The Associated Press

BRADENTON, Fla. - Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Pokey Reese will have X-rays on his injured right index finger Monday, but he expects to be back in the lineup by the middle of next week.

Reese hurt the finger in late January by closing the back door of his SUV on it. He has missed the first three games of spring training and is wearing a bandage on the finger.

"It's no big deal and I'd probably be playing if this were the regular season," Reese said. "Don't worry - I'll play in a game this year. I'll be good to go very soon."

Reese was limited to 119 games last season because of a variety of nagging injuries.

TWINS: Left-hander Eric Milton is optimistic that the arthroscopic surgery he'll have on his left knee next week won't affect his season.

"I've got to take care of it, I guess. There's nothing I can do," said the pitcher, who seemed in decent spirits Saturday. "It just popped up the last couple days. I thought it was going to get better."

Milton, who had a torn meniscus in the knee surgically repaired in August, admitted he hasn't felt completely healthy since the initial operation.

BRAVES: Chipper Jones' left thumb was feeling better Saturday, though not enough for him to play.

The Atlanta Braves left fielder was hurt Friday while making a diving catch. He sprained the thumb on his glove hand when he slammed into the ground.

"It's gotten better just during the course of the day with the treatment he's doing," said Dr. Joe Chandler, the team physician. "He's got very little swelling today, which is a great sign."

BLUE JAYS: Infielder Mike Moriarty was taken to a hospital Saturday after being hit in the left side of the head by a pitch from Tampa Bay right-hander Seth McClung.

Moriarty walked off the field under his own power and was taken to Bayfront Medical Center for observation after he appeared to be struck on the edge of the left side of his batting helmet.

GAME REPORT: Jeff Bagwell hit a two-run homer off Roger Clemens in his first at-bat of spring training to lead the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees 4-2.

Clemens said he was experimenting with a changeup on Bagwell's homer. He allowed three hits in two innings.

"One down, five to go," Clemens said. "Everything went pretty much as planned. I'll try to go a little further next time."

• Greg Maddux pitched two scoreless innings and the Atlanta Braves played to a 2-2 tie with the New York Mets in a split-squad game.

The game was called after the 10th inning because the Mets ran out of pitchers.

• Javier Vazquez pitched three shutout innings and Scott Hodges hit a two-run homer in the eighth to send the Montreal Expos to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Vazquez, the Expos' No. 1 starter, faced only 10 batters in his first outing, allowing two hits.

• Rookie infielders Jhonny Peralta and Travis Hafner each hit three-run homers as the Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 13-8.

The Indians did not take it easy on Steve Avery in his first appearance against major-league hitters in two years. They scored five runs on four hits and a walk in less than four innings.

"That's just not going to cut it," Tigers manager Alan Trammell said. "He knows it, we know it and everybody knows it."

• Roy Halladay needed only 22 pitches to breeze through the first two innings of the Toronto Blue Jays' exhibition opener, a 2-0 win in 10 innings over the Devil Rays.