AMERICAN LEAGUE

Athletics vs. Tigers
Oakland: 1B Jason Giambi was expected to miss both weekend games with a strained left shoulder. He has seen limited action since leaving Monday's game with the injury. "We're going to give Jason a couple days off to see if it gets better," manager Art Howe said. "If that doesn't help, we are going to have to take a long, hard look at the future." ... Howe made two changes to Saturday's lineup to try to jump-start his offense, giving starts to CF Ryan Christenson and C Sal Fasano. Detroit: The Tigers have won or split 13 of their last 16 series, which manager Phil Garner credits with Detroit's run to .500. "After that miserable 9-23 start, we've been playing really solid baseball," he said.

Rangers vs. Red Sox
Texas: The Rangers started two players who had appeared in just five major league games each this season -- catcher B.J. Waszgis, who was 4-for-9, and designated hitter Pedro Valdes, who was 0-for-5. They were a combined 1-for-6 Saturday. ... Texas batters had walked eight times in their previous five games and went into the game with little hope of doing batter against Pedro Martinez, who issued three walks in his previous five games. On Saturday, he walked none. ... Texas has lost nine straight games decided by two runs or less. Boston: A youngster in the front row received a souvenir after Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek apparently made contact with him while trying to catch a pop fly along the third-base line. Home plate umpire Wally Bell handed the boy, who appeared to be fighting back tears, a baseball. Varitek rubbed the boy's head. After the inning, Bell walked over to the boy and gave him a high-five. ... In Boston's last two games, starters Tomo Ohka and Martinez retired 41 of 49 batters they faced. Each pitched seven innings. ... Asked if he had seen much difference in 3B Lou Merloni since he returned after starting this season in Japan, manager Jimy Williams said, "His Japanese is probably a little better." Merloni has three three-hit games and is 14-for-24 in six games since being called up Monday from Triple-A Pawtucket.

White Sox vs. Devil Rays
Chicago: RHP Cal Eldred, sidelined since July 14 because of an irritated nerve in his elbow, threw 28 pitches from the mound Saturday and had no pain. Eldred, throwing from the mound for the first time, will next throw on Monday. General manager Ron Schueler said he hoped to get Eldred a rehab start in the minors soon. ... RHP Jon Garland, who was hit on the right forearm in Friday night's game, received medical treatment Saturday. Manager Jerry Manuel said he still did not know whether Garland would miss a start. ... Sunday is "Dog Day" at Comiskey Park in which pet owners can bring their pooches. The dog section, located in the bleachers, is sold out. Tampa Bay: INF Bobby Smith, who has been on the DL since July 6 because of a sprained right knee, was activated Saturday. OF Quinton McCracken was optioned to Triple-A Durham to make room for Smith, who was 5-for-18 during a rehab assignment at Durham. ... OF Gerald Williams is one home run away from becoming the 25th player in major league history to hit at least 20 home runs from the leadoff spot. Williams, who hit his 19th on Friday night, would become the 14th American League player to do so.

Twins vs. Blue Jays
Minnesota: The Twins are 19-16 since the All-Star break. ... RHP Brad Radke is 4-3 with a 5.44 ERA in his last eight starts. ... David Ortiz walked four times in Saturday's game, one short of the club record. Toronto: Toronto's starters have combined to pitch 13 2/3 scoreless innings in the first two games of the series. ... SS Alex Gonzalez's hitting streak ended at 15.

Angels vs. Yankees
Anaheim: Darin Erstad, the major leagues' hit leader with 189, left with a muscle spasm in his left rib cage. He is day-to-day. "Hopefully, he's not going to be out any extended period of time," manager Mike Scioscia said. ... RHP Brian Cooper was recalled from Triple-A Edmonton to make the start and RHP Al Levine was activated from the 15-day DL. The Angels optioned INF Keith Johnson and outrighted RHP Eric Weaver to Edmonton. Cooper gave up eight runs -- six earned -- and eight hits in four innings. "I was just getting behind in the count and you just can't do that with these guys. The ball just ain't going where I want it to go," he said. ... The Angels, the only team to win the season series from the Yankees the past two seasons, are 4-5 against New York with one game remaining in 2000. New York: OF Bernie Williams, mired in a 3-for-32 slump, was scratched after feeling a twinge in his right rib cage during batting practice. "Hopefully it will improve tomorrow and he'll be able to play," manager Joe Torre said. "If not, we'll have to figure out what to do." Clay Bellinger made his first career start in center. ... The Yankees blew a five-run lead at home in the ninth inning for only the second time in franchise history Friday. On Aug. 18, 1953 -- exactly 47 years earlier -- New York also blew an 8-3 lead, losing 10-8 to the Washington Senators. "That one hurt a lot," closer Mariano Rivera said. "It was ridiculous. It was tough to deal with, but today is a new day."

Mariners vs. Indians
Seattle: Jamie Moyer couldn't stop the Mariners' losing streak, which grew to seven games after a 10-4 loss to the Indians on Saturday. During the streak, Mariners starters are 0-5 with a 8.64 ERA. ... Odds favored the Mariners to win Saturday. Although they are now 0-9 in the first game of a road trip, the club was 7-1 in Game 2s before the loss. ... Seattle hasn't lost eight straight since a club record 14-game slide in 1992. ... The Mariners have been alone in first place since June 29. However, with Saturday's loss, they dropped to 18-19 since the All-Star break. Cleveland: Manny Ramirez's 13 career grand slams are a franchise record and the most ever by a Latin American player. Danny Tartabull hit 12. Ramirez is also tied for 12th on the career slams list. Lou Gehrig holds the record with 23. ... CF Kenny Lofton, who homered for the second straight game, is batting .342 (13-for-38) with two homers and five RBI in his last nine games. ... RHP Jason Bere underwent "Tommy John" elbow surgery in 1995, but it wasn't until this year that he had been able to effectively throw a curveball again. "Being a two-pitch pitcher is tough to do against big league hitters," Bere said after beating Seattle on Saturday. "Especially for seven-plus innings."

Royals vs. Orioles
Kansas City: With three games remaining against Baltimore, the Royals have already clinched the season series. KC won six of seven before Saturday. ... Rookie Mark Quinn, who had his eight-game hitting streak ended Friday, got his 47th start at DH Saturday. He's also started 49 in the outfield. ... After making six errors in his first 30 games at first base, Mike Sweeney made just two in his next 58 games at the position. Baltimore: RHP Pat Rapp returned home to Louisiana to be with his critically ill father. ... SS Melvin Mora was in the starting lineup Saturday despite making errors in each of his last five games. "Melvin is not playing tired right now," manager Mike Hargrove said. ... The Orioles are last in the AL with a 5.78 ERA.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pirates vs. Reds
Cincinnati: Pokey Reese was held out of the Reds lineup for the second consecutive game because of tightness in his left hamstring. ... Barry Larkin didn't play after experiencing soreness in his left knee in Friday night's game. He remains one hit shy of 2,000. ... Saturday's paid attendance of 34,370 brought the Reds' season total to 2,030,505 in 61 home dates, the fastest the Reds have reached the 2 million milestone. Pittsburgh: 3B Aramis Ramirez left Saturday's game with a bruised left hand after being hit by a pitch in the second inning. It was the second time this week he was hit on the hand, and he was taken to a Cincinnati hospital for a bone scan.

Brewers vs. Astros
Milwaukee: Geoff Jenkins, who broke up Wade Miller's no-hit bid with a seventh-inning home run Friday night, is batting .330 with 13 home runs and 33 RBI on the road this season. Houston: Entering Saturday's game, Astros starting pitchers had won four straight games, the longest streak since Sept. 11-14, 1999. In that span, the starters had a 3.81 ERA. ... Jeff Bagwell is just two home runs short of reaching the 300-homer mark and will become the 87th player to do that. Bagwell has hit six home runs in his last eight games. ... Houston has never been good to the Brewers. They are 4-13 overall, including a 4-12 record in the Astrodome.

Marlins vs. Rockies
Florida: Manager John Boles turned 52 Saturday. When asked if he was going to celebrate, Boles said: "Playing in this park is wild enough for me. This is like New Year's Eve coming to Colorado. This is as heart-pounding as it gets for me. ... OF Cliff Floyd took batting practice Saturday and could return from the disabled list next Friday. Floyd has been sidelined by torn cartilage in his left knee. ... SS Alex Gonzalez (sprained knee) took ground balls Saturday but no date has been set for his return from the DL. Colorado: Manager Buddy Bell kept OF Larry Walker out of the lineup to give his right elbow some rest. Walker has not fully recovered from off-season surgery. ... C Brent Mayne missed his second straight start because of a sore ankle. He was available to pinch hit Saturday night. ... When asked if he had been through anything like Todd Helton's chase for .400, Bell said the only comparison was when Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's career hits record in 1985.

Phillies vs. Cardinals
Philadelphia: Phillies manager Terry Francona says he is holding up despite being booed at home games and a newspaper reader's poll asking fans if he should be fired. Francona was booed every time he appeared on the field during the Phillies recent homestand, but he says he is not upset. "I've been released five times, I'm bald and I have a big nose," he said. "I'll make it through this, I'll handle it." ... The Phillies are considering replacing their artificial turf with a more grass-like surface in time for next season. One surface being considered is the type used at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. "One of the things we don't know is how that surface would hold up outdoors," said Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro. St. Louis: Britt Reames will make his major league debut when he starts for the Cardinals against the Phillies on Sunday. Reames has been activated to replace Andy Benes, who went on the disabled list with an injured knee. Reames was 6-2 at Triple-A Memphis with a 2.28 ERA in 13 starts. ... The Cardinals will unveil a statue of Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby outside Busch Stadium before Sunday's game. Hornsby's grandson and great grandson will attend the ceremonies. ... The only player in professional baseball with 100 steals this season is Esix Snead, who plays for the Cardinals' Class A Potomac club in the Carolina League. He has 100 steals in 117 games.

Cubs vs. Diamondbacks
Chicago: Sammy Sosa, who hit two homers Friday night, has tied Carlton Fisk for No. 46 on the career home run list with 376. Sosa has 40 home runs this year, the fourth time in five years that he has topped the 40 mark. With 147 hits, Sosa is on pace for 54 home runs and 198 hits. Only three players have had more than 50 homers and 200 hits in one season -- Babe Ruth in 1921, Hack Wilson in 1930 and Jimmie Foxx in 1932. ... Friday night's 11-2 loss to Arizona's Curt Schilling marked the first time in three years that pitchers had thrown consecutive complete games against the Cubs. Darryl Kile had a complete game victory in Chicago on Wednesday. ... In the seven games leading up to Saturday night, the Cubs had scored just 16 runs, batted .215 and stranded 53 runners on base. Arizona: Todd Stottlemyre threw three innings in a simulated game Saturday and remained on schedule for a return to the starting rotation on Sept. 2 or 3. Stottlemyre threw 50 pitches before the team took batting practice at Bank One Ballpark. He is scheduled to pitch two minor league rehab outings, probably with the Diamondbacks' Arizona Rookie League team. Stottlemyre has been on the disabled list since June 26 with tendinitis in his right elbow. ... RF David Dellucci got his first start Saturday since being recalled from Triple-A Tucson. Dellucci's career nearly ended last year because of a rare condition that threatened the use of his left wrist and hand. After surgery, his comeback this year was slowed by a dislocated finger and tendinitis in his right wrist.

Mets vs. Dodgers
New York: The Mets' bullpen has not blown a save opportunity since July 14, converting all 15 save opportunities since then and winning all seven decisions. Armando Benitez has allowed only one earned run over 23 innings since June 21, and his save ratio (32 of 36) is the best in the NL. ... Lenny Harris leads all active major leaguers with 124 career pinch-hits, 26 fewer than all-time leader Manny Mota. ... Todd Pratt started Saturday's game behind the plate instead of Mike Piazza, who caught Friday night's three-hour, 42-minute marathon. ... Rick Reed's 4-1 loss Saturday was his first in five career decisions at Dodger Stadium, and first in nine road starts since a 7-2 setback at San Francisco on May 4. Los Angeles: Of the Dodgers' 62 victories, 39 have been come-from-behind efforts -- the most in the majors. ... Chan Ho Park has allowed no more than three earned runs in any of his last eight starts, but is only 3-3 during that span. ... Saturday's crowd of 53,051 on "Backpack Day" represented the Dodgers' sixth home sellout this season. The other five sellouts were on Opening Day, "Pokemon Trading Card Day," "T-Shirt Night," "Sports Watch Night," and "Rally Towel Night." ... Gary Sheffield's two homers Saturday raised his season total to 40, tying him with Mike Piazza for the most by a Dodger since the team moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. Sheffield is two homers shy of his career high, set in 1996 with the Florida Marlins. ... When Antonio Osuna pitched the ninth inning of Friday night's 5-3 loss to the Mets, he earned a $35,000 bonus for making 35 appearances this season. Another 1 2/3 innings will bring his season total to 55 and earn him an additional $50,000. It wasn't easy for the right-hander, who didn't pitch for the Dodgers from May 18, 1999, through May 5 of this season because of elbow problems. ... Eric Karros, who usually has a slow first half and a strong second half, has reversed that trend this season. He is batting .243 with only three homers and 16 RBI in 33 games since the All-Star break, after hitting .265 with 25 homers and 70 RBI in 83 games before the break.

Braves vs. Giants
Atlanta: Manager Bobby Cox is four wins away from tying Tommy Lasorda on the all-time victories list for a manager. Lasorda has 1,559 wins. ... Cox was tossed out of Saturday's game for arguing a call, the fifth time he's been tossed this season. ... Andruw Jones is the only major leaguer to have played in every inning of every game this season. ... B.J. Surhoff was learning about Pacific Bell Parks little quirks, including a rather sunny outfield this time of year. Surhoff missed a fly ball hit by J.T. Snow that scored a run. "I don't know what else I could have done," he said. San Francisco: The Giants are 13-5 in August. ... The flu the kept Ellis Burks out of the lineup Friday night is traveling around the Giants' clubhouse. "I hope I don't get it," manager Dusty Baker said. The flu is marked by a headache and sore throat. But Burks made a quick recovery, hitting two homers and driving in four runs on Saturday. ... After Friday night's game, the Giants activated Joe Nathan from the disabled list and optioned Miguel Del Toro to Triple-A Fresno. Baker said before Saturday's game that Nathan would be used in long relief.

Expos vs. Padres
Montreal: RHP Carl Pavano and LHP Scott Downs, two of the Expos' 10 pitchers on the disabled list, will visit Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday. Pavano (right triceps tendinitis) started a throwing program Aug. 1, while Downs (sprained left elbow) has yet to throw after injuring his arm Aug. 8. ... A bruised left thumb continues to keep LF Peter Bergeron out of the starting lineup. ... RHP Felipe Lira, Sunday's starter, will make only his second start of the season. Lira is one of 13 starting pitchers the Expos have used. San Diego: Scouting director Brad Sloan is being reassigned to a position as a special assistant to general manager Kevin Towers. Sloan has worked out of his home in Illinois and Towers wants his scouting director to be located in San Diego. ... Former Padres star Dave Winfield was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame. Winfield, who played the first eight years of his career with San Diego, had his uniform number (31) retired and a banner with his picture hung from the top of Qualcomm Stadium.