AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rangers vs. Tigers
Texas: 1B-DH Frank Catalanotto sat his second straight game Friday after starting the previous five. Catalanotto is batting just .190 (11-for-58) in his last 16 games and fell from .364 to a season-low .316. ... LF Rusty Greer matched a team record and his own career high with five hits Thursday. Greer entered Friday with hits in 15 of his last 17 games, batting .418 (29-for-67) with two homers and 15 RBIs. ... The Rangers activated LHP Darren Oliver from the 15-day DL and recalled RHP Jonathan Johnson from Triple-A Oklahoma. Oliver, on the DL since Aug. 1 with weakness in his left shoulder, made his fifth rehab start for Oklahoma on Thursday.Detroit: The Tigers activated 1B Tony Clark and C-1B Robert Fick from the DL and also added LHP Sean Runyan and OF Rodney Lindsey to their expanded roster. Clark, out since July 15 with a lumbar spine strain, started at 1B and batted sixth. ... RHPs Steve Sparks (1.69) and Brian Moehler (2.13) ranked 1-2 in AL ERA for August. The Tigers staff's 3.79 ERA in August was the AL's best. ... RHP Dave Mlicki, out since July 23 with a sinus infection that required surgery, was scheduled to make a rehab start Friday at Triple-A Toledo. If all goes well, he could rejoin the Tigers' rotation next week.

Orioles vs. Indians
Baltimore: It didn't take long for Cal Ripken to get back into the swing of things. After missing 59 games with a lower back pain, Ripken, starting at DH for the fifth time in his career, singled in his first at-bat Friday. ... The Orioles his 12 triples in August, one more than they hit in the entire 1998 season. ... Always known for their defense, with their next error, the Orioles will have 100 miscues for the first time since 1993.Cleveland: RHP Dave Burba said doctors will examine his sore right knee that flared up in his start at Texas on Wednesday. "I threw today and felt just fine," said Burba. "And you can bet I'll make my next start." ... Manager Charlie Manuel said it's a possibility that he'll go to a six-man starting rotation this month. The Indians have 32 games in the next 31 days, and will play back-to-back doubleheaders in Boston on Sept. 20-21. Manuel said RHP Charles Nagy's recovery from elbow surgery in May is the key. "He does well against Boston, and at times against the Yankees, too," Manuel said. Nagy will make his second rehab start on Saturday at Buffalo.

Athletics vs. Blue Jays
Oakland: 1B Jason Giambi didn't start because of a strained left shoulder. Giambi received a cortisone shot after Wednesday night's game. He remains day to day. Giambi, Oakland's team leader, is hitting .319 with 30 homers and 115 RBIs. ... The Athletics added catcher A.J. Hinch to their roster. ... Oakland activated reliever T.J. Matthews from the DL.Toronto: Ted Rogers, who agreed to purchase the Blue Jays on Friday, met with the players before the game. "He told us he would be accessible, and that he would try to bring a winner," SS Alex Gonzalez said. "He wants to have a good ballclub because he's from Toronto." Rogers agreed to purchase 80 percent of the team from Interbrew SA, a Belgian brewery, for $112 million. The sale is expected to be approved by baseball owners, a process that usually takes six months to a year. ... The Blue Jays added OF Vernon Wells

to its expanded roster. Wells hit .243 with 16 homer runs and 66 RBIs in 127 games for Triple-A Syracuse. ... Toronto activated OF DeWayne Wise from the 60-day DL.

Twins vs. Yankees
Minnesota: The Twins began Friday with 102 homers, the fewest in the majors. ... OF Brian Buchanan was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, a day after the Twins traded OF Midre Cummings to Boston for minor league INF Hector De Los Santos. Buchanan, 27, hit .297 for the Buzz with 20 doubles, 27 homers and 103 RBIs in 95 games.New York: Women's tennis star Monica Seles took batting practice before Friday night's game. ... Hearing how fans seeking autographs pounded on the car of Mets pitcher Rick Reed on Wednesday, Yankees manager Joe Torre recalled similar problems in the Shea Stadium parking lot when he managed the Mets in the 1970s. "Everyone wanted to sign," Torre said Friday, "but it was very difficult because you have no security. You have people hanging all over." ... Torre on talk of a Subway Series: "I'm happy for the Mets. They have done a wonderful job. They're a tough ballclub." ... Even though he was brought up from the minors Friday, OF Ryan Thompson won't see many at-bats. "I'm not sure how much of an opportunity he's going to have, except defensively," Torre said. ... Following Thursday's off day, the Yankees and Montreal Expos, are scheduled to play on the final 31 days of the regular season, which would set a major league record. The current mark is 24 by the 1998 Yankees. This year's team could even make it 32, if it has to make up a July 15 rainout against Florida on Oct. 2.

Mariners vs. Red Sox
Seattle: The Mariners activated OF Jay Buhner from the 15-day DL, but he was not in the starting lineup. Buhner had not played since he was injured in a collision with Mark McLemore on Aug. 16. ... Seattle called up four other players from Triple-A Tacoma: RHP Frankie Rodriguez, OF Charles Gipson, RHP Kevin Hodges and INF Brian Lesher. ... Seattle came into the night 0-9 in the first games of road trips this season.Boston:The Red Sox recalled LHP Sang Lee from Triple-A Pawtucket and activated OF Izzy Alcantara from the 15-day DL. ... OF Dante Bichette, who was acquired in a trade for two minor leaguers on Thursday, made his first appearance for the Red Sox. He batted fourth and got a big hand before his first at-bat. ... RHP Bret Saberhagen had pain in his shoulder throwing on Wednesday and faces a decision whether to continue his comeback or shut it down until next year. ... 1B Brian Daubach was not seriously injured in Tuesday night's brawl against Tampa Bay. An MRI showed that his left elbow was merely strained.

Royals vs. Devil Rays
Kansas City: The Royals activated C Jorge Fabregas (right elbow) from the 15-day DL. ... 2B Carlos Febles (ankle) has resumed taking batting practice and also ran the bases. ... The Royals are making their only visit to Tampa Bay this season. .. LF Mark Quinn robbed Greg Vaughn of extra bases with a sliding backhanded catch near the line in the first inning. ... The Royals went 15-14 in August, their second winning month this season. KC went 14-12 in May.Tampa Bay: Dr. James Andrews, the Devil Rays medical director, had his flight to Florida delayed by bad weather and may not examine OF Greg Vaughn's ailing right shoulder until next week. Vaughn has been limited to DH duties since Aug. 7. ... Manager Larry Rothschild said there is still no news regarding OF Gerald Williams' possible suspension for charging the mound Tuesday after being by a pitch thrown by Boston's Pedro Martinez. ... The Devil Rays outrighted RHP Billy Taylor to Triple-A Durham. ... INF Damian Rolls (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day DL. ... LHP Trevor Enders was selected from Triple-A Durham. ... OF Kenny Kelly was recalled from Double-A Orlando and INF Jace Brewer was recalled from Class-A Charleston.

Angels vs. White Sox
Anaheim:If manager Mike Scioscia had a vote for AL manager of the year, he would cast it for Chicago's Jerry Manuel. "And it's not just this year," Scioscia said. "He's taken a club from a transition period that's become a World Series contender. I vote for Jerry." ... Cunning and guile alone will not save a spot in the rotation for Tim Belcher, who threw Friday on a rehab assignment. "The bottom line is production," Scioscia said. "His experience is an asset, but it comes down to getting guys out. If intangibles were the only thing, we'd put (pitching coach) Buddy Black in the rotation and (hitting coach) Mickey Hatcher in left." Belcher, who has a 9.69 ERA in four starts, was placed on the 60-day DL on July 3 with a strained right forearm muscle. The 38-year-old began the season on the DL, recovering from surgery to fix the same problem. ... Because of a procedural mistake, pitcher Ben Weber won't join the Angels until Tuesday. Weber was claimed on waivers from San Francisco Aug. 30. ... Darin Erstad, bothered by muscle spasms in his left rib cage, will continue to DH until he is able to play the field. "He's probably the best left fielder in baseball," Scioscia said. "I'm hoping to have him out there in 3-5 days."Chicago: SS Jose Valentin is still hampered by a soft tissue injury in his pelvic area. He was not in the lineup Friday after seeing three doctors. "It's so deep the treatment can't reach the spot," Valentin said, adding the pain comes mainly when he runs. He vowed to be ready for the postseason, should the White Sox make it. "This year has been so good for me, so good for us, sitting out and not going to the playoffs is not for me. Having a chance to go to the playoffs for the first time in my life, I don't want to miss it." ... The White Sox called up four players as rosters expanded: RHP Matt Ginter, C Josh Paul, INF Craig Wilson and RHP Chad Bradford. Paul is one of the fastest running catchers in baseball and will also serve as a pinch-runner. "He gives us some flexibility to do some things late in a ball game," Jerry Manuel said. Manuel said when Jon Garland, who's been on the disabled list since Aug. 19 after being hit in the elbow with a line drive, comes off, he'll be put right back in the rotation and could pitch Monday. Garland had a strong showing with 10 strikeouts in a rehab stint at Double-A Birmingham. ... Cal Eldred, also on the DL with a nerve problem in his elbow, is scheduled to throw 60-70 pitches in a rehab start Sunday at Triple-A Charlotte.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Expos vs. Reds
Montreal: The Expos began a 13-day, 14-game road trip Friday night -- three in Cincinnati, four in St. Louis, three in Atlanta and four in three days in Philadelphia. ... Montreal dropped a season-high 20 games under .500 following their last scheduled day off of the season, on Thursday. Their scheduled to play 32 games in 31 days. ... LHP Brent Billingsley had shoulder reconstruction surgery along with an elbow scrap in his left arm Thursday. The Expos have 12 players on the DL -- 10 pitchers.Cincinnati: The Reds signed first-round draft pick David Espinosa, 18, a shortstop who hit .476 and stole 38 bases for Gulliver Prep in Miami, Fla., and second-round pick Dane Sardinha, 21, a catcher who hit .353 with 72 RBIs for Pepperdine University. Cincinnati also recalled LHP Hector Mercado from Triple-A Louisville and reinstated RHP Osvaldo Fernandez from 15-day disabled list (sore right elbow). ... Barry Larkin, batting .313, has not played since Sunday, when he left the game at Florida with a dislocated middle finger on his left hand.

Braves vs. Astros
Atlanta:The Braves have added four players to their roster: OF George Lombard, INF Steve Sisco, RHP Jason Marquis and C Mike Hubbard. ... Chipper Jones entered Friday hitting .429 against Houston pitching this season, while Brian Jordan was 1-for-13 (.077).Houston:Former starter Octavio Dotel filled the void left by injured closer Billy Wagner in the Astros bullpen. He didn't like it at first and he still wants to start. "I was mad," Dotel said. "I didn't want to be there long." Now, the position has grown on him. "I've had some good moments as a closer," Dotel said. "But I don't want to love that position too much. I love being a closer, but my future is as a starter. That's my true love."

Mets vs. Cardinals
New York:The Mets signed first-round pick Billy Traber, a left-handed pitcher from Loyola Marymount. Traber had a school-record 156 strikeouts in 123 2-3 innings last season as a junior. ... Entering the game, the Mets were second in the majors with 38 come-from-behind victories. Los Angeles led with 41. ... Mike Piazza entered the game with the top road average, .396, in the majors. ... Mike Hampton carries an 8-5 career record and 3.32 ERA against the Cardinals into Saturday's start.St. Louis: The Cardinals decided not to call up OF Esix Snead, who stole 109 bases for Class-A Potomac, to use as a pinch runner the final month. Instead, he'll play in the Arizona Fall League. ... Andy Benes, eligible to come off the DL Thursday from a knee injury, likely won't be activated until mid-September. The team wants to give him three or four starts before the playoffs to avoid aggravating the knee early. ... Darryl Kile goes for his 10th career victory against the Mets on Saturday. He's 9-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 16 starts, although he's 0-1 this year.

Brewers vs. Rockies
Milwaukee: INF Jose Hernandez was reinstated from his two-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis and activated him from the 15-day DL. He had been sidelined with a strained lower back. ... Milwaukee recalled INF Lou Collier from Double-A Huntsville. ... C Robinson Cancel was reinstated from his rehab assignment and optioned to Huntsville. ... The Brewers extended their working agreements with Beloit of the Class-A Midwest League and Ogden of the Pioneer League through 2002. ... Milwaukee compiled its first winning month (14-13) of the year in August and the first since Sept. 1999 when the Brewers went 17-13. The Brewers hadn't had a winning August since 1995 when they were 16-14. ... Jeromy Burnitz needs 22 RBIs in the remaining 29 games to become the first Brewer to have 100 RBIs in three consecutive seasons. ... Curtis Leskanic has converted all eight save opportunities since taking over the closer role when Bob Wickman was traded to Cleveland.Colorado: RHP Kevin Jarvis and RHP Jerry Dipoto were activated from the DL. ... OF Carlos Menodoza was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs and INF Elvis Pena was recalled from Double-A Carolina. ... Larry Walker will take batting practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and manager Buddy Bell said he would make a decision whether to activate the right fielder, who has been bothered all season with an injured right elbow. ... Neifi Perez has gone 3-for-26 in his past five games. ... The Rockies' 18-11 record in August was the team's best for that month in team history. ... Colorado's bullpen gave up only two runs and nine hits and only a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings of work on its recent six-game road trip. ... Todd Helton could go 0-for-116 over the remainder of the season to finish at .316 and above his career average of .315.

