By The Associated Press

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Astros-Expos

HOUSTON: 1B Jeff Bagwell is three hits shy of becoming just the second Astro after CF Craig Biggio to reach 2,000. ... RHP Brandon Puffer joined the team Friday in Montreal. Puffer, who went 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 55 games with Houston last season, was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Thursday after RHP Brian Moehler was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He was 0-1 with three saves and a 3.27 ERA in eight appearances in the minors this season. ... RHP Scott Linebrink will make his first major league start Saturday in place of Moehler. Linebrink, whose 45 previous career appearances were all in relief, is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three games since his contract was purchased from New Orleans on April 17.

MONTREAL: The Expos will be holding their first of six bobblehead giveaways this season on Sunday. A likeness of manager Frank Robinson will be distributed randomly to 5,000 fans. The team will also have Pedro Martinez, Tim Wallach, Denis Martinez and current 2B Jose Vidro bobblehead giveaways along with one of team mascot Youppi! ... RHP Orlando Hernandez will begin a rehab assignment Monday with Class A Brevard County. Hernandez, who is recovering from right shoulder tendinitis, was placed on the 15-day DL at the end of spring training.

---

Dodgers-Pirates

LOS ANGELES: RHP Paul Shuey was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a sprained right knee, a setback for a Dodgers bullpen that began the weekend with a major league-low 1.58 ERA. INF Jason Romano was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. Shuey was 2-1 with an 0.68 ERA in 10 games, allowing one run and five hits in 13 1-3 innings. He has pitched 13 consecutive scoreless innings. ... 3B Adrian Beltre was in the starting lineup Friday night despite being benched twice earlier this week by manager Jim Tracy. Beltre was 0-for-14 going into the weekend. One reason he started: Beltre was 14-for-23 (.609) with a homer against Pittsburgh last season. ... Former major leaguer Wilson Alvarez is 2-0 at Las Vegas after beating Sacramento 8-2 Thursday, allowing one run in five innings. ... LHP Odalis Perez (sprained right ankle) made his first start Friday since April 11.

PITTSBURGH: LF Brian Giles took swings in an indoor batting cage Friday, the closest thing to a baseball-related activity he's had since spraining his right knee April 10. Giles isn't ready yet to start running or making the lateral cuts necessary to play in the outfield. ... The longer the season goes on, the more the Pirates' offense resembles that of the last two seasons, when they finished near the bottom in the NL in average and power. After hitting 10 homers in their first four games, they hit only five in their next 17 games. They scored only one run in the final 18 innings while losing the final two games of their three-game series against the Giants this week. ... C Jason Kendall's injury-free status didn't last even a month. Kendall, who finally seemed over the ankle and thumb problems that bothered him the last three seasons, has been fighting with a sore back that kept him out of the lineup twice this week. During a couple of chilly nights at PNC Park, he kept a heating pad on his back between innings. ... LF Reggie Sanders batted third for the first time Friday night against the Dodgers. Previously, he hit fifth 10 times and sixth seven times. He became the sixth Pirates hitter in 22 games to bat third.

---

Diamondbacks-Mets

ARIZONA: RF Danny Bautista was back in the lineup for the first time since April 16. He'd been out because of a strained right hip flexor. ... 1B Lyle Overbay was in the cleanup slot after being sidelined for two games because of a tight left hamstring. ... RHP Brandon Webb will make his first major league start Saturday against the Mets. He made his big league debut last Tuesday at Montreal, pitching one scoreless inning in relief. ... The Diamondbacks came to New York with a five-game winning streak at Shea Stadium.

NEW YORK: C Mike Piazza returned to the starting lineup in his familiar cleanup spot after missing Thursday night's game because of a sore groin. Before the game, Piazza received his 10th straight Silver Slugger award. The award honors the best offensive players at each position in each league and are voted on by major league managers and coaches. ... Piazza got off to a good start Friday night, throwing out Luis Gonzalez at second base on a steal attempt in the first inning. Piazza began the game with a 30 percent success rate (9-for-30) against would-be basestealers. ... SS Jay Bell saw a lot of familiar faces when the Diamondbacks came to Shea Stadium. Bell was the first major leaguer signed by the Arizona franchise and spent five years there before joining the Mets in the offseason. Bell exchanged pleasantries with Arizona catcher Chad Moeller when he stepped into the batter's box in the first inning.

---

Padres-Reds

SAN DIEGO: The Padres are finishing off their longest trip of the season with their three-game series in Cincinnati. They're playing 12 games over 15 days on the road. ... Ryan Klesko walked in his second plate appearance Friday. The first baseman has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games. Last season, he reached in 56 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the majors. ... RHP Brian Lawrence is still scheduled to start Sunday in the final game of the series. Lawrence had a stiff neck on Thursday when he awoke. ... RHP Jake Peavy struck out eight of the first 10 batters he faced Thursday.

CINCINNATI: SS Barry Larkin is eligible to come off the disabled list on Saturday, but probably will remain sidelined for the weekend series. Larkin has been on the DL with a strained calf, and the Reds want him to take some ground balls to make sure it's fully healed before they reinstate him. Pregame rain prevented Larkin from going on the field. "This will probably push me back," Larkin said. "They want me to be pain-free and doing all the stuff I need to do in a game before they allow me to go out there. I was hoping it would be Saturday but with the weather forecast, I probably won't be able to get on the field. So, it'll probably be Tuesday." He'll likely be reinstated for the start of a series in Colorado on Tuesday. ... Larkin turns 39 on Monday. ... RHP Jeff Austin made his first major league start. He made 31 relief appearances for Kansas City in 2001-02.

---

Brewers-Braves

MILWAUKEE: Brewers manager Ned Yost spent the past 12 seasons with the Braves, the past four as the third-base coach for Atlanta manager Bobby Cox. "I got here early enough to go and spend a half hour with Bobby in the office, just catch up with him a little bit face to face," Yost said. "He looks great. He looks better in person than he does on TV." ... Also making a return to Atlanta were INF Wes Helms and LHP John Foster, who were traded to Milwaukee in December for LHP Ray King. Helms spent parts of four seasons with the Braves, but never found a full-time spot in the lineup. He's day-to-day with contusion on his right hand after getting hit by a foul ball Wednesday night. "I want to play," Helms said of his return to Turner Field. "I want to be on the field. Not to prove anything, just to be out there."

ATLANTA: Braves manager Bobby Cox said C Javy Lopez (left hamstring) would be back in the lineup Saturday night. Lopez hasn't started the past five games. ... 1B Matt Franco made his sixth start of the season, taking the place of Robert Fick (disabled list, sprained right shoulder). Before Friday night, Franco was 6-for-14 during the previous six games of this homestand. ... 3B Vinny Castilla got his first day off this season, giving way to Mark DeRosa. DeRosa, batting only .087 through the first 22 games, previously started three games at second. That leaves RF Gary Sheffield, CF Andruw Jones and SS Rafael Furcal as the only players to start every game.

---

Giants-Phillies

SAN FRANCISCO: 1B J.T. Snow returned to the lineup Friday night after missing one game with a bruised right forearm. Snow, hit by a pitch from Julian Tavarez in the 13th inning Wednesday night, initially was thought to have broken his arm. ... Right-hander Jerome Williams, called up from Triple-A Fresno, will make his major league debut on Saturday, replacing Jason Schmidt, who temporarily left the team to attend his mother's funeral. ... The Giants are 14-0-4 in their last 18 series. ... The Giants are playing their final series at Veterans Stadium because the Phillies are moving into a new ballpark next April.

PHILADELPHIA: RHP Brandon Duckworth (0-1) makes his second start on Saturday since coming off the disabled list. Duckworth got just four outs in his first start, allowing five hits and six runs in a loss to the Braves last Sunday. ... Left-hander Randy Wolf, a notoriously slow starter, is 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA. He entered this season with a career record of 3-7 with a 5.06 ERA in April. ... Before Friday night's game, catcher Mike Lieberthal received the Players' Choice comeback player of the year award that he shared with Atlanta closer John Smoltz. Lieberthal hit .279 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs last year after missing the final 41/2 months of the 2001 season with a knee injury.

---

Cardinals-Marlins

ST. LOUIS: With his team in a hitting slump, manager Tony La Russa batted Albert Pujols third Friday for the first time this season. Pujols started in left field for the first time since bruising his right thumb April 14. ... 3B Scott Rolen began the weekend in a 1-for-20 slump.

FLORIDA: LHP Mark Redman's career-best 11-strikeout performance Thursday gave him 33 this season, third in the NL. "I'm above Curt Schilling - that's all that matters," Redman joked. ... SS Alex Gonzalez began this weekend's series against the Cardinals with a .167 average (15-for-90) versus St. Louis.

---

Cubs-Rockies

CHICAGO: Sammy Sosa had a record-setting series during his last visit to Coors Field. Sosa was 6-for-9 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in the games from Aug. 10-11. The 14 RBIs was an NL two-game record. ... OF Moises Alou was given a day off to get some rest. "It was either today or no day," manager Dusty Baker said. "Besides, he's been struggling of late and he's hit Shawn Chacon pretty well and hasn't done as well against Nelson Cruz." Alou is 0-for-11 his last three games. ... Baker, who spent 10 years with San Francisco, has his own theory about managing at Coors Field. "You stick with pitchers longer because four or five runs early means nothing here or four or five runs late for that matter," Baker said. "The main thing is you have to stretch your pitchers out and keep them from walking people and playing people in to avoid balls from dropping in front of you. And you can't waste outs." ... The Cubs' average nearly six runs a game, but managed only one the last two games of a three-game set with San Diego. ... Baker said he got a congratulatory letter from Rockies manager Clint Hurdle well before he took the job as Cubs manager. "He wrote me a note in September telling me he would see me in Chicago. I didn't know where he got that."

COLORADO: Manager Clint Hurdle will mark his first anniversary as Colorado manager on Saturday. Hurdle took over 23 games into the 2002 season after Buddy Bell was fired. "I wasn't aware it was an anniversary until today," Hurdle said. "My wife didn't mention it." ... Hurdle didn't agree that being swept in Philadelphia was a sign of things to come for a team that has traditionally struggled on the road. "You play like that we are going to lose whether we play at home, we play on the road, on the street or in the back yard," Hurdle said. "When you don't get a quality start, you go 1-for-20 with guys in scoring position and you make errors, you aren't going to win." ... Rockies starting pitchers were roughed up for nine runs in 11 innings in the teams final two game in Philadelphia. Aaron Cook gave up six runs in four innings after a five-hit complete game his last start. ... The Rockies are 8-1 and appear to have reclaimed the edge they lost in recent years at Coors. Hurdle cited more than the team's .271 batting average. "We are trying to revisit the days when teams were concerned about coming here before they got here and we were actually able to beat on them while they were here and limp a little bit when they left," Hurdle said. "We have the offensive capability to do that. We have some pitching which has taken an offensive look to it. They are attacking hitters."

---

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Royals-Blue Jays

KANSAS CITY: Manager Tony Pena didn't expect the Royals to get off to such a strong start. "I didn't think we were going to be 16-3 but I knew we were going to have a winning record," Pena said. "I'm very, very happy." The Royals went 62-100 last year. "We lost 100 games last year. We didn't want to lose 100 games this year," Pena said. RHP Jason Grimsley credited strong starting pitching. "We just have some young guys with incredible stuff," Grimsley said. ... The Royals began a stretch of 16 straight games against the AL East. ... RF Michael Tucker signed autographs before the game despite the SARS scare.

TORONTO: Union representative Vernon Wells said he has no immediate plans to have his family leave Toronto because of SARS. Wells and his wife had lunch at a Toronto restaurant on Friday. "I've been hearing rumors that it's a ghost town around the city, but we drove through the downtown and it's nothing like that," Wells said. "You just have to be smart and wash your hands whenever you get a chance to." ... The Blue Jays went 3-8 on their road trip. "We lost games in every area of the game," manager Carlos Tosca said.

---

Orioles-Devil Rays

BALTIMORE: Manager Mike Hargrove is expected to rejoin the team on Saturday. He left last Sunday to return to Perryton, Texas, where his mother Rita Ann Hargrove was hospitalized for an infected gallbladder. Bench coach Sam Perlozzo has filled in during Hargrove's absence. ... 2B Jerry Hairston, who sprained his left ankle Tuesday, was available off the bench and might return to the lineup Saturday. 1B David Segui, on the 15-day DL with a strained right groin, ran the bases and took batting practice. He is eligible to be activated May 3.

TAMPA BAY: 1B Travis Lee (oblique) is slated to play in an extended spring training game Saturday. The Devil Rays expect to activated him from the DL Tuesday. ... LHP John Rocker is scheduled to pitch two innings in the extended spring contest against New York Yankees' minor leaguers. ... 2B Damion Easley (bruised right kneecap and quadriceps muscle) took batting practice. There is a chance he might DH in the next few days. ... RHP Victor Zambrano was shifted to bullpen for the weekend series against Baltimore. There's a possibility the Devil Rays will skip his next turn in the rotation. ... LHP Bobby Seay is experiencing soreness behind his shoulder.

---

Yankees-Rangers

NEW YORK: 1B-DH Nick Johnson went into Friday night's game at Texas with an AL-high 20 walks, even though he was batting in the No. 2 spot in the batting order for the 16th time in front of slugger Jason Giambi. "That's interesting. You would think he would get better pitches to hit," manager Joe Torre said. "I knew he was a patient-type hitter. He has a good eye." ... LHP David Wells, who starts Saturday night against Texas, has the highest winning percentage of any starter in Yankees history with at least 50 starts. With his win at Minnesota on Monday, Wells improved to 56-21 (.727 winning percentage), just ahead of Johnny Allen, who was 50-19 (.725) from 1932-35. Wells, who is 3-0 this season, has to avoid a loss Saturday to stay ahead of Allen.

TEXAS: LHP Doug Davis will start Saturday night in place of Ismael Valdes, who is on the 15-day DL with tendinitis in his right shoulder. Davis will be the first left-hander to start for Texas this year. The Rangers will purchase his contract from Triple-A Oklahoma on Saturday so that he can make his start. The Rangers will have to make a move on their 40-man roster before the game to make room for Davis. Davis has made 53 starts for Texas since 1999, but didn't make the 2003 rotation out of spring training. He is 3-0 with a 3.25 ERA in four starts at Oklahoma, with 18 strikeouts and just one walk in 27 2-3 innings. ... SS Alex Rodriguez was presented his 2002 Gold Glove before Friday night's game. It was the first Gold Glove for the six-time All-Star. Going into Friday's game, he had handled 97 chances without an error this season, the most among AL shortstops.

---

Twins-White Sox

MINNESOTA: Manager Ron Gardenhire said his defending AL Central champs need to relax and have some fun after a slow start. "Maybe they are trying too hard," Gardenhire said before his third-place team met the Chicago White Sox in the opener of a three-game series. "That's understandable. We just want them to relax and have some fun playing the game. Right now we just have a lot of guys really serious about everything." ... Gardenhire says he has no problems with the fans at U.S. Cellular Field, even though the Twins and White Sox are heated rivals who have been exchanging barbs for two seasons. "The fans are great, they cheer for their team and they give us grief, just like you get everywhere else," he said. ... Over the last five games of a six-game losing streak, the Twins had scored just nine runs. ... In their first seven series this season, the Twins have either been swept or swept their opponents in each one.

CHICAGO: LHP Josh Stewart, hit by a line drive off the bat of Jeff Conine on Thursday, was OK Friday after X-rays taken in Baltimore the night before were negative. ... LHP Carlos Lee was taken out of the starting lineup for a rest and Armando Rios got the start. ... All-Star balloting kicked off Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field. For the first time in-stadium balloting will be conducted outside the United States and Canada when fans attending Expos games from June 3-8 will have the opportunity to vote at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Chicago will host the game July 15, marking the 70th anniversary of the first game held at old Comiskey Park. ... GM Kenny Williams said he complained through proper channels to the commissioner's office about a call in Wednesday night's game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Joe Crede's two-run homer that would have tied the game was ruled foul, although replays from several angles showed the ball fair by several feet. "We just have to take it on the chin," Williams said.

---

Red Sox-Angels

BOSTON: Bench coach Jerry Narron sat slumped in a couch in the middle of the clubhouse about 3 1-2 hours before gametime, looking forlornly at the TV as a sports news anchor described the condition of longtime friend Johnny Oates, who has been battling for brain cancer since October 2001. Oates managed Narron in the minors in 1988 and had him as his bench coach in Baltimore and Texas. "I love him like a brother, said Narron, who got to visit with during the first weekend of the season when the Red Sox were in Baltimore. "I don't get an opportunity to talk with him as much as I'd like, but I try to call him at least once a week. He sounds great on the phone. His attitude is outstanding. I think anybody who has competed, it helps him through any adversity in life." ... Leadoff batter Johnny Damon went into the Angels series 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position. Garciaparra was 4-for-26 and Jeremy Giambi 3-for-16. Despite those numbers, the Red Sox have averaged 6.1 runs. The only other times they averaged more through their first 22 games was 1995 and 1950. ... Boston batters were hitting .404 (44-for-109) when hitting the first pitch - including seven home runs. The only team with a better average in that department is the Yankees (.417).

ANAHEIM: CF Darin Erstad, who missed his fifth straight game with a swollen tendon in his right hamstring, was on the field 3 1-2 hours before gametime running the bases under the supervision of trainer Ned Bergert, physical therapist Brian Scherr and third base coach Ron Roenicke. "I'm not able to play the way I need to play," Erstad said. "We're going to see how it feels tomorrow and then have a pow-wow." ... SS David Eckstein was picked in the 19th round of the 1997 draft by the Red Sox, who put him on waivers in August 2000. The Angels snapped him up three days later, and have reaped the benefits. Eckstein totaled 344 hits during his first two big league seasons and hit .293 with 107 runs scored in the leadoff spot last year, as the Angels beat out the Red Sox by six games for the wild card and went on to win their first World Series title. "I was definitely disappointed when they put me on waivers, but I understood because I wasn't playing up to my ability. They had to make a move and I was the logical choice, so there were no hard feelings. I was more upset at myself. But I'm very fortunate to be in the Angels organization and win a World Series. If I did what I needed to do with Boston, I wouldn't be in this situation now."

---

Tigers-Mariners

DETROIT: Regardless of the outcome in the opener of a three-game series at Seattle on Friday night, Detroit (2-18) is assured of its worst record ever through 21 games. The previous mark was 4-17 in 1952. ... RHP Jeremy Bonderman, who lives in Pasco, Wash., never spent much time visiting Seattle while growing up in eastern Washington. "I'm not a big-city guy," he said. "There's too many people, too much traffic. I'm a small-town guy who loves to go hunting." The 20-year-old got his first career victory Wednesday, beating Oakland and Barry Zito 4-1. ... After opening with 17 games against AL Central opponents, the Tigers are in a 27-game stretch versus non-divisional foes. They won't face another AL Central team until May 19 at Cleveland. ... Of the 102 runs Detroit has allowed, 33 have come with two outs. At the plate, the Tigers have scored only 15 of their 43 runs with two outs.

SEATTLE: Manager Bob Melvin is keeping the rotation intact despite a travel day Monday following the three-game home series against Detroit, meaning RHP Gil Meche (2-1, 3.33 ERA) will pitch against the Yankees on Tuesday in New York. ... Melvin broke into the majors as a Tigers catcher in 1985 and served as bench coach to former Detroit manager Phil Garner in 2000. He visited during batting practice with old pal, Tigers manager Alan Trammell. ... OF Mike Cameron was held out for a second night with a strained groin but remained listed as day-to-day. ... Pitching coach Bryan Price rejoined the Mariners after missing much of the week to be with his ailing wife in Arizona. Minor league coach Jim Slaton, though, remained with the big-league club until Triple-A Tacoma returns from a road trip next week.

---

Indians-Athletics

CLEVELAND: 2B Brandon Phillips is still recovering after getting hit in the hand by a throw by Seattle's John Olerud on Wednesday. Phillips, who was trying to break up a double play, has a deep bruise in his right palm and was held out of the lineup. He should return Saturday. He took some swings in the cage Friday. He was replaced by John McDonald. ... An MRI test revealed OF Milton Bradley has a significant strain of his right hamstring, but not a tear. "We're going to hold him out tonight and see tomorrow," manager Eric Wedge said. "He's a probable DL. It's something we have to quiet it down and calm it down. He's had a tight hamstring for a while." ... LHP Brian Anderson also had an MRI. He has a tweaked upper right hamstring. "He should make his next start," Wedge said.

OAKLAND: RF Jermaine Dye was held out of the lineup with a sore right knee. Dye hurt his knee in Thursday's 2-0 win over Detroit when he slipped fielding a ball. "Nobody knows what it is yet," Dye said. Trainer Larry Davis said the focus is to get the swelling down first before making a complete evaluation. Regular LF Terrence Long started in right, and Eric Byrnes in left. ... Manager Ken Macha walked out of the stadium with struggling SS Miguel Tejada after Thursday's game. Macha has considered giving the reigning AL MVP a day off to regroup, and said he's even drafted potential lineups without Tejada in them. Tejada, who is hitting .160 and is 1-for-14 the last three games, has started 455 straight games, the longest active streak in the majors. Tejada said he told the manager he doesn't want or need a day off. "I'm just working and going to keep playing," he said. "I know I'm struggling right now, so whatever the manager decides. He's the boss. The only way I'm going to get my strength back is to play. ... What am I going to learn on the bench?" ... C Ramon Hernandez moved up to sixth in the batting order, a move Macha said was performance related. Hernandez is hitting .365.