Some info!!

[BRUSHMAN]

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Oliver Perez is the next starter with the unenviable task of going against Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals as the teams continue their three-game set at PNC Park.

Pujols went 2-for-3 in Monday's 2-1 victory, providing all the offense St. Louis (8-5) would need with a two-run homer in the first inning. Coming on the heels of his three-homer effort - including a walkoff two-run shot in the ninth inning - in Sunday's 8-7 win over Cincinnati, Pujols tied a major league record by homering in four consecutive at-bats.

'Nothing really surprises me about him anymore,' said Cardinals starter Jason Marquis, who pitched eight innings of three-hit ball Monday to win his third consecutive start. 'Everyone knows he's the best hitter in the game and he has the ability to do some great things. It's fun to watch him on a daily basis, and I'm glad I don't have to throw to him.'

It was the 35th time in major league history a player homered in four straight at-bats. Pujols joined Stan Musial (July 7-8, 1962) as the only Cardinals to do it.

'He keeps doing things that put him in company with the greatest players of all time,' St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. 'Albert Pujols is the best hitter in baseball.'

Pujols and the Detroit Tigers' Chris Shelton lead the majors with nine home runs and are just the fourth and fifth players all-time with at least nine in their team's first 13 games.

During the Cardinals' current three-game winning streak, Pujols is 7-for-11 with five homers, nine RBIs, seven runs scored, two doubles and a 2.182 slugging percentage. He has at least one hit, one run and one RBI in all eight St. Louis victories this season, and the Cardinals are 6-0 when he homers.

'When you get in a groove like that, you're locked in,' Pujols said. 'When you're seeing the ball the way I am right now, you trust your hands and just use the whole ballpark.'

Pujols is 6-for-18 with one homer against Perez, who will try to put his last two outings behind him.

Perez allowed six runs, nine hits and five walks in 4 2-3 innings of a 13-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. He gave up eight runs in just 3 1-3 innings in his previous start, an 11-9 loss at Cincinnati on April 8, and now has an 0-2 record and 8.10 ERA on the season.

'But I'm trying not to think about it too much - that's what happened last year,' said Perez, who was 7-5 with a 5.85 ERA last season after a promising 2004 when he recorded 12 wins with a 2.98 ERA.

'I was thinking too much. My mind was lost. I'm trying to focus now on the next game.'

Perez is 1-3 with a 4.84 ERA in eight career starts versus the Cardinals, with the lone win coming in 2003.

Jeff Suppan gets the start for the Cardinals, still searching for his first victory of the season after winning 16 games each of the last two years. He pitched respectably in his first two starts, allowing five earned runs in 11 innings, but has an 0-1 record after receiving just three total runs of support.

Suppan, who went 10-7 in 21 starts for the Pirates in 2003, is 6-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 11 lifetime starts against Pittsburgh.

The Pirates (4-11) have dropped four of five games following a 3-1 stretch

 

[BRUSHMAN]

The Red Sox look to get on a roll offensively when they take on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series.

Boston ranks near the bottom of the AL in runs, but the lineup finally lifted the Red Sox to a win Monday. Mark Loretta's two-run walkoff homer gave Boston a 7-6 victory over Seattle at Fenway Park, the Red Sox's fifth victory on Patriots Day in six years.

The Red Sox (9-4) are off to a fast start thanks to their pitching, posting a 3.87 ERA that's among the best in the league. Top starters Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett are a combined 6-0, and the rotation's 3.99 ERA is tops in the AL.

Loretta's homer gave Boston three wins in the four games against Seattle, with each victory coming by one run.

'I've never experienced it before at any level - Little League, high school or college level,' Loretta said. 'Just complete euphoria. