The Associated Press

CHICAGO - Sammy Sosa's appeal of an eight-game suspension for using a corked bat will be held today in Baltimore.

The Cubs don't expect an immediate decision on the appeal, the team said Monday. The appeal will be heard by Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer.

Chicago plays against the Baltimore Orioles today at Camden Yards.

Sosa was suspended for eight games Friday by Bob Watson, baseball's vice president in charge of discipline, but the appeal allows him to play until he has a hearing and a ruling is made. He was ejected from a game against Tampa Bay on June 3 when his bat shattered after hitting a ground ball and umpires discovered cork halfway up the handle of the bat.

Tests on 76 bats taken from Sosa's locker and five more of his at the Hall of Fame found no foreign substances. Sosa claims he mistakenly grabbed a batting-practice bat and used it in the game.

TV RATINGS AND THE ROCKET: Roger Clemens' failed attempt to win his 300th game on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs got a 5.2 overnight rating for Fox, the highest for a regular-season game on the network since 1998.

The rating was the third highest for a regular-season game on the network overall, behind only the Sept. 5, 1998 broadcast of Houston vs. St. Louis, and the Sept. 26, 1998 broadcast of the Cubs vs. Houston. Both games, featuring Mark McGwire and Sosa's home run chase, got a 5.4 overnight rating.

RED SOX: Dave Wallace, a former pitching coach for the Mets and Dodgers who was working in the Los Angeles front office, was hired by the Boston Red Sox on Monday to be their interim pitching coach while Tony Cloninger takes a leave of absence to fight cancer.

It's not clear how long Cloninger, who has been receiving chemotherapy near his Kings Mountain, N.C., home, will be out. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer this spring.

EXPOS: Three baseball officials planned to meet today with Portland's mayor and business leaders to discuss moving the Montreal Expos to Oregon. Portland is bidding for the Expos along with Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. It is unclear whether the team will be moved for the 2004 season.

SHORT HOPS: The Minnesota Twins put infielder Chris Gomez on the 15-day disabled list Monday with an injured right knee.

• The Chicago White Sox claimed catcher Michael Rivera off waivers from San Diego on Monday and sent him and outfielder Joe Borchard to Triple-A Charlotte.

• Andrew Mendez, 21, of Elyria, Ohio, was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for throwing an explosive device at Jacobs Field during an Indians game last year.

• The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to terms with Thomas Piazza, the younger brother of Mike Piazza. The 21-year-old catcher, picked in the 26th round, is a left-handed batter who played at Palm Beach Atlantic University.