By The Associated Press

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Reds-Expos

CINCINNATI: Kent Mercker was called for the Reds' first balk of the season. The left-hander's pickoff throw trapped Orlando Cabrera off first base, but umpire John Hirschbeck signaled a ball. Mercker, 1B Sean Casey and manager Bob Boone argued the call. ... Danny Graves remained 0-2 in four starts this year. This is his first season as a full-time starter and he's struggled with an 8.02 ERA. ... The Reds avoided matching their worst 19-game start since 1986, when they were managed by Pete Rose. ... As part of a local promotion, Austin Kearns was picked as MVP of the series. He homered in all three games, and received a framed picture. "I didn't even know they had it until I got called back onto the field," he said.

MONTREAL: Tony Armas Jr. gave up four home runs in a span of two innings. He had allowed more than two homers only once before in his career, last June 1 at Philadelphia. "You have to keep the ball down in this park, and today I couldn't do it," he said. ... Expos pitchers have given up 10 home runs in the last five games. They allowed only two homers in the first 14 games of the season. ... Endy Chavez hit Montreal's first leadoff home run since Brad Wilkerson did it last July 6 against the Phillies. ... Vladimir Guerrero donated 100 tickets to fans from his Dominican Republic for the game, and his fans sat behind him in the right-field bleachers. A few waved Dominican flags when he batted. He went 1-for-3 and scored a run.

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Cubs-Pirates

CUBS: RHP Bobby Brownlie, the Cubs' first-round pick in last year's amateur draft, is expected to make his pro debut Monday for Class A Daytona. ... The Cubs were denied only their second series sweep since 2001 when they lost the third and final game of the Pirates' series Sunday. ... Despite losing Sunday, the Cubs can match the club record for April victories by winning four of their remaining eight games this month. The 1969 Cubs won 16 games in April. ... The Cubs are 12-7, a reversal of their 7-12 of a season ago. ... Sammy Sosa is 4-for-12 with three homers and seven RBIs against Pirates RHP Josh Fogg, who allowed his first-inning homer Sunday.

PIRATES: GM Dave Littlefield said he won't overreact to the Pittsburgh Pirates' poor play of the last two weeks - a 5-9 record in their last 14 games - just as he didn't get too excited when they were 4-0. Littlefield isn't happy with the Pirates' sloppy defensive play (22 errors in their first 17 games), but is satisfied with the pitching. The starting staff has a 3.01 ERA. Littlefield also said the Pirates have too many proven hitters to keep struggling as they did while scoring more than three runs only once in a 13-game span. ... LF Brian Giles (knee) may return as early as the Pirates' April 29 game in San Diego. But the Pirates may not have a definite timetable for his return for another week. ... RHP Josh Fogg (strained oblique muscle) is questionable for Saturday's scheduled start against the Dodgers. He was lifted after one inning Sunday. He was hurt while batting in his previous start, but the Pirates didn't think the problem would keep him from starting against the Cubs.

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Marlins-Mets

FLORIDA: With Vance Wilson catching for the Mets, instead of Mike Piazza, Marlins were 0-for-1 in stolen base attempts after stealing four on Saturday (in six attempts) and 18 overall in the four previous games. ... Mike Redmond had 21 career hits in 40 at-bats (.525) against Tom Glavine but wasn't in the lineup. He pinch hit in the seventh inning and flied out. ... Marlins have not won a series at Shea since May 12-14, 2000, when they took two of three. ... Marlins went 243 at-bats without a homer before Derrek Lee lead off the fifth with a solo shot. ... The Marlins have 10 errors in 11 road games this season. ... Marlins relievers have allowed at least one run in five straight games.

NEW YORK: RHP Pedro Astacio reported to the Mets on Sunday after four appearances with Class-A St. Lucie on a rehab assignment. He remains on the 15-day disabled list but is expected to pitch this week. ... Glavine has won three straight decisions after losing the season opener. He is 15-12 vs. Florida. ... Glavine had gone nine regular-season starts without allowing a homer before Derreck Lee's drive in the fifth inning. ... Roger Cedeno doubled his RBI production in Sunday's game. He had only two RBIs in his first 16 games. ... Prior to Sunday's game, Vance Wilson had not homered since Sept. 8, 2002, at Philadelphia.

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Phillies-Braves

PHILADELPHIA: 2B Placido Polanco skipped batting practice because his injured right ring finger was still too sore to swing. Polanco missed his fifth straight game since being hit with a pitch from Florida's Josh Beckett. After Monday's off day, Polanco hopes he'll feel good enough to take batting practice Tuesday. If all goes well, he would like to return to the lineup that same night against Colorado. ... RHP Jose Mesa came into Sunday's game under unusual circumstances. The Phillies closer took over in the eighth inning with his team trailing 7-1. Mesa needed the work, having last pitched on Tuesday to earn a save against Florida. Mesa surrendered two hits and an unearned run in the mopup role. ... Former Philadelphia C Johnny Estrada didn't recognize ex-teammate Brandon Duckworth, who made his first start of the season for the Phillies. Coming off the DL, Duckworth gave up seven runs (six earned) in just 1 1-3 innings. "He looks like a different pitcher than the Brandon Duckworth I knew," said Estrada, who was traded to the Braves during the offseason and made his first appearance for his new team. "He doesn't look like a confident pitcher. He's the kind of guy who needs positive reinforcement." Duckworth had a different take. "It's tough, going out confident and not being able to locate your pitches," he said. "The next time out, I'm going to be a lot better."

ATLANTA: LF Chipper Jones was originally in the lineup, but a sore left shoulder forced the Braves to scratch him. Jones hurt the shoulder attempting to make a diving catch. The pain woke him up Sunday morning, and his wife had to help him get dressed to go to the ballpark, where he received a cortisone shot. "This might be a blessing in disguise because we have Monday off," Jones said. "I won't have to play until Tuesday night." The outfielder also has been bothered by a sore groin. "That gives me two, two and a half days to allow my groin to heal so I can be in the game. That's all I want." While Jones is off to a slow start (.254, two homers, 7 RBIs), he's still important to the lineup. "Me coming to the plate still has some clout to it," Jones said. "I can help out even if I'm not swinging the bat real well." ... C Johnny Estrada got word Saturday night that he was being called up to the Braves while playing a doubleheader for Triple-A Richmond. Estrada wasted no time getting to Atlanta, waking up at 5 a.m., catching a 7:20 a.m. flight and arriving at Turner Field around 10 a.m. "I was tired, boy, until I saw my name in the lineup," he said. Estrada went 0-for-4 but picked up his first RBI for the Braves with a first-inning groundout. "I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win," he said. "So far, I'm 1-0."

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Astros-Brewers

HOUSTON: After playing only NL West and Central opponents, the Astros start a streak of 12 straight games against the East on Tuesday when they play the New York Mets. ... OF Lance Berkman missed his fourth straight game because of a sprained ligament in his left elbow. He is day to day.

MILWAUKEE: 3B coach Rich Donnelly left in the fourth after feeling faint in the coaching box. He underwent several tests and the team said he was OK. ... CF Alex Sanchez was held out because of a bruised lower right leg. Sanchez fouled a ball off his leg in the eighth inning of Saturday's game. X-rays showed no major injuries, and Sanchez is day to day.

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Diamondbacks-Cardinals

ARIZONA: LHP Randy Johnson threw a side session Sunday and is scheduled to start Tuesday in Montreal. Johnson, 0-2 for only the second time in his career, missed his last start due to inflammation in his right knee. ... RHP Curt Schilling, who underwent an appendectomy on Saturday, remained hospitalized in St. Louis when the Diamondbacks left for Montreal Sunday night. He could join the team Monday. ... OF Danny Bautista hasn't played since leaving Wednesday's game against the Rockies with a strained right hip flexor. ... Backup 1B Mark Grace left with a slightly strained groin after five innings and was listed as day to day. He was hurt trying to hold back Cardinals C Mike Matheny during the fifth-inning brawl started by pitcher Miguel Batista and Cardinals 1B Tino Martinez. ... Closer Matt Mantei, who saved the last two games of the series, already has matched his career high with three victories, also achieved in 1998 with the Marlins.

ST. LOUIS: Jim Edmonds was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks to hike his NL-leading average to .444. He has reached in his last nine plate appearances and was 5-for-8 in the series. Edmonds is a career .344 hitter in April. ... Albert Pujols, limited to pinch hitting duties by a sprained right elbow since Friday, has a walk, a strikeout and a fly out in his first three pinch at-bats. ... Edgar Renteria entered the game with an NL-leading 11 multihit games. ... OF J.D. Drew took a 5:30 a.m. flight to join the team from Class A Palm Beach, where he had a rehab assignment. He was 0-for-3 in his season debut after offseason knee surgery to correct patella tendinitis.

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Padres-Rockies

SAN DIEGO: Manager Bruce Bochy was so frustrated after his team's 10-9 loss Saturday that he kicked a water cooler and yelled "I hate this place," referring to Coors Field. The Padres rallied from a 7-0 deficit to take an 8-7 lead, then allowed three runs in the ninth. ... San Diego will not play a NL West team again until May 23 against Arizona, a span of 28 days. ... LHP Jesse Orosco turns 46 on Monday and can become the 23rd major leaguer to play past that age in his next outing. The last player to play past his 46th birthday was Florida pitcher Charlie Hough in 1994.

COLORADO: The Rockies have scored in 296 straight home games, which the Elias Sports Bureau says is a record. The previous mark was 258 games set by the Boston Braves from 1892-96. The Rockies have not been shut out at Coors Field since San Diego's Andy Ashby did it July 4, 1999. ... The Rockies tied a team record for largest lead lost in a win on Saturday, rallying for a 10-9 victory after blowing a seven-run lead. Manager Clint Hurdle wasn't surprised the Padres came back, given the unpredictable nature of Coors Field. To me, 7-0 here isn't 7-0 other places. 7-0 here, you don't know," he said. "You are never going to take the heart out of a hitter in that other dugout. You have to take the heart out of the pitchers and that's what we did not do. That is one point that I am trying to be quite vocal about with our ballclub." ... Hurdle said Denny Neagle tested his sore right elbow in a bullpen session on Friday without any problems. He is expected to throw again on Tuesday. ... RHP Denny Stark is still getting treatment for his strained right oblique muscle and probably won't throw again for two weeks.

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Giants-Dodgers

SAN FRANCISCO: 1B J.T. Snow and CF Marquis Grissom were available Sunday, although manager Felipe Alou planned to rest both players after they were injured in Saturday night's game. Snow took a foul tip off the inside of his right knee, and Grissom hit his head in first-base collision with Dodgers 2B Jolbert Cabrera. ... LF Barry Bonds had yet to homer in the series with one game remaining, although he had an infield hit Saturday night. "They're keeping him from hitting home runs, but he's still scoring. So what?" Alou said. ... RF Jose Cruz Jr. is hitting fifth behind Bonds in the lineup and Alou is urging patience for anyone who follows Bonds. "They don't have to go swing at the first pitch every time," Alou said.

LOS ANGELES: LHP Odalis Perez, who has a sprained right ankle that caused him to miss one start, threw a 10-minute bullpen session Sunday. "I feel very good," he said. "Two days ago, it was pretty bad." Perez plans to throw another BP session Tuesday in Cincinnati, and said if things again go well, he could be ready to pitch Thursday or Saturday. ... RHP Kevin Brown also threw a BP session Sunday. ... Manager Jim Tracy said 2B Jolbert Cabrera was fine after colliding with Giants CF Marquis Grissom at first base Saturday night. ... Tracy gave SS Cesar Izturis and struggling 3B Adrian Beltre the day off Sunday.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Tigers-Royals

DETROIT: Manager Alan Trammell flip-flopped Gene Kingsale and Ramon Santiago in the batting order Sunday. Kingsale batted second for the first time this season, while Santiago moved to the ninth slot, where Kingsale had batted in seven of his previous 11 starts. ... After 17 games, the Tigers are hitting .180 with only 34 runs. They have only 23 extra-base hits and a .245 slugging percentage. Tiger hitters have struck out 120 times in 538 at-bats. ... LHP Mike Maroth, who did not walk a Royal in a complete-game loss Sunday, has walked only four in 31 2-3 innings in five starts.

KANSAS CITY: Carlos Beltran and Mike Sweeney went a combined 1-for-21 in the series against the Tigers, but the Royals swept the three games. ...The Royals are 11 games above .500 for the first time since Aug. 10, 1994, when they were 64-51. ... Angel Berroa extended his hitting streak to seven games, a career best. ... LHP Jeremy Affeldt became the second Royal to go on the DL this season. Affeldt is out with a blister on his middle pitching finger. Beltran started the season on the disabled list with a strained right oblique, but was activated Friday. The Royals called up reliever Jeremy Hill, who had an 8.10 ERA in seven appearances with Triple-A Omaha.

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Devil Rays-Orioles

TAMPA BAY: OF Ben Grieve was released Sunday from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he was hospitalized overnight with a right thumb infection. Grieve is expected to miss a week to 10 days, and the Devil Rays will probably place him on the disabled list - but not until returning home Tuesday. "We're going to have to do something. I don't know what," manager Lou Piniella said. "We'll wait until we get home." ... RHP Seth McClung's 4 2-3 innings of scoreless relief Sunday marked his longest outing of the year for a Devil Rays reliever. ... The Devil Rays recalled RHP Dewon Brazelton from Triple-A Durham to start Thursday against Toronto.

BALTIMORE: Bench coach Sam Perlozzo managed the Orioles on Sunday after manager Mike Hargrove left the club to be with his ailing mother. Hargrove left Sunday to travel to Perryton, Texas. Perlozzo managed the Orioles last July 18 in Toronto when Hargrove attended the funeral of Cleveland trainer Jim Warfield. Perlozzo is in his eighth season as an Orioles coach, his third as bench coach, and managed for five seasons in the New York Mets system. ... DH David Segui tested his strained right hamstring before Sunday's game, but is still day-to-day. ... Despite a home run and four RBIs Saturday, OF B.J. Surhoff was not in Sunday's lineup. With LHP Nick Bierbrodt pitching for Tampa Bay, left-handed hitting Surhoff was rested in favor of OF Melvin Mora, a right-handed hitter. Mora batted second with OF Gary Matthews Jr., the usual second hitter, moving to the third spot in the batting order. Mora homered in his first at-bat. "Gary batted there all last year. ... This is probably the least disruptive change we could make," Perlozzo said.

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Yankees-Twins

NEW YORK: OF Hideki Matusi was not in the starting lineup for the first time this season. But manager Joe Torre inserted him as a pinch-runner in the sixth, and he delivered a ground-rule double in the seventh to make it 8-1. Matsui has played in 1,268 straight games spanning his days with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Central League. "Regardless of the situation, I make sure to come prepared mentally and physically," he said. "I was happy to be able to play today and continue the streak." ... RHP Mike Mussina has won six regular season starts dating back to last season. His scoreless streak was snapped at 17 innings. ... Bernie Williams, who homered in Saturday's 4-2 win, has home runs in back-to-back games for the first time since last July when he did it against Boston.

MINNESOTA: The Twins officially activated RHP Mike Fetters from the 15-day DL. Fetters, an offseason addition, had been out with a strained hamstring. To make room for Fetters, the Twins optioned RHP Juan Rincon to Triple-A Rochester. The Twins originally anticipated sending down Tony Fiore. "Fiore, he's scuffling a little bit, but we're not giving up on Fiore yet," manager Ron Gardenhire said. ... Gardenhire was tossed from a game for the fifth time in his career for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Joe Brinkman. But Gardenhire and the players wouldn't talk about it after the game. "I had plenty of time to watch (Mike Mussina) on TV today and he's pitching as good as I've seen him." ... OF Dustan Mohr's bat is having a tough time coming around as of late. He entered the game as a pinch-hitter on Sunday, going 0-for-1. He's now 3-for-28. But, "that's the least of our concerns right now," Gardenhire said. "I'm trying to get everybody at-bats. Everybody knows his role up here."

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Blue Jays-Red Sox

TORONTO: In his first career major league start, Toronto RF Reed Johnson was hit twice, by Casey Fossum in the first inning and Ramiro Mendoza in the seventh. ... Eric Hinske's stolen base in the fourth inning was the first by a Blue Jays player this season. ... Roy Halladay is winless in five career starts at Fenway Park. He is 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA.

BOSTON: Boston's seven-game home winning streak at home is its longest since it won eight straight from April 19-May 4, 1994. ... Opponents have hit just .133 (6-for-45) against Red Sox relievers over the past five games. ... SS Nomar Garciaparra hit his third career walkoff homer. His last came on Sept. 2, 1998 vs. Seattle.

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Indians-White Sox

CLEVELAND: Manager Eric Wedge hopes that Karim Garcia found his way out of a slump Sunday. Garcia came into the game batting just .195 and .133 against lefties, but Garcia was able to breakout against LHP Mark Buehrle. He went 3-for-3 against the left-hander with two singles and a home run. "Karim was much better today," Wedge said. "This is a guy who's had a lot of success against left-handers in the past. He's really worked hard in his approach. "Garcia's home run in the fourth gave the Indians their first three-homer game of the season. ... OF Milton Bradley had a tough time fielding flyballs in center field on Saturday and Sunday in Chicago. Bradley misjudged Paul Konerko's fly ball in the sixth inning, which turned into an RBI double. "We've addressed it. He's having trouble picking them up or judging them," Wedge said. "It's something he's working on and will continue to work on." Bradley is hitting .517 (15-for-29) against lefties this season. ... Omar Vizquel grounded into three double plays Sunday, tying a club record by John Ellis on April 29, 1975, at Yankee Stadium. ... Ellis Burks and Shane Spencer hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, the first time Cleveland has done that this year.

CHICAGO: DH Frank Thomas failed to reach base for the first time this season ending his consecutive game streak at 16 games. Thomas went 0-for-4, dropping his average to .218. Despite 17 walks this season Thomas is struggling at the plate. The White Sox brought in former White Sox hitting coach Walt Hriniak to work with Thomas earlier in the homestand. Manager Jerry Manuel hopes that his patience at the plate will turn into hits. "As long as he takes his walks I think he is going to make the adjustment and hopefully he will get on a streak for us pretty soon and carry us," said Manuel. ... D'Angelo Jimenez reached base for the 15th consecutive game. He was 3-for-4 with a home run. ... Magglio Ordonez extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single in the sixth inning. "Maggs in is one of those guys that you take for granted," Manuel said. "Because every plate appearance you look for something exciting to happen and its good to see that he is getting the hits, remaining consistent." ... Carlos Lee has homered in four consecutive games for the first time in his career. He homered in the ninth inning against Cleveland reliever Danys Baez. ... LHP Mark Buehrle gave up back-to-back home runs for the first time in his career on Sunday in the first inning to Ellis Burks and Shane Spencer.

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Rangers-Athletics

TEXAS: The Rangers faced a left-handed starting pitcher for the eighth time in 13 games. This time it was Ted Lilly. ... Saturday's losing pitcher, Ismael Valdes, sent an apology through the A's equipment manager to Oakland's Ramon Hernandez. Valdes hit Hernandez with a pitch twice in the 12-2 loss. "I knew it wasn't on purpose," Hernandez said. "He didn't need to apologize." ... Security was beefed up in right field after RF Carl Everett was hit in the back of the head with a cell phone Saturday. A 24-year-old man from Palo Alto faces a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Juan-Carlos Covarrubias-Serrano was intoxicated. He will be arraigned on Tuesday and was being held on $15,000 bail.

OAKLAND: Injured RHP Jim Mecir, recovering from surgery to repair a torn left patellar tendon, pitched two innings at Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday and one-third of an inning Sunday. He relieved Sunday in a 14-8 loss to Edmonton, giving up four runs, two earned, and three hits. He is expected to be activated from the disabled list Tuesday. Manager Ken Macha said the A's will stick with 11 pitchers. "We have five bench players and we've got starters that get a little further in the game," Macha said. ... C Ramon Hernandez, who has a nine-game hitting streak, got the day off. With Monday being an off day, "it should be a big boost for Ramon with two days off in a row," Macha said.

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Mariners-Angels

SEATTLE: Willie Bloomquist singled his first two times up - giving him eight hits in his first nine career at-bats against Anaheim ace Jarrod Washburn. Washburn struck him out his next time up. ... No Mariners pitcher has had a complete-game victory since last July 1, when Jamie Moyer beat Kansas City 7-0 with a five-hitter at Seattle. ... C Dan Wilson homered, extending his club record for catchers to 83. Wilson did not have an at-bat during spring training and was on the DL for the first four games of the season because of a strained oblique muscle in his left side. ... The Mariners were 11-8 the first time around the AL West - after going 15-4 last season. They don't play another division game until June 16 against Anaheim. ... The Mariners are 7-0 in day games, after going 25-20 last year.

ANAHEIM: CF Darin Erstad was scratched for the first time this season because of an inflamed tendon in his right hamstring. He was examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum and will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine whether there is a cartilage tear. ... The Angels play the Yankees (15-3) on Tuesday for the first time since beating them in the AL division series, but none of the three games in the series at Edison Field has been declared a sellout. RHP John Lackey will face Jeff Weaver as the Angels try to end a perfect 13-0 start by the Yankees' rotation - the best since 1900. ... The Angels were 9-10 the first time around the AL West. They don't play another division game until June 16 at Seattle.