AMERICAN LEAGUE

Mariners vs. White Sox
Seattle: With homers in each game of Tuesday's doubleheader, Mariners SS Alex Rodriguez has homered in three straight games and in five of six on the road trip. ... Not only did Tuesday night's victory put Seattle 21 games above .500 for the first time in franchise history, it gave the Mariners the best start ever through 113 games (67-46). ... As expected, the Mariners sent RHP Joel Pineiro back to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday to make room for C Chris Widger, acquired Tuesday in a waiver deal with the Montreal Expos. Pineiro made his major league debut in the first game Tuesday, giving up two runs and scattering five hits in six-plus innings. Chicago: Changes are ahead for the White Sox pitching staff. Manager Jerry Manuel said an announcement would likely be made after Wednesday's game on a new starter for Thursday. Jim Parque, 9-4 with a 4.12 ERA, was the scheduled starter. "We're trying to break up the lefties with Parque and (Mike) Sirotka," Manuel said. "And also the young pitchers, as well." Manuel wouldn't say who will be added, but it will likely be somebody within the organization. ... Despite a poor outing Tuesday night, rookie Jon Garland will stay in the White Sox rotation. Garland allowed six runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings, inflating his ERA to 7.55. "I'll just work on my bullpen and see what I can get out of it," Garland said. "I don't know if I was trying to overthrow the ball or if I was pulling off of it, but it seemed like everything was up." ... The White Sox haven't won the season matchup against Seattle since 1994. ... RHP Aaron Myette, recalled Tuesday from Triple-A Charlotte, said he learned his lesson when he punched a wall after a bad outing in spring training and broke his pitching hand. He missed the first five weeks of the season. "I won't use my hands," he said, laughing. "I got told not to kick, either, because your toes are fragile. Head butt? I don't know, I'll think of something."

Twins vs. Devil Rays
Minnesota: Manager Tom Kelly's father, who underwent heart bypass surgery, was released from a Fort Myers, Fla., hospital Wednesday. "I like the way he sounded," said Kelly, who talked with his father on the phone. Kelly visited his father before Tuesday's game. ... RHP Brad Radke had the chance to go to his Largo, Fla., home after dropping a 5-0 decision to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. "It's probably better to punch holes in the wall at home than at the hotel," Radke said. ... RHP Joe Mays, who resides in nearby Bradenton, Fla., will pitch for the first time at Tropicana Field on Thursday. ... RHP Mike Lincoln will require season-ending surgery for his injured right elbow. Tampa Bay: LF Greg Vaughn, slowed by a right shoulder injury, will likely DH for at least another week. ... LHP Tony Saunders (broken left arm) reported no problems after a bullpen session and is expected to throw four innings in his third rehab start. The outing should take place this weekend at the Class A level. ... LHP Mike Duvall, 25, was optioned to Triple-A Durham so Dave Eiland (left hip) could be activated to start Wednesday's game. "I think it all depends on how I finish up at Durham," Duvall said. "I think if I pitch well there, then hopefully I'll have a job next year somewhere if not with these guys." ... 2B Bobby Smith (sprained right knee) continues to make steady progress and should rejoin the team later this month.

Orioles vs. Tigers
Baltimore: Though RHP Scott Erickson's "Tommy John surgery" was deemed a success Tuesday, it's not clear when he'll be able to pitch again in the big leagues. Trainer Richie Bancells said recovery time these days is 8-12 months, which at a minimum means Erickson would not open the season. Erickson had a tendon taken from his left wrist to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. ... 1B Chris Richard hit safely in his first seven games with the Orioles before going 0-for-4 Tuesday. Richard was acquired July 29 in the trade that sent RHP Mike Timlin to St. Louis. Detroit: Hal Morris became the fourth Tigers first baseman currently on the disabled list when he was put on the 15-day DL Wednesday with a broken left index finger. Morris sustained the injury during pregame practice Tuesday, but started and played seven innings of a 4-1 win over Baltimore. The Tigers obtained Morris in a cash deal July 18 with Cincinnati because 1B Tony Clark (lumbar spine strain), OF Gregg Jefferies (hamstring pull) and C Robert Fick (separated shoulder) were already on the DL. Morris is batting .296 with no homers and three RBIs after 20 games with Detroit. 1B-OF Dusty Allen was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to take Morris' roster spot. ... RHP Brian Moehler needed just 105 pitches in his second complete game Wednesday. Manager Phil Garner had AL saves leader Todd Jones warmed up for the ninth, but stuck with Moehler. "I wanted Brian to finish the ballgame because he looked like he wanted to," Garner said. "He was throwing the ball like he was not going to be taken out."

