AMERICAN LEAGUE
Twins at Tigers
Minnesota: Doug Mientkiewicz, who batted .414 with two game-winning homers for the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, was recalled by the Twins and in the lineup at first base for Friday night's game at Detroit. Mientkiewicz spent the entire season with Triple-A Salt Lake City, where he batted .334 with 18 homers and 96 RBIs. ... 2B Jay Canizaro remained day-to-day after he was accidentally hit in the head by a pitch during batting practice Thursday at Cleveland. Detroit: OF Juan Encarnacion was back in the lineup Friday after missing Thursday's game at Kansas City with a strained left shoulder. Manager Phil Garner said Encarnacion has been playing with the injury for several weeks and it might require offseason surgery. ... The Tigers entered Friday with 15 shutout losses, the most for any non-expansion team since the 1995 St. Louis Cardinals were blanked 19 times. The time Detroit was shut out more often was 1976, when it was blanked 19 times.

Blue Jays at Indians
Toronto: 1B Carlos Delgado won't win the Triple Crown, but with two more extra-base hits he'll become the 12th player in history with 100 in a season. He'll be the first in the AL since Albert Belle did it for Cleveland in 1995. Colorado's Todd Helton became the third NL player to do it earlier this week. ... Toronto manager Jim Fregosi was also on hand the last time the Blue Jays were beaten by 22 runs. On Thursday night, they were thumped 23-1 by Baltimore. In 1979, Fregosi managed an Angels team that beat the Blue Jays 24-2. ... The Blue Jays' 95 errors entering Friday night were the second fewest in the AL to Cleveland's 72. Cleveland: The Indians' 4-3 loss to Minnesota on Thursday night was just the latest heartbreaker Cleveland manager Charlie Manuel has had to swallow. He couldn't sleep, and after being awakened by a 6 a.m. phone call, he spent the morning "drinking coffee and thinking" about what he could have done differently. Manuel laughed when he was told that some of his decisions -- pinch-hitting for Omar Vizquel in the 10th, playing rookie Chan Perry -- were being second-guessed all over town. "That's all right," he said. "`If' is a big word." ... 1B David Segui was back in the starting lineup at DH for Friday night's series opener against Toronto. Segui has a sore left after fouling a ball off it on Tuesday. He already has a broken plate in the foot. If Segui can't play another game at first base this season, he'll finish with no errors in 617 chances over 73 games. ... 3B Travis Fyman, the Indians' most consistent player all season, entered Friday batting .500 (23-for-46) in his last 15 games.

Yankees at Orioles
New York: RHP Jason Grimsley planned to travel back to New York on Saturday to have an MRI on his ailing sore elbow. ... Derek Jeter was one hit away from recording his third straight 200-hit season, becoming only the third Yankee to do so. ... The Yankees have lost a franchise-record eight games by at least 10 runs. ... New York was seeking to snap a six-game road losing streak. ... Denny Neagle said he hoped to pitch a couple of innings of relief this weekend as a tuneup for the playoffs. Baltimore: Mike Mussina will make his final start of the season, and perhaps with the Orioles, on Saturday. Mussina becomes a free agent after the season. ... Baltimore has set a club record with 304 doubles, eclipsing the mark of 299 set in 1996 and 1999. ... Albert Belle, singled in a run in the second inning, giving him 100 RBIs for the ninth straight season. ... The Orioles needed to win two of three from New York to avoid losing 90.

Red Sox at Devil Rays
Boston: GM Dan Duquette met with reporters before the game and said it was premature to comment on potential offseason moves because the Red Sox, at the time, were still alive in the playoff race. ... RHP Tom Gordon, who is rehabbing from right elbow surgery at the team's complex in Fort Myers Fla., said he has not been told if the Red Sox plan on picking up his option for the 2001 season. Gordon could begin throwing to hitters in the next 2-3 weeks. ... Manager Jimy Williams said OF Carl Everett (left ankle) is not available this weekend. ... Additional tests on INF Manny Alexander found torn cartilage in his right knee. ... RHP Hipolito Pichardo has been shutdown for the rest of the season because of right forearm discomfort. ... Williams has not announced his starter for Sunday game. RHP Pedro Martinez, who was originally scheduled to start, continued his normal between starts routine on Friday. Tampa Bay: Manager Larry Rothschild formally named RHP Cory Lidle as the starter for Monday's possible makeup game against Oakland. "The best way to look at is we're going to have a game," Rothschild said. "Most of the signs point to having a game Monday." ... Rothschild said OF/DH Greg Vaughn, who rejoined the team Thursday after missing four games to tend to a family illness, will return to the starting lineup Saturday. ... RHP Tanyon Sturtze (left oblique strain) said he doesn't expect to pitch again this season.