Phillies vs. Dodgers
Philadelphia: The Phillies recalled C Gary Bennett and RHP Cliff Politte from Triple-A Scranton. ... RHP Wayne Gomes remained at home with wife Melissa because their newborn son, Miles, is undergoing eye surgery. ... RF Bobby Abreu took a 102-game errorless streak into Friday.Los Angeles:The Dodgers activated INF Chris Donnels from the 15-day DL. They also called up C Paul LoDuca and LHP Onan Masaoka from Triple-A Albuquerque and purchased the contract of RHP Luke Prokopec from Double-A San Antonio. ... LF Gary Sheffield, who did not make the last trip with the team because of the flu, was slated to return to the lineup against the Phillies. Sheffield has missed 11 games, five of them as he served a suspension for his role in the Dodgers' brawl with fans at Wrigley Field on May 16. The Dodgers were 8-3 while Sheffield was absent, but before that stretch, they were 0-5 this season without him in the lineup.

Cubs vs. Giants
Chicago: INF Jose Nieves was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Nieves, the Cubs' opening day starter at shortstop, was optioned to Iowa on Aug. 22. Nieves has played 32 games at third base, 20 at shortstop and three at second base. ... OF Sammy Sosa has 24 homers in his last 49 games entering Friday. During that span, he has hit .342 (64-for-187) and driven in 53 runs. In 63 games away from Wrigley Field, Sosa has batted .329 with 25 homers and 70 RBIs. ... OF Ross Gload became the 45th player the Cubs have used this season when he made his major league debut on Thursday. The club record for players in a season is 49 in 1966. ... The Cubs finished August with a 9-20 record, their worst of the season.San Francisco: RHP Robb Nen signed a $32.5 million, four-year contract extension through the 2004 season. "We have a great chance at the postseason and I didn't want it to be a distraction," Nen said. ... OF Armando Rios won't be available to the Giants for a couple of days after injuring his left knee and left elbow when he slammed into the fence at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on Thursday making a spectacular catch. "The next time I'll tell myself not to be so stupid," Rios said. ... The Giants added seven players as rosters were expanded for September: C Scott Servais, RHPs Miguel Del Toro and Ryan Vogelsong, INFs Pedro Feliz, Damon Minor and Juan Melo; and OF Terrell Lowery.

Marlins vs. Diamondbacks
Florida: The Marlins activated SS Alex Gonzalez, who had missed 31 games while recovering from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. ... RF Mark Kotsay was a last-minute scratch from the lineup Friday because of a bruised right shin. He was replaced by Mark Smith. ... The Marlins plan to recall RHP Brad Penny from a rehab assignment at Triple-A Calgary on Tuesday. Manager John Boles said Penny, a former Arizona minor league sensation who was part of the trade that brought closer Matt Mantei to the Diamondbacks, will start against Arizona next Friday in Miami.Arizona: The roof at Bank One Ballpark was open Friday for the first time since June 20. ... The Diamondbacks activated RHP Todd Stottlemyre (elbow tendinitis) and INF Danny Klassen (right big toe sprain) from the DL. Stottlemyre is to start against the Marlins on Sunday. ... As part of its September roster expansion, Arizona recalled OF Rob Ryan and C Rod Barajas from Triple-A Tucson.

Pirates vs. Padres
Pittsburgh: 1B Alex Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A Nashville and was inserted into the starting lineup replacing Kevin Young, who has a strained groin muscle. The Pirates also called up utilityman John Wehner and right-handed pitcher Matt Skrmetta. 3B Enrique Wilson is still nursing a sprained right ankle and 3B Mike Benjamin sat out for the second straight game while recovering from back spasms. ... A schedule quirk has the Pirates making their only visit to San Diego 132 games into the season.San Diego: RHP Jay Witasick was fully recovered one day after giving the Padres a scare when he came out of Thursday's game at Chicago. Witasick removed himself after pitching five innings in hot, humid weather. Witasick was nauseous and lost vision in both eyes. When his blood pressure stayed elevated more than 20 minutes after he came out of the game, Witasick was sent to a Chicago hospital. Tests came back negative and Witasick was feeling fine before Friday's game. He is not expected to miss his next start. ... C Ben Davis was activated from the DL. Davis (right oblique injury), the Padres' No. 1 choice and second overall in the 1995 draft, has hit only .149 with one home run and five RBI in 25 games. The Padres also recalled RHP Will Cunnane from Triple-A Las Vegas.