Rangers vs. Indians
Texas: LHP Kenny Rogers pitched eight innings for the sixth time this season when he beat Cleveland on Tuesday night. The Rangers have just one complete game this season -- an AL low -- by Rogers on April 13 at New York. Manager Johnny Oates said he only briefly considered putting Rogers back on the mound for the ninth with an 11-2 lead. "We're not interested in complete games," Oates said. "We changed our mind two or three times on that." ... Before making his Rangers debut Tuesday night, RHP Darwin Cubillan borrowed a reporter's pen and asked Indians SS Omar Vizquel to autograph a baseball. Cubillan and Vizquel are both from Venezuela. ... Entering Wednesday's game, closer John Wetteland had not recorded a save since July 25, a span of 12 games and his longest drought since a 15-game stretch in 1999. Cleveland: RHP Charles Nagy, out since May after having bone chips removed from his elbow, said he could be back in September. "I'm feeling all right," Nagy said. "I'm just trying to get better. This season has been frustrating with a capital 'F'. It's been an absolute nightmare." Nagy had not missed a start since the final game of the 1993 season before going on the DL. ... LHP Ricardo Rincon threw for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery in May on Wednesday, and will join the Indians on their road trip to Seattle and Oakland. "I felt really good," said Rincon, who estimated he threw for about eight minutes. "No breaking balls yet." Rincon said he could be sent on a rehab assignment Aug. 21. ... SS Omar Vizquel advanced to the finals of the Internet Athlete of the Year competition, sponsored by ESPN The Magazine. Vizquel (www.omarvizquel.com) defeated Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp (www.bigg99.com) to gain the finals.

Athletics vs. Yankees
Oakland: Kevin Appier began the night 3-1 with a 2.27 ERA in seven career starts at Yankee Stadium. ... Matt Stairs is in a 1-for-19 slump. New York: Jose Canseco will get his first start for the Yankees as the DH in Thursday afternoon's game. "We want to get his feet wet," manager Joe Torre said. Canseco made his Yankees debut Tuesday night as a pinch-hitter and flied out with the bases loaded. ... David Justice's game-winning homer Tuesday night made him 41-for-116 (.353) with nine homers and 27 RBIs since making his Yankees debut on June 30. ... The Yankees' makeup game at home against Texas on Aug. 21 has been changed from 12:05 p.m. ET to 1:05 p.m. ET. The Rangers are playing the previous night at Boston -- a game that was switched from daytime to accommodate ESPN.

Blue Jays vs. Royals
Toronto: The Blue Jays said RHP Joey Hamilton will rejoin the club on Sunday after a rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse. Hamilton, 62-52 in five-plus major league seasons, underwent season-ending surgery on his shoulder last September, but was not healed enough to make the club in the spring. He will make his last rehab start Saturday, then join the parent club. The Blue Jays are not sure if he will be added to the roster right away. At Syracuse, he is 2-2 with a 3.78 ERA. Kansas City: Two starters are nursing nagging injuries that aren't serious enough to put them on the DL, but still cause discomfort. 1B Mike Sweeney has a bruised hand and CF Johnny Damon has soreness in his rib care. Despite his rib injury, Damon has been the best hitter in the AL since the All-Star break.

Red Sox vs. Angels
Boston: SS Nomar Garciaparra entered Wednesday night's game hitless in two games; he hasn't gone three consecutive games without a hit since May 17-26, 1997. ...The Red Sox are 9-31 when they score three runs or fewer; not surprisingly, Pedro Martinez has picked up six of those nine wins. ... The Red Sox are 29-18 against teams with sub-.500 records and do not play a team with a winning record other than the Angels until September. Anaheim: Ramon Ortiz' two-hitter Tuesday night was the first by an Angels rookie since Mike Witt two-hit Minnesota on April 26, 1981. ...Ron Gant's first-inning homer Wednesday was the Angels' 178th of the season, 113 of which are solo shots, most in the majors. ... Matt Wise, who made his first big-league start Wednesday, became the fourth rookie starter used this season by the Angels, who've used 12 different starters overall.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Padres vs. Phillies
San Diego: Woody Williams (6-4, 4.35 ERA) will make his 14th start of the year Thursday, his eighth since having surgery to repair an aneurysm under his right armpit on May 4. He is 3-2 with a 3.74 ERA since his return from the disabled list. ... 3B Phil Nevin is batting .362 (25-for-69) with five homers and 13 RBI in 17 games. He has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .565 (13-for-23) with five doubles, two homers and six RBI over that span. Nevin wasn't in Wednesday's starting lineup because of a tight right groin muscle. ... Adam Eaton is the second Padres pitcher to steal two bases in a season. ... OF Eric Owens is second in the majors with 41 infield hits. Florida's Luis Castillo leads with 48. Philadelphia: After taking extra fielding practice in the outfield for two days, rookie Pat Burrell earned his first start in left field Wednesday. In 63 games at first base, Burrell committed six errors. He started 30 games in left field at the beginning of the season at Triple-A Scranton. ... Thursday's starter Randy Wolf is 1-0 in his last five starts. The four no-decisions have all been one-run losses by the Phils. ... LHP Ed Vosberg will likely be part of blooper shows after a dragonfly sat on his hat during Tuesday's eighth inning. The insect didn't move an inch while Vosberg, unaware of the pest, pitched to six different batters. "I think it must have thrown my equilibrium off a little," he said jokingly. Vosberg walked two batters to load the bases. The bug flew away during Dave Magadan's at-bat and Vosberg promptly fanned Magadan.