Royals at White Sox
Kansas City: RHP Mac Suzuki (8-10) was scratched from Sunday's start because of a tender shoulder and is done for the season. RHP Chris Fussell (4-3) will start in Suzuki's place and make his ninth start and 20th appearance. ... CF Johnny Damon tied a Royals club record when he scored his 133rd run. Willie Wilson set the mark in 1980. ... DH Mike Sweeney has a chance to post the second best batting average in franchise history. The club record is .390 set by George Brett in 1980. The next best mark is .335 by Brett in '85. Sweeney entered the weekend series with a .336 average. Chicago: Projected Game 1 starter LHP Mike Sirotka has a hyperextended left elbow and will test his arm by throwing on the side Saturday or Sunday. If he can't go, LHP Jim Parque will start Game 1. Either RHP Sean Lowe or RHP Cal Eldred could start Game 2, manager Jerry Manuel said. ... 2B Ray Durham, who collapsed on the field one week ago after a home-plate collision, returned to the lineup for the first time in a week. ... 3B Herbert Perry did not start because of a sore left hamstring. ... Jon Rauch, a White Sox minor league prospect who pitched for the gold medal winning U.S. Olympic team, will throw out the first pitch Sunday.

Angels at Mariners
Anaheim: Manager Mike Scioscia was happy for his former boss, Tommy Lasorda, in the wake of the United States winning the Olympics baseball gold medal. Lasorda was the Dodgers' manager when Scioscia was their catcher and Los Angeles won the World Series in 1998. "I can tell you that Tommy lives for the moment," Scioscia said. "There aren't too many people as patriotic as Tommy. When he says it's the biggest thrill of his life, you'd better believe it. I believe it." ... The Angels open the 2001 season on the road for the first time since 1994. They begin with two games at Boston, then play four at New York against the Yankees before they play at Anaheim on April 7 against the White Sox. ... Mo Vaughn was named Anaheim's finalist for the 2000 Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes the major league player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and individual contribution to his team. ... Darin Erstad received the Gene Autry Award as the Angels' MVP. Seattle: The Mariners added OF Anthony Sanders, a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. team in Sydney, from Triple-A Tacoma. ... The Mariners were 17-9 in September heading into Friday night's game at Anaheim, second in the AL behind Oakland's 19-7 for the month. Seattle needs to win two of its last three regular season games to match its best September ever, in 1998.

Rangers at Athletics
Texas: Rangers pitching coach Dick Bosman will not be back with the team next season, manager Johnny Oates said. Bosman, the Rangers' pitching coach for the past six years, was not with the team in Oakland for their three-game series against the Athletics. "He is not the reason that we have failed to perform up to expectations this season," Oates said. "However, I feel that we need to make improvement and progress in our overall pitching." ... Luis Alicea walked to lead off the first inning Friday, and left the game with a strained left calf. The injury had been bothering him prior to the game. Oakland: LF Ben Grieve was a late scratch from Friday night's lineup with a sore neck. The A's shifted rookie Terrence Long to left field and brought in Bo Porter to play center. ... The A's will make up their game in Tampa against the Devil Rays -- canceled by Hurricane Gordon -- under the following circumstances: The A's lead or trail Cleveland by a half-game in the wild card race; the A's trail Seattle by a half-game in the division race; the A's lead Seattle by a half-game in the division race and Cleveland is the wild card team. The game would not be played if the A's lead Seattle by a half-game in the division and Cleveland has been eliminated from the wild card.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Phillies at Marlins
Philadelphia: Bobby Abreu has reached base in 38 straight games, including a walk in the first inning Friday. ... Abreu stole his 26th base, giving the Phillies 100 for the season. Philadelphia leads the National League in stolen base percentage at 77. Florida: The Marlins have scored in the first inning in eight of the last 11 games. ... Luis Castillo led off the bottom of the first with a home run, his second of the season and fourth of his career. It also was his 100th run, making him only the second Florida player to score 100 runs in a season. ... Manager John Boles said he will use RHP A.J. Burnett on Monday if the Marlins have to play the Yankees in New York.

Cubs at Pirates
Chicago: Todd Van Poppel was scratched from Friday's scheduled start against the Pirates because of stiffness in his back. Jerry Spradlin took his place and made his first start after 309 career relief appearances in the major leagues. ... The Cubs signed right-hander Tim Worrell to a contract extension through the 2002 season with a club option for 2003. Worrell, 32, was signed as a minor league free agent for Triple-A Iowa on May 8 and his contract was purchased by the Cubs on May 27. In 52 relief appearances, he has a 3-4 record with a 2.51 ERA and three saves. Pittsburgh: OF Alex Ramirez probably won't play again this season. Ramirez fouled a ball off his ankle earlier this week and has been hobbled by the injury. ... INF Abraham Nunez's season ended early as well. Nunez went home to the Dominican Republic to be with his wife as they awaited the birth of their first child.

Expos at Mets
Montreal: OF Vladimir Guerrero had hit 13 home runs in September, a club record for any month. He was hitting .377 with 26 RBIs this month, entering Friday night's game. ... RHP Mike Thurman, Friday night's starter, has not won since Aug. 28. He is 0-4 with a 6.91 ERA in five starts since. ... The Expos had lost six in a row, and were in danger of tying their season high for consecutive losses. Montreal lost seven straight from June 25-Aug. 1, and from Aug. 11-17. ... Dave Van Horne, the team's original English-language radio voice, will broadcast his final game on Sunday after 32 years. Van Horne, a 1997 Canadian Sports Hall of Fame inductee, broadcast the Expos' first game -- at Shea Stadium on April 8, 1969. New York: Manager Bobby Valentine and GM Steve Phillips both said the team had not made final decisions on the rotation or the 25-man roster for the playoffs, which start Wednesday. Phillips, Valentine and Mets coaches met for about an hour Friday, and will meet again within the next three days to make final decisions. Phillips said none of the players have been told of the team's playoff plans. "Because it is a fluid process between now and Wednesday, we don't want that ebb and flow of emotion," Phillips said. "Also because once you put something in play, and then have to go and change it for whatever reason, it makes everyone think, `OK, now what's the plan?' This way, we'll stick to one plan and we'll announce it when Bobby's prepared to." ... OF Benny Agbayani, bothered by a sore hamstring, said he ran Friday before the game and felt ready to play. He will run the bases and slide on Saturday to further test the leg. Valentine said Agbayani might play Saturday and Sunday. ... Basketball Hall of Famer and former St. John's basketball coach Lou Carnesecca stopped by the Mets clubhouse before the game, and received the team's Spirit Award in a pregame on-field presentation. Carnesecca was an infielder on St. John's first College World Series team in 1949.

Rockies at Braves
Colorado: The Rockies finished with a 48-33 home field record, the fifth best in the NL, only the four playoff teams had better records at home. ... The Rockies were not shut out in any of their 81 home games for the first time in franchise history; Colorado has scored at least one run in a franchise-record 125 straight home games. The last time they were shut out in Denver was on July 4, 1999 by Atlanta's Andy Ashby, who was with the San Diego at the time. Atlanta: Since pulling his right quadriceps on Sept. 7, OF B.J. Surhoff has not started a game, making eight pinch-hitting appearances (0-for-7, 1 BB). He's listed as day-to-day and manager Bobby Cox has indicated he will be on the postseason roster. Before sitting out an Aug. 21 game at Colorado, Surhoff had the majors longest consecutive game playing streak at 445. ... John Rocker has not allowed a run in his last 11 games. He last allowed a run at Colorado on Aug. 22.

Brewers at Astros
Milwaukee: The Brewers are tied with Florida for the most wins in their last at bat with 23, four in their last 10 games. ... The Brewers are 63-33 when they score four or more runs, including 5-2 when they score four or more against Houston. Houston: After experiencing discomfort while throwing from the outfield Thursday, Moises Alou had an MRI on his right shoulder Friday and results were not immediately available. He was not in the starting lineup. ... Richard Hidalgo is only the second player in team history to hit 40 doubles and 40 home runs. Jeff Bagwell did it in 1997.

Reds at Cardinals
Cincinnati: Entering Friday's game, the Reds had not been shut out all season. Their 160-game streak tied the 1979 Brewers for the longest streak to begin a season. Since May 1, 1999, the Reds had been shut out only once in 302 games. The 1932 Yankees are the only major league team to finish a season without being shut out. ... The Reds lead the majors in road attendance and needed only 68,867 in the soldout final weekend in St. Louis to break the record of 2.9 million set by the Braves in 1993. ... Reds pitchers had 94 wild pitches, tied with the 1986 Rangers for the major-league record. Scott Williamson has a club-record 21 wild pitches. ... Scott Sullivan is one of only three Reds pitchers to throw 100 innings in relief three straight seasons. St. Louis: Manager Tony La Russa is playing it cagey regarding his plans for the postseason rotation. Beyond 20-game winner Darryl Kile in the opener, he said nothing has been decided. "Darryl is going to pitch the first one, wherever it's played," La Russa said. "After that we'll look around and see what makes the most sense." La Russa said it's not definite that Rick Ankiel, who broke Dizzy Dean's team rookie record with 194 strikeouts and has a staff-best 3.50 ERA, will be in the four-man rotation. Dean had 191 strikeouts in 1932. ... Prior to the game, the Cardinals honored their Triple-A Memphis affiliate, which won the Pacific Coast League championship. manager Gaylen Pitts and several players attended the game.

Giants at Diamondbacks
San Francisco: The Giants began the series one game better than Atlanta and St. Louis (95-64 to 94-65) and better than any AL team. San Francisco has not finished with the best record in the majors since 1962. The 1905, 1913 and 1924 Giants also had the best record in the majors. ... Closer Robb Nen came in with 40 saves, matching his career-high set in 1998. ... The Giants are 5-5 against Arizona this year, including a three-game sweep April 21-23 in their only series in Phoenix so far. It was their first sweep against the Diamondbacks. ... RHP Livan Hernandez, the starter, is 12-3 in San Francisco -- the most home wins by a Giants pitcher in 14 years -- but dropped an 8-3 decision to Arizona starter Brian Anderson on Sunday. Arizona: Manager Buck Showalter said he wouldn't feel better to knock NL West champions out of the home-field advantage. "Quite frankly, I'm pulling for the Giants, because they're in our division," Showalter said. "That's the team I'll be supporting in the playoffs. We play in a division that's 50-some games over .500, the toughest division in baseball. That's why it's so tough for the wild card to come out of our division." ... LF Luis Gonzalez has a franchise-best 46 doubles and 78 extra-base hits, two more than the franchise record set last year by Jay Bell and Steve Finley. ... The Diamondbacks were 38-43 on the road this year, far off their 48-33 record away from home in 1999.

Dodgers at Padres
Los Angeles: 3B Adrian Beltre did not start for the second straight game because of a bruised foot. ... The Dodgers need to win one of their final three games against San Diego to take the season series for the first time since 1995. San Diego: INF Damian Jackson missed the game as his wife, Tana, gave birth to a son, Elijah. ... The Padres' 247 wins against Los Angeles are the most against opponent in the team's 32-year history. ... Mike Darr and Jeremy Owens shared the Padres Minor League Player of the Year award. RHPs Brian Lawrence and Jacob Peavy were named co-Pitchers of the Year. Darr, who has hit .256 with one homer and 29 RBIs in two stints with the Padres this season, won the award for the second time.