Spring training scoreboard

New York Yankees: Shortstop Derek Jeter is expected to miss at least five games because of a strained neck muscle.

	Jeter

Jeter was hurt while taking batting practice Sunday. After a couple rounds of batting practice, he felt pain on one swing.

"The good thing is, it's just a couple of days," Jeter said Monday when asked how long he will be sidelined. "It's like a charley horse in the neck."

First baseman Jason Giambi left Monday's 7-3 loss to a Minnesota Twins spilt-squad after his left leg stiffened in the upper 40 degree weather. Giambi missed two intrasquad games and two exhibition games last week because of left hamstring tightness.

"He didn't reinjure it," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He couldn't get it loose. My guess is Giambi would play if it was the regular season. I don't think it's a big concern."

Giambi will undergo treatment Tuesday and is expected to be out of action until at least Thursday.

Jeter has difficulty turning his head to the left. He first experienced some minor discomfort chasing a bloop hit Saturday.

"It was hard sleeping," Jeter said. "Every time you move a certain way, it cramped up."

Jeter had X-rays and an MRI exam Monday, and both were negative.

"It's not going to be a problem," Torre said. "It's just something that will take a few days."

Jeter hit .311 with 21 homers and 74 RBIs last season after missing most of spring training with shoulder and quadriceps injuries.

Reliever Ramiro Mendoza also underwent an MRI after experiencing neck stiffness over the weekend.

"It's better from yesterday to today," Torre said. "I expect he'll throw in the next couple days."

	Wells

In other Yankees news, David Wells allowed one run over two innings in his first game action since last July as the Yankees lost to a Minnesota Twins spilt-squad 7-3 Monday.

Wells had back surgery July 17. The only hit he allowed was a second-inning homer by Matt LeCroy.

"A long time waiting," Wells said. "I felt good. I'm excited. I can't wait to get to get out there again."

The Twins scored four unearned runs in the fifth off Mike Stanton. One run scored on third baseman Drew Henson's throwing error, and Jay Canizaro had a two-run double.

Henson finished with three errors.

Wells struck out one, throwing 16 of 24 pitches for strikes. He broke the bat of Luis Rivas with his first pitch.

"It's step one," Torre said. "If he's healthy, you pretty much know what he brings to the table."

Wells went 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 16 games last season for the Chicago White Sox. He signed a $7 million, two-year contract during the offseason.

"Today was a good day to test out the back," Wells said. "To me, it's something in the back of my mind I don't have to worry about. As long as I work hard, I don't think I'll have any problems."

	Escobar

Cleveland Indians: The Indians got a scare when rookie outfielder Alex Escobar strained his left knee ramming into the center field wall to catch Rob Mackowiak's fly ball in the fourth inning of Monday's game against the Pirates. Escobar crumpled to the warning track and stayed there for several minutes before leaving on a golf cart.

Escobar, a top prospect acquired with Earl Snyder from the Mets in the Roberto Alomar trade, will have an MRI test within the next day that likely will determine how long he will be out.

Oakland Athletics: Left fielder David Justice isn't too worried about the tightness in his left hamstring.

	Justice

Justice left Oakland's 11-1 victory over Anaheim on Sunday after trying to score from second on Terrence Long's single in the first. Justice, who had stolen second minutes before, said he'll proceed with caution.

"There's no point in trying to do too much on March 3," said Justice, who has never had troubles with that hamstring before.

Justice sat out Monday's game with Seattle, but did participate in morning drills.

	Guerrero

Montreal Expos: In their first matchup since Jeffrey Loria sold the Expos and bought the Florida Marlins, Vladimir Guerrero hit a long homer off highly touted rookie Josh Beckett in Montreal's 4-3 victory.

Just before the start of spring training last month, Loria bought the Marlins from John Henry for $158.5 million and sold the Expos to the other 29 major league teams for $120 million. Henry headed the group that last week purchased the Boston Red Sox for $660 million.

As part of the shuffle, manager Jeff Torborg and his staff switched from the Expos to the Marlins, who are 0-4 this spring.

Torborg visited with his former players before the game.

"It was good to see them all," he said.

The announced attendance was 1,756, but an informal head count tallied fewer than 1,000. The temperatures was 57 degrees at game time.

New York Mets: The Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers didn't wait until the regular season to get into a beanball war.

Each team took a turn in hitting a star player in the Dodgers' 9-4 victory Monday in a spring-training game.

Mets left-hander Mark Guthrie threw a couple of pitches inside to Brian Jordan -- the first Dodgers hitter after New York catcher Mike Piazza was struck on the left forearm by Eric Gagne in the fourth inning.

Jordan was brushed back by one pitch, and the second grazed him on the leg.

After the game, Jordan accused Mets manager Bobby Valentine of ordering Guthrie to retaliate for the pitch that left Piazza with a welt.

"Why would I do that?" Valentine said. "How exactly did I do that, before he got to the mound or after he got to the mound?

"I heard he (Jordan) was standing in back of the batter's box jumping away from the pitches before they were thrown. Maybe he thought he was supposed to get hit."

After Jordan was hit, first-base umpire Bruce Froemming issued a warning.

Valentine and Piazza both said they weren't aware of any reason Gagne would target the All-Star.

"I think he threw a pitch that got away from him and threw it inside," Valentine said of Gagne. "I don't know if there's any history there or anything, I didn't totally evaluate that and I'm not going to over-evaluate that."

In response to Jordan's charges, Valentine said there might be other reasons why Guthrie threw inside to the former Atlanta Braves outfielder.

"I wouldn't think it would have anything to do with him (Jordan) hitting pitches out over the plate," Valentine said. "A line drive his first time up for a double on a ball out over the plate, a line drive to right field on the next pitch out over the plate, last year he hit 5-for-7 on pitches out over the plate in his last seven at-bats.

"So I don't think pitching him inside had anything to do with that."

Minnesota Twins: Center fielder Torii Hunter is expected to miss two to three days because of a sore right shoulder, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported Monday. Hunter said the soreness had been increasing in recent days, leading to the decision to rest him.

	Hunter

Also on the Twins' injury list: