KANSAS CITY: INF Desi Relaford to tested his strained left hamstring running the bases before Thursday's game and said he felt fine. He has been sidelined since opening day, when he got hurt trying to stretch a single. ``It feels pretty good,'' he said. ``It's not going to be 100 percent like nothing ever happened, not for a while anyway.'' ... 1B Mike Sweeney sat out Thursday's loss to Cleveland with a sore wrist he hurt while swinging a weighted bat on Wednesday. ``I was trying to loosen up, and twisted my wrist around. Hopefully, I'll be ready tomorrow.'' ... After a 1-7 road trip, the Royals are home for six games -- three vs. Minnesota and three vs. Texas. ``We had some rough moments,'' said RHP Jason Grimsley, who blew a save Thursday. ``It will be nice to get home.''
CLEVELAND: 2B Ronnie Belliard has been the Indians' biggest surprise this season. He entered Thursday's game among the AL leaders in average (.441), hits (26), total bases (34), doubles (8) and on-base percentage (.492). Belliard, who signed a one-year, $1.1 million free agent contract this winter, went 1-for-3 in the Indians' 5-4 win and has hit safely in 13 of 16 games. ... Cleveland is now 2-7 against left-handers following its first come-from-behind win this season. ``That's a big win for us,'' said SS Omar Vizquel, whose 2,000th career hit came during the Indians' three-run rally in the eighth inning. ``I got the hit, we came from behind. It could not have gone better.'' ... C Victor Martinez is finally hitting. His RBI double in the eighth inning extended his hitting streak to five games. He is 8-for-19 (.421) during the streak.
DETROIT: SS Carlos Guillen, one of four new faces in the Tigers' lineup this year, has been great with the glove so far. ``He's been outstanding,'' manager Alan Trammell said. ``He has made some very nice plays to stop a rally and get us out of an inning. That's what you need.'' ... Though RHP Mike Maroth lost to the Twins on Thursday, he's 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA this year after losing 21 games in 2003. ``We're finally getting him some runs,'' Trammell said. ``That always helps.'' Said Maroth: ``I have a lot of confidence.'' ... 2B Fernando Vina got Thursday off. He's been hit on the leg by pitches in consecutive games, so he was a little sore. ... OF Bobby Higginson also rested. He was a little under the weather, and his ankle is still sore. He might miss a couple more games.
MINNESOTA: LHP Johan Santana went 17-6 with a 2.97 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 185 innings during 32 starts over the 2002 and 2003 seasons, and the Twins are expecting more of the same in his first season as a full-time member of the rotation. After offseason surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow, Santana hasn't been very sharp so far. He has given up 14 runs in 21 1-3 innings for a 5.90 ERA. But he went six innings for his first victory of the season on Thursday, with his best pitch working well against the Tigers. ``My changeup is back,'' Santana said. ... LF Shannon Stewart left as a precaution after the sixth inning of Thursday's game with a cramp in his right hamstring. He said he'll be fine, but he thought the Twins' new playing surface might have been a factor. The grass-like FieldTurf was hastily installed before the season, and it takes awhile for the rubber-and-sand mixture beneath the fake grass blades to firm up. The field has been a little soft so far, putting more stress on players' muscles. CF Torii Hunter strained his hamstring in the first homestand, and he thought his injury might have been connected to the soft surface. ... Hunter will probably be activated from the disabled list over the weekend. If it's raining in Kansas City, however, he won't play. ... RHP Grant Balfour, who went on the disabled list the day before the season started with a sore shoulder, received a cortisone shot earlier this week. He still isn't able to throw.
TEXAS: OF David Dellucci, who hit three homers last season in 166 at-bats with the Yankees and Diamondbacks, recorded his first career two-homer game on Thursday with solo shots against Anaheim's Bartolo Colon and Ben Weber. ``I've been used sparingly in the last couple of years, so it's been hard to string some at-bats together and find my timing,'' he said. ``Two years ago I had about 240 at-bats and hit 11 homers, so I'd like to hit 20 -- if possible. But I just want to help the team win -- even if it takes a sacrifice bunt.'' ... RHP Jeff Nelson doesn't expect 2B Alfonso Soriano's production to taper off, now that he's away from Yankee Stadium. ``Our ballpark will allow him to put up the same numbers because he's a great hitter and the ball carries a little bit better in Arlington,'' said Nelson. ``Coming from a team that goes to the World Series a lot and the atmosphere in New York, I think it's an adjustment period for him. Now he's on a team that really doesn't have an identity yet. But we're trying to establish one, and this guy can help. He's batting third now, something he's never done before, and he can be a big contributor here. He can help this team turn it around and be like the Rangers teams of the mid-to-late '90s.''
ANAHEIM: All-Star 3B Troy Glaus, whose vision was improved considerably by Lasik eye surgery in the offseason, helped Anaheim beat Texas on Thursday with his fifth homer of the season. He wore contact lenses since age 12 because of nearsightedness, and decided to go through with the surgery a couple of weeks after teammate Troy Percival had it. ``I was tired of dealing with contacts and tired of having days where they just didn't fit right and you weren't going to see well all day long. This game's hard enough without that,'' Glaus said. ``Now I wake up every morning and see the same way all day long. I love it.'' ... RHP Bartolo Colon, who gave up a career-worst 30 homers last season, has allowed five in his last two starts -- including two on Thursday. ``You'll find that most homers are mistakes, and that's what you saw today,'' pitching coach Bud Black said. ``Bart is going to challenge people, especially with the lead. His command was a little off, but you could tell that when he got into a crisis, he did bear down and made his pitches.'' ... CF Garret Anderson, the only player in the majors to play in at least 150 games and get 600 or more at-bats in each of the previous seven years, missed his first game of the season because of stiffness in his upper back. ... DH Tim Salmon, whose 32 homers and 114 RBIs against Texas are his highest totals against any club, missed the entire three-game series against the Rangers because of a sore left knee.
OAKLAND: 3B Eric Chavez has three home runs this season, all against Seattle. His three-run shot in the first inning was his second off LHP Jamie Moyer. ``Some guys you see the ball well and some guys you don't,'' Chavez said. ``When you're seeing the ball well off a certain guy, you do what you can.'' The Gold Glove infielder also stopped a sharply hit grounder in the fifth, taking a hit away from Seattle CF Randy Winn. ... LHP Barry Zito, scheduled to work Friday against Anaheim, can win his third straight start. That would match his season-high from last year. ... 2B Frank Menechino, activated from the 15-day DL before the game, went 1-for-3 with a single. He also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. ... The A's left 13 runners on base. ... OF Bobby Kielty didn't play after colliding with SS Bobby Crosby on Tuesday. Manager Ken Macha said Kielty's ribs remained ``a little ginger.'' Macha also said Crosby is ``limited'' after tests revealed a bruised bone on his left knee. ... The A's are 76-45 (.628) the past four years when LHP Mark Mulder starts.
CLEVELAND: 2B Ronnie Belliard has been the Indians' biggest surprise this season. He entered Thursday's game among the AL leaders in average (.441), hits (26), total bases (34), doubles (8) and on-base percentage (.492). Belliard, who signed a one-year, $1.1 million free agent contract this winter, went 1-for-3 in the Indians' 5-4 win and has hit safely in 13 of 16 games. ... Cleveland is now 2-7 against left-handers following its first come-from-behind win this season. ``That's a big win for us,'' said SS Omar Vizquel, whose 2,000th career hit came during the Indians' three-run rally in the eighth inning. ``I got the hit, we came from behind. It could not have gone better.'' ... C Victor Martinez is finally hitting. His RBI double in the eighth inning extended his hitting streak to five games. He is 8-for-19 (.421) during the streak.
DETROIT: SS Carlos Guillen, one of four new faces in the Tigers' lineup this year, has been great with the glove so far. ``He's been outstanding,'' manager Alan Trammell said. ``He has made some very nice plays to stop a rally and get us out of an inning. That's what you need.'' ... Though RHP Mike Maroth lost to the Twins on Thursday, he's 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA this year after losing 21 games in 2003. ``We're finally getting him some runs,'' Trammell said. ``That always helps.'' Said Maroth: ``I have a lot of confidence.'' ... 2B Fernando Vina got Thursday off. He's been hit on the leg by pitches in consecutive games, so he was a little sore. ... OF Bobby Higginson also rested. He was a little under the weather, and his ankle is still sore. He might miss a couple more games.
MINNESOTA: LHP Johan Santana went 17-6 with a 2.97 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 185 innings during 32 starts over the 2002 and 2003 seasons, and the Twins are expecting more of the same in his first season as a full-time member of the rotation. After offseason surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow, Santana hasn't been very sharp so far. He has given up 14 runs in 21 1-3 innings for a 5.90 ERA. But he went six innings for his first victory of the season on Thursday, with his best pitch working well against the Tigers. ``My changeup is back,'' Santana said. ... LF Shannon Stewart left as a precaution after the sixth inning of Thursday's game with a cramp in his right hamstring. He said he'll be fine, but he thought the Twins' new playing surface might have been a factor. The grass-like FieldTurf was hastily installed before the season, and it takes awhile for the rubber-and-sand mixture beneath the fake grass blades to firm up. The field has been a little soft so far, putting more stress on players' muscles. CF Torii Hunter strained his hamstring in the first homestand, and he thought his injury might have been connected to the soft surface. ... Hunter will probably be activated from the disabled list over the weekend. If it's raining in Kansas City, however, he won't play. ... RHP Grant Balfour, who went on the disabled list the day before the season started with a sore shoulder, received a cortisone shot earlier this week. He still isn't able to throw.
TEXAS: OF David Dellucci, who hit three homers last season in 166 at-bats with the Yankees and Diamondbacks, recorded his first career two-homer game on Thursday with solo shots against Anaheim's Bartolo Colon and Ben Weber. ``I've been used sparingly in the last couple of years, so it's been hard to string some at-bats together and find my timing,'' he said. ``Two years ago I had about 240 at-bats and hit 11 homers, so I'd like to hit 20 -- if possible. But I just want to help the team win -- even if it takes a sacrifice bunt.'' ... RHP Jeff Nelson doesn't expect 2B Alfonso Soriano's production to taper off, now that he's away from Yankee Stadium. ``Our ballpark will allow him to put up the same numbers because he's a great hitter and the ball carries a little bit better in Arlington,'' said Nelson. ``Coming from a team that goes to the World Series a lot and the atmosphere in New York, I think it's an adjustment period for him. Now he's on a team that really doesn't have an identity yet. But we're trying to establish one, and this guy can help. He's batting third now, something he's never done before, and he can be a big contributor here. He can help this team turn it around and be like the Rangers teams of the mid-to-late '90s.''
ANAHEIM: All-Star 3B Troy Glaus, whose vision was improved considerably by Lasik eye surgery in the offseason, helped Anaheim beat Texas on Thursday with his fifth homer of the season. He wore contact lenses since age 12 because of nearsightedness, and decided to go through with the surgery a couple of weeks after teammate Troy Percival had it. ``I was tired of dealing with contacts and tired of having days where they just didn't fit right and you weren't going to see well all day long. This game's hard enough without that,'' Glaus said. ``Now I wake up every morning and see the same way all day long. I love it.'' ... RHP Bartolo Colon, who gave up a career-worst 30 homers last season, has allowed five in his last two starts -- including two on Thursday. ``You'll find that most homers are mistakes, and that's what you saw today,'' pitching coach Bud Black said. ``Bart is going to challenge people, especially with the lead. His command was a little off, but you could tell that when he got into a crisis, he did bear down and made his pitches.'' ... CF Garret Anderson, the only player in the majors to play in at least 150 games and get 600 or more at-bats in each of the previous seven years, missed his first game of the season because of stiffness in his upper back. ... DH Tim Salmon, whose 32 homers and 114 RBIs against Texas are his highest totals against any club, missed the entire three-game series against the Rangers because of a sore left knee.
OAKLAND: 3B Eric Chavez has three home runs this season, all against Seattle. His three-run shot in the first inning was his second off LHP Jamie Moyer. ``Some guys you see the ball well and some guys you don't,'' Chavez said. ``When you're seeing the ball well off a certain guy, you do what you can.'' The Gold Glove infielder also stopped a sharply hit grounder in the fifth, taking a hit away from Seattle CF Randy Winn. ... LHP Barry Zito, scheduled to work Friday against Anaheim, can win his third straight start. That would match his season-high from last year. ... 2B Frank Menechino, activated from the 15-day DL before the game, went 1-for-3 with a single. He also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. ... The A's left 13 runners on base. ... OF Bobby Kielty didn't play after colliding with SS Bobby Crosby on Tuesday. Manager Ken Macha said Kielty's ribs remained ``a little ginger.'' Macha also said Crosby is ``limited'' after tests revealed a bruised bone on his left knee. ... The A's are 76-45 (.628) the past four years when LHP Mark Mulder starts.
