different teams. ... Manager Buck Showalter doesn't think his team has played particularly well through the first 10 games of its 14-game homestand, but Arizona is still 7-3 in that span and took two of three from San Diego, two of three from Colorado and three of four from Houston.

Rockies vs. Padres
Colorado: 3B Jeff Cirillo was a late scratch due to flu-like symptoms. Cirillo is coming off a four-game stretch in which he went 11-for-15 (.733) with nine runs scored, two doubles, three homers and 13 RBIs. The three homers came Wednesday night against San Francisco. ... Larry Walker is just seven hits shy of 1,500 for his career. San Diego: Trevor Hoffman posted his 20th save in Thursday night's 5-4 win at Los Angeles, making it seven straight years he's reached that milestone. Hoffman needs two more saves to become the 17th pitcher to get 250 saves. ... The Padres traded utilityman Ed Sprague to the Boston Red Sox for two minor leaguers, SS Cesar Saba and RHP Dennis Tankersley. The club then recalled OF John Roskos from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Dodgers vs. Giants
Los Angeles: C Chad Kreuter, who is appealling his eight-game suspension, said he doesn't fully understand the process, but that he's continuing ahead on the advice of his counsel, which includes agent Scott Boras. "I'm just being told what to do," Kreuter said. "I was ready to bite the bullet and take my punishment like a man and serve the time, but the players association and my counsel thought I should appeal the thing to a higher level. There are some issues for major league baseball, fan relations and players relations I don't quite understand, and this could all affect that." ... Dodgers first-base coach John Shelby began serving his three-game suspension on Thursday and is being replaced by bullpen coach Rick Dempsey. ... SS Kevin Elster was out of the starting lineup for the third straight game with a strained left hamstring. He's available only in an emergency. San Francisco: First-round draft pick John "Boof" Bonser and second-round pick Lance Niekro, son of former major leaguer Joe Niekro, were in attendance at Pac Bell Park on Friday. Both were signed to contracts Thursday. Bonser, a RHP from Gibbs Senior High School in Florida, has been clocked at 96 MPH. His mother gave him the nickname "Boof" at birth and is now in the process of having his first name legally changed to Boof. ... Niekro, a 3B out of Florida Southern, was a batboy for the 1987 Minnesota Twins, who won the World Series. Joe Niekro is an ex-teammate of Giants manager Dusty Baker. "I played with Dusty in Atlanta and I respect him," Niekro said. "He's a good friend. I'd love for Lance to play for him." ... Baker said RHP Mark Gardner would start one of the two games in the day-night doubleheader against Colorado on July 4 so that LHP Kirk Rueter could stay on schedule to pitch against St. Louis later in the week. Rueter is undefeated against the Cardinals.