BALTIMORE: With the 7-4 win against rookie Jeremy Sowers and the Indians on Saturday night, the Orioles improved to 8-22 against left-handers compared to 32-26 in games started by right-handers. ... When 2B Brian Roberts stole third base in the first inning, it made the Orioles 78-for-93 (.839) in steal attempts, the best percentage in the league. ... The Orioles have already allowed seven grand slams, two shy of the team mark set in 2000. ... After hitting 57 homers in their first 41 games, the Orioles hit only 29 in their next 41.
CLEVELAND: Rookie OF Franklin Gutierrez is hitting .350 (14-for-40) over his last 12 games after going 3-for-26 (.115). ... OFs Todd Hollandsworth and Casey Blake are both targeting the first game after the All-Star break for their return from injuries. Hollandsworth, batting .464 (13-for-28) with three homers and 11 RBIs during a current seven-game hitting streak, has missed three games with a strained right hamstring. Blake has been out since June 16 with a strained muscle in his side. ... The 9-0 win Friday night gave the Indians 19 games of nine or more runs, the most in the majors. ... All-Star CF Grady Sizemore has started 119 consecutive games. ... 2B Ronnie Belliard went 1-for-5 Saturday night and is hitting .318 (57-for-179) with six homers and 26 RBIs over his last 47 games.
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NEW YORK: RHP Kris Wilson will make his first start for the Yankees on Sunday. Wilson, called up from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, is replacing RHP Shawn Chacon in the rotation. ``I appreicate the opportunity,'' Wilson said. ``It's a great opportunity. It's fun. I'm going to go after them and throw strikes.'' ... Bernie Williams made his ninth start of the season in center field. Johnny Damon, who has been out of the lineup three straight games with a right side injury, has started 72 games in center.
TAMPA BAY: Manager Joe Maddon thinks the Devil Rays have made strides in a number of important areas, however one point of concern heading into the All-Star break is a lack of timely hitting with runners in scoring position. They were 0-for-8 in those situations during Friday night's 1-0 loss to the Yankees. ``How you beat better teams in taking advantage of those moments. ... We absolutely have to get better at that,'' Maddon said. ... LF Carl Crawford has reached 100-plus hits before the All-Star break for the third straight season. No other Tampa Bay player has done it more than once.
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TORONTO: 3B Troy Glaus, an All-Star selection, was not in the lineup on Saturday as he was rested because of sore legs. Shea Hillenbrand replaced him, making his 15th start at third base. ... Manager John Gibbons returned to the club on Saturday after missing the previous two games to be with his seriously ill father in San Antonio. Gibbons' flight was delayed to Kansas City and he did not arrive until about two hours before the first pitch at Kauffman Stadium. The Blue Jays were 0-2 under bench coach Ernie Whitt in Gibbons' absence. ... C Gregg Zaun became the first Blue Jays player ejected from a game this season when he was thrown out by plate umpire Andy Fletcher in the ninth inning of the 13-3 loss Friday night. Zaun was in the dugout when he was ejected. ``I was chirping all night,'' Zaun said Saturday about the Blue Jays not getting any ``close calls'' on balls and strikes.
KANSAS CITY: Manager Buddy Bell has set his rotation for after the All-Star break. He said RHP Brian Duckworth would start on Thursday at Detroit, the first game back. LHP Mark Redman, the Royals' lone All-Star selection who is 6-0 in his past seven starts, would start on Friday, while LHP Jimmy Gobble and RHP Scott Elarton would start the final two games against the Tigers. He said RHP Luke Hudson, who won his first start on Friday, would make his next start on July 17, the first game of a series at Boston. ... C Paul Phillips, who was promoted Saturday, hit .251 in 70 games with Class AAA Omaha, but only .200 in 22 games in June. Phillips replaces C Paul Bako, who went on the disabled list with a partially torn right oblique muscle.
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MINNESOTA: RHP Carlos Silva's strained right knee felt better on Saturday with reduced soreness and swelling. Silva left Friday night's start against Texas in the second inning with a twisted knee when he caught his spikes on the mound. Silva still has an MRI set for Monday. ... If Silva has to go on the DL, manager Ron Gardenhire said RHP Kyle Lohse is a prime candidate to rejoin the rotation. After being bumped from the rotation, Lohse has pitched well in long relief, allowing two runs over 7 2-3 innings in his last two stints out of the bullpen. The Twins are also looking for a fifth starter and will probably bring up a pitcher from the minors after the All-Star break.
TEXAS: Rookie LHPs John Rheinecker and John Koronka were starting in consecutive starts for the Rangers this weekend to end the first half of the season. But after the All-Star break, manager Buck Showalter may split the lefties up, inserting right-hander John Wasdin between them. The Rangers could start the second half with the rotation of Vicente Padilla, Kevin Millwood, Rheinecker, Wasdin and Koronka. If RHP Adam Eaton's recovery from surgery goes well, it could work out that he's ready to take over Wasdin's spot and make his Texas debut July 26 against the New York Yankees. ... Regular starting C Rod Barajas may be getting an extended break. Barajas wasn't in the starting lineup Saturday night, and Showalter indicated Gerald Laird might also start Sunday's game, the last one before the All-Star break. That would mean five straight days off for Barajas.
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BOSTON: RF Trot Nixon had two nice catches, none more important than his diving grab of Paul Konerko's foul fly with the bases loaded in the seventh. He made the catch as Red Sox infielders Mark Loretta and Kevin Youkilis collided chasing the ball down the right-field line. ``I tried to call off the infielders at the last second. I was able to catch it. I thought Mark did a good job of jumping in the air and trying to get out of the way,'' Nixon said. ... . Alex Cora started at shortstop Saturday in place of Alex Gonzalez. Cora got the start because manager Terry Francona wanted another left-hander in the game to help balance the lineup. Cora responded with two hits and a walk. ... The Red Sox have won 17 of their last 21, outscoring opponents 144-78. ... Closer Jonathan Papelbon has still not allowed a run on the road in 26 2-3 innings this season. ... The Red Sox's 53-32 record is their best through 85 games since 1986 when they were 55-30. ... David Ortiz now has 150 homers with the Red Sox, giving him sole possession of 15th place on the team's career list.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Manager Ozzie Guillen chatted briefly with Red Sox ace Curt Schilling before Saturday's game. Schilling had asked to speak to Guillen to say there were no hard feelings about being left off the AL All-Star team. ``I appreciated that,'' Guillen said. Schilling will start against the White Sox on Sunday, facing Jose Contreras, who has won 17 straight regular-season decisions and will be on the AL team. ... OF Jermaine Dye had his 13th career multihomer game and third this season. ... Jim Thome has at least 30 homers for the 10th time in his career. ... RHP Freddy Garcia has given up nine earned runs and 18 hits over 11 innings in his last two starts. ... Guillen used starter Jon Garland in relief. One reason is that Garland will have a long layoff with the All-Star break and won't pitch until July 18 when the White Sox begin a crucial series in Detroit.
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LOS ANGELES: SS Orlando Cabrera said he wasn't pressing during his last at bat on Friday night. He fouled out in the eighth inning and went 0-for-4, ending his remarkable streak of reaching base 63 games in succession. That's the longest streak since Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who holds the record at 84 set in 1949. Overall, Cabrera has reached base safely in 78 of his 83 games. ``I wanted to keep doing it but at some point it had to be over,'' Cabrera said. ``It can't last forever. Now I can relax and just hit. There were a couple of times when the streak was a distraction.'' ... 3B Dallas McPherson and 1B Casey Kotchman are within a week of beginning a rehab assignment. McPherson has been out since June 22 and Kotchman hasn't played since May 9.
OAKLAND: LHP Joe Kennedy will throw a simulated game on Sunday and likely start a rehab assignment during the All-Star break. He hasn't pitched in a game since May 9. RHP Jay Witasick, out since June 19, may join him if he's healthy enough. ... RHP Esteban Loaiza is slated to start Thursday's game in Boston to start the second half. He will be followed by RHP Dan Haren and either LHP Barry Zito or RHP Joe Blanton depending on how Zito is used in the All-Star game. ... OF Milton Bradley went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his first rehab game. He'll join Stockton of the California League when Triple-A and Double-A teams take their break along with the majors. ... Manager Ken Macha suggested that that divisional play take place not only in April and September, but also around the All-Star break. ``If we played each in a series just before the All-Star break and then again just after the break it would be convenient.'' ... The A's have not been in first place at the break since 1990. The seven times they were in first at the break (1971-75, 1988, 1990) the A's have gone on to win the division.
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DETROIT: Manager Jim Leyland crossed the field before batting practice to meet Seattle OF Ichiro Suzuki for the first time this weekend. ``I shook hands, said hello,'' Leyland said. ``I said I'd be riding on the same plane with him back to Pittsburgh Sunday night.'' Leyland is going to his offseason home in the city during the All-Star break. Suzuki will be going for his sixth consecutive All-Star Game on Tuesday. ... OF Magglio Ordonez didn't exactly sound thrilled when asked about being added Friday to the AL All-Star team as an injury replacement. ``I'm looking forward to going back there to relax, see everybody again and have a good time,'' Ordonez said flatly. One of those he will see again is his former Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who selected his former White Sox teammate and fellow Venezuelan to replace Boston's Manny Ramirez on the AL roster. Guillen spewed a profanity-filled tirade last season after Ordonez referred to him as the enemy. ... The last time the Tigers were 58-28, as they were entering Saturday, the 1984 team won the World Series.
SEATTLE: Manager Mike Hargrove shooed away the Japanese media surrounding OF Ichiro Suzuki after his third consecutive hitless game late Friday and then told the All-Star he would be the DH Saturday - and not in RF for the first time this season. ``Just to get him off his feet. He's played every game all year,'' Hargrove said. Suzuki's last string of three straight hitless games in mid-April left him at .177. He began Saturday batting .347, after a season-high .367 on June 14. ... Suzuki's move put Carl Everett in RF for the first time since last Aug. 28, when he was with the White Sox. Everett, platooning as the DH this season, shagged fly balls with Suzuki in RF before last month's nine-game interleague interlude and said, ``I can play the outfield.'' ... Seattle entered Saturday batting .167 (6-for-36) with runners in scoring position on its 1-6 homestand. The Mariners had scored one run in their last two games. They had been shut out a major league-high 10 times this season.
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SAN DIEGO: C Mike Piazza made an unexpected return to the lineup Saturday. Piazza tweaked his right knee at Philadelphia on Thursday, but it felt better after a day's rest. ``He's ready to go. He didn't want to miss all three games,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. Piazza will sit out Sunday's series finale, the last game before the All-Star break. ... Bochy is resetting his rotation following the break. Chris Young will start the first game, followed by Chan Ho Park, Woody Williams and Clay Hensley. ... Trevor Hoffman, Scott Linebrink and Dave Roberts were among a group that visited wounded soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
WASHINGTON: RHP Livan Hernandez's first start after the All-Star break has been pushed back two days so he can rest his ailing knee. Hernandez was originally scheduled to pitch the first game after the layoff on Friday. Instead, he will work on Sunday, following RHPs Ramon Ortiz and Pedro Astacio. ... Manager Frank Robinson was asked if the Nationals have any chance of getting into the playoff race this season. ``What I've been trying to do is focus on us getting to .500,'' he answered. ``That is the first goal.'' ... OF Marlon Anderson is sidelined with a strained rib cage muscle.
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PITTSBURGH: After beating the Phillies on Friday night, RHP Ian Snell became the first Pirates pitcher since Jeff Suppan in 2003 to win eight games by the All-Star break. Snell's seven innings pitched was the first time since June 18 a Pittsburgh starter worked more than six. ... All-Star OF Jason Bay has the most RBIs before the break for a Pirates player since Brian Giles had 72 in 2000. ... The Pirates send LHP Zach Duke (5-7, 5.01 ERA) to the mound Sunday in the final game before the break. Duke tossed seven shutout innings and beat the Phillies last July.
PHILADELPHIA: OF Pat Burrell brought his English Bulldog, Elvis, to the game. Elvis walked around the clubhouse in a Burrell T-shirt. ... 2B Chase Utley singled in the first inning and extended his hitting streak to 14 games. ... Phillies bullpen coach Ramon Henderson, who pitched to Home Run Derby champion Bobby Abreu last season in Detroit, was asked to pitch in this years contest to Boston slugger David Ortiz. Henderson also is throwing to Phillies 1B Ryan Howard. Henderson said he wouldn't play favorites and groove pitches only to Howard. ``The whole thing is about the fans,'' he said.''
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FLORIDA: The four starting pitchers for Saturday's doubleheader were rookies: John Maine and Mike Pelfrey for New York and Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco for Florida. The last time two teams started four rookie pitchers in a doubleheader was Toronto at Milwaukee on Aug. 7, 1977. The Blue Jays started Jerry Garvin and Jim Clancy against the Brewers' Larry Sorenson and Moose Haas. Milwaukee swept the doubleheader. ... The Marlins have another doubleheader coming up at the end of the month, July 30 at Philadelphia.
NEW YORK: 1B Carlos Delgado is day to day with a bruised knuckle on his left hand. Delgado was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning of the Mets' 3-2 loss in the first game of their doubleheader. X-rays were negative. ... Mike Pelfrey is the first Mets pitcher to win his major league debut since Masato Yoshii did it on April 5, 1998. Yoshii pitched seven shutout innings, allowing three hits in a 7-0 victory over Pittsburgh. ... INF Jose Valentin's seven RBIs in the doubleheader's second game were the most by a Met since Todd Hundley had seven against San Francisco on May 18, 1996. Dave Kingman holds the franchise record, driving in eight against Los Angeles on June 4, 1976.
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CINCINNATI: C David Ross flew to Cincinnati Saturday morning for an MRI on the strained lower abdominal muscle he suffered Friday night. Team surgeon Dr. Joann Lohr will read the MRI on Sunday and perform an examination. Ross suffered the injury when he hit a double but could only jog to second base. Manager Jerry Narron said Ross has had previous problems in the abdominal area when he runs. ``We just want to make sure it's not a hernia or something,'' Narron said. ... Backup C Javier Valentin may catch for RHP Bronson Arroyo's start Sunday. Jason LaRue started Saturday night's game.
ATLANTA: RHP Chris Reitsma already has surgery scheduled for July 18, one day after his appointment with Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham. He just doesn't yet know what kind of surgery he will have. Reitsma already knows he won't pitch again this season, but he hopes the surgery will be an ulnar nerve transposition procedure, which would require a rehabilitation period of six months. Andrews could determine Reitsma needs Tommy John surgery, which would keep the right-hander out for a year. Reitsma was placed on the disabled list last Sunday for the second time this season with ulnar neuritis in his right arm, a condition that causes numbness in his fingers. He earlier was on the DL from June 12 until June 30. ... LHP Horacio Ramirez said Saturday the tightness in his right hamstring he felt Friday night should not cause him to miss a start. Ramirez has had two stints on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring this season, most recently from May 7 to May 27.
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CHICAGO: 1B Derrek Lee was back in the starting lineup Saturday. He did not play in Friday's game after starting 12 straight games since returning from the disabled list June 25, where he was sidelined with a fractured right wrist. In his 12 starts since the being activated, Lee has hit .304 (14-for-46) with a homer, four RBI, seven walks and seven runs scored. The team was 3-9 in Lee's first 12 games back. ... INF Todd Walker will be inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame on Monday. Walker, who was a first-team All-American two years in a row and led LSU to a national championship in 1993, will be just the second player in school history to receive the honor.
MILWAUKEE: 3B Corey Koskie was out of the lineup for the third straight game Saturday, with Jeff Cirillo making the start. Koskie suffered dizziness after taking a fall Wednesday while chasing a pop-up that bounced out of his glove and into the glove of SS Bill Hall. ... RHP Ben Sheets is scheduled to make his first rehab start Sunday for Triple A Nashville at Round Rock. Sheets has been on the disabled list since May 3 with shoulder tendinitis. ... Entering Saturday's game, the Brewers were just 3 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central. The last time the Brewers were within five games of first place at the All-Star break was 1983 when they were in the AL East. ... The Brewers drew more than 40,000 fans Saturday and are expecting another crowd in excess of 40,000 for the series finale on Sunday. In all, the four-game series against the Cubs is expected to draw more than 160,000 fans.
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ST. LOUIS: SS David Eckstein isn't sure why he's been struggling with his hitting lately. ``I've got to find a way to have better at bats,'' he said. ``I've been swinging at a lot of pitches I shouldn't have been swinging at.'' Eckstein batted .297 in June but is just 6-of-29 this month. He said he's just working to feel more comfortable at the plate and hopes to turn things around soon. ... Rookie pitcher Anthony Reyes has started two games against the Astros this season and recorded a no decision in both of them. ... Saturday's 10-inning win over the Astros was the seventh extra-inning game for the Cardinals this season.
HOUSTON: RF Lance Berkman was very upset after Houston squandered a two-run ninth inning lead in a 7-6 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. ``We haven't been executing the fundamentals of the game,'' he said. ``We're a team that has to play good defense and take advantage of every out that we can get.'' He thinks maybe the Astros don't have the right mind-set right now. ``I'm not directing this at any one person, but this team needs to get more of a killer instinct about it,'' he said. ... Berkman's 79 RBIs is the third highest first-half total in Astros history and three below the team record set by Jeff Bagwell in 1994. ... Saturday's game marked the first time this season that Roger Clemens did not get a decision. ... Brad Lidge's blown save was his fourth of the season. ... Mike Lamb was 3-for-5 on Saturday for his 20th multihit game of the season and his eighth since July 24.
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ARIZONA: OF Jeff DaVanon was in the leadoff spot and SS Craig Counsell in the No. 8 spot after both drove in two runs on Friday. ``I liked what I saw of Jeff and the plate discipline of Craig,'' manager Bob Melvin said. ``Why change a good thing?'' ... Melvin said he would finalize his post-All Star break rotation Sunday. ... OF Luis Gonzalez was given the day off. ... Melvin called closer RHP Jorge Julio, ``... a shutdown guy with a great arm.''
COLORADO: LHP Jeff Francis will start the first game after the All Star game in Cincinnati. RHP Jason Jennings and RHP Aaron Cook will follow. ... Due to the break, manager Clint Hurdle said RHP Josh Fogg would be available Sunday if needed. ... SS Clint Barmes was benched after an 0-for-4 night that included four strikeouts. Barmes is 2-for-12 for the homestand and is batting .206. ... RHP Jose Mesa entered the game unscored upon in 22 of 24 home games.
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SAN FRANCISCO: OF Barry Bonds didn't play Saturday because of soreness in his right knee, but hopes to start Sunday in the final game before the All-Star break. He said he twisted it on his first swing Friday night. ... OF Steve Finley hit a two-run triple in the ninth to complete the scoring in the Giants' 11-7 victory over the Dodgers. His 121 career triples are the most among active big-league players. ... Finley, who clinched the NL West title for the Dodgers in 2004 by hitting a ninth-inning grand slam against the Giants on the next-to-last day of the season, is just 4-for-36 against Los Angeles since the start of last season. ... LHP Noah Lowry's first career homer was just his third hit in 21 at_bats this year. He is 26-for-115 in his career for a .226 average.
LOS ANGELES: 2B Jeff Kent sat out his fifth game because of a strained muscle in his left side, and CF Kenny Lofton didn't play either. Lofton left Friday night's game with tightness in his right hamstring after running out a sacrifice bunt in the first inning. ... 1B Nomar Garciaparra singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. ... OF J.D. Drew went hitless in four official at_bats, ending his 13-game hitting streak. ... C Toby Hall had three hits and drove in three runs - his first RBIs since being traded to the Dodgers by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on June 27. ... Manager Grady Little said RHP Brad Penny might be used out of the bullpen Sunday. Penny, an NL All-Star, hasn't pitched since Wednesday, when he allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings. He has a 10-2 record and a 2.92 ERA. ... An announced crowd of 46,496 attended Saturday's game, lifting the season attendance at Dodger Stadium to 2,042,382 in 45 dates.
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