Braves vs. Reds
Atlanta: LHP Tom Glavine, the Braves' scheduled starter Wednesday night, is 4-3 career in Cincinnati and 21-8 overall against the Reds with a 3.37 ERA. ... Final test results found no trace of cancer in 1B Andres Galarraga's left thumb, which has a hairline fracture and a cyst. He could be back in the lineup Friday. ... Pitching coach Leo Mazzone was released from a hospital, where tests found nothing wrong. He fainted during Tuesday's game. ... RF Brian Jordan was out of the lineup, a day after pulling groin muscles. Cincinnati: 3B Aaron Boone was in the clubhouse on crutches, a day after he had reconstructive surgery on his left knee for a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He started therapy Wednesday. ... SS Barry Larkin felt good and hoped to be back in the lineup Friday in Chicago. He strained a knee ligament last Friday. ... OF Brooks Kieschnick cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Louisville.

Marlins vs. Cardinals
Florida: Antonio Alfonseca leads the majors with 34 saves in 38 chances, and the Marlins won two of the games he didn't save. ... J.D. Drew's first-inning homer Wednesday was the first in six games against Marlins pitching. The five-game stretch without allowing a homer was a season best. ... The Marlins have allowed four or fewer runs in 12 of 14 games. ... The Marlins' last series victory in St. Louis was Aug. 25 and 26, 1998, when they won two straight. ... The Marlins have four shutouts as a team and Jesus Sanchez has started three of them. He completed two shutouts and threw eight scoreless innings against the Mets on June 27 in a 2-0 victory. St. Louis: J.D. Drew is batting .301 with 16 homers against right-handed pitching, and .239 with no homers in 46 at-bats against left-handers. He's platooning in RF with Eric Davis. ... Garrett Stephenson (12-7), coming off a five-hit shutout of Atlanta his last start, will try to tie Darryl Kile for the team lead in victories on Thursday against Colorado. It's a makeup game from an April 24 rainout. ... The Cardinals are 11-18 since Mark McGwire last played on July 6, and 10-16 since the All-Star break. ... The Cardinals were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the three-game series against the Marlins. The lone hit was Drew's game-winning single in an 11-inning, 2-1 victory Monday. ... The Cardinals are 61-52, the first time they're fewer than 10 games above .500 since June 14. ... St. Louis has outscored opponents 115-65 in the first inning. ... 3B Fernando Tatis, bothered by knee and groin problems, was removed for a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

Mets vs. Astros
New York: The Mets activated OF Darryl Hamilton from the 60-day disabled list after Tuesday's game and designated Matt Franco for assignment. Hamilton, who was on the DL since April 7 with a sprained left foot, was 1-for-4 in his final rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday night. He hit .225 in 10 games at Norfolk. ... C Mike Piazza returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing three games with a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He sustained the injury running to first base at Arizona on Saturday and had a precautionary MRI Sunday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Houston: 2B Craig Biggio will have surgery on his left knee Thursday performed by Dr. David Lintner at Methodist Hospital. Biggio tore the ACL and MCL ligaments in the knee last Friday against the Expos. ... Larry Dierker became only the fourth Houston manager to manage 600 games Wednesday night. The others were Bill Virdon (1,066 games), Art Howe (810) and Harry Walker (708).

Pirates vs. Rockies
Pittsburgh: RHP Jason Schmidt will undergo season-ending rotator cuff surgery early next week. MRI results released Tuesday indicated a partial fraying of the rotator cuff and possible fraying of the labrum. ... Brian Giles made his third start in left field after making 71 starts in center and 38 in right. ... RHP Todd Ritchie threw on the sidelines again Wednesday and is expected to come off the DL on Saturday and make a start that day against Arizona. The Pirates originally thought he could start Friday's game. "I wanted him to throw and be truthful how he felt," manager Gene Lamont said. "I wanted to make sure he could throw his slider.". ... With Ritchie pushed back a day, LHP Dan Serafini gets the start Friday. Serafini was called up from Triple-A Nashville on Aug. 5. ... One-time starter Francisco Cordova received mixed reviews from Lamont on his two-inning relief appearance Tuesday, when he was reached for three runs and three hits. "He had trouble throwing his slider, but threw his fastball well," Lamont said. "The bullpen is the best place for him to get straightened out." . ... Colorado (19-37) and Pittsburgh (19-36) rank 1-2 as the NL's worst road teams. ... Pirates pinch-hitters are 3-for-11 over nine games. ... The Pirates have been outhomered 44-21 the last 31 games. Colorado: OF Juan Pierre is the 16th different player in the eight-year history of the franchise to bat leadoff. ... RHP Craig House and Pierre will be among five players the Rockies will send to the Arizona Instructional League in October. ... Buddy Bell became a grandfather for the first time as Mike, the Cincinnati Reds 3B, had a son. ... RHP Julian Tavarez has three hits this season, all bunt singles. ... Reserve C Ben Petrick's home run was his first since a two-homer game against Arizona's Randy Johnson on Sept. 22 last year. ... Gabe White retired 16 consecutive batters before Kevin Young's one-out walk in the eighth. ... House was dejected about his second major league outing after his walk to Adrian Brown led to the go-ahead run at the time in the eighth inning Wednesday. "I can't walk people. I have to be better than that," House said. "These are tight games, and I'm glad Buddy has the confidence in me to go with me."

Brewers vs. Giants
Milwaukee: Brewers manager Davey Lopes was back in the dugout Wednesday after missing Tuesday night's game with the flu. Bench coach Jerry Royster stood in for him.... Royster grew up in Sacramento, Calif., and has always idolized Giants manager Dusty Baker. "I wanted to win really bad," said Royster, who was honored to have his first big league managerial appearance against Baker. "We talked about it at home plate before the game. Dusty said, `You're my friend, but for the next three hours, you're my enemy."' The Giants won Tuesday night's game 1-0. San Francisco: 2B Jeff Kent joins six other Giants players with four consecutive 100-RBI seasons: George Kelly, "Irish" Meusel, Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Willie Mays and Barry Bonds. ... Kent has hit safely in nine straight games. ... Kirk Rueter's RBI in the third inning was his first of the season. Shawn Estes leads all Giants starters with 10 RBI, and Livan Hernandez has eight.

Cubs vs. Dodgers
Chicago: Mark Grace, whose 1,754 hits in the 1990s were more than any other player, already has come up with his prediction for who will end up with the most hits this decade. "It would be tough to bet against Vladimir Guerrero, if he stays healthy. His potential is unlimited," Grace said. "Another guy you might see a lot of is Bobby Abreu. Those two jump out right away because they're guys who are going to hit, and hit a lot. They're going to hit .320 or more every year, and they don't go into very long slumps." ... Cubs reliever Felix Heredia has allowed only 12 of 47 inherited runners to score this season. Los Angeles: RHP Darren Dreifort, who Tuesday night became the first Dodgers pitcher since Don Drysdale in 1958 to homer twice in one game, has an affinity for the late Hall of Famer. Last season, when all the players were given a choice of any former Dodgers great to commemorate with a patch on their left arm, Dreifort chose Drysdale. "He's definitely a role model," said Dreifort, who made his big-league debut a year after the former Dodgers play-by-play man died of a heart attack in Montreal. "I never met the guy. But just from everything I heard about him, he was a standup guy, a hard worker and a great pitcher; and he has a wonderful family." ... Reliever Mike Fetters, who cracked the nail on the middle finger of his pitching hand last week while trying to open an overhead luggage compartment on the Dodgers' flight home from Pittsburgh, has pitched three times since and has allowed two homers in three innings. His fastball isn't affected, but his forkball is -- making him a one-pitch pitcher. He is wearing a bandage with extra cotton underneath to absorbe the pain when he tries to get on top of the forkball.

Expos vs. Diamondbacks
Montreal: LHP Scott Downs was placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained ligament in his left elbow. He was injured when he threw a curveball to Kelly Stinnett in the fourth inning of Tuesday night's game. ... OF Vladimir Guerrero set a career high with 11 total bases in the Expos' 9-3 victory over Arizona on Tuesday. He was 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and a triple. ... Guerrero leads the NL in triples (nine) and is fourth in batting average (.351), slugging percentage (.672) and total bases (262). Arizona: OF Steve Finley received an epidural injection Wednesday to relieve chronic pain in his lower back. He could return to the lineup Friday. ... Arizona plans to recall RHP Byung-Hyun Kim and probably 1B Erubiel Durazo from Triple-A Tucson on Thursday. ... RHP Todd Stottlemyre threw off the mound Wednesday for the first time since he went on the DL June 26 with tendinitis in his right elbow. His return to the rotation is targeted for Sept. 3. ... C Damian Miller was out of the linup after rolling an ankle while playing table tennis in the clubhouse before Tuesday's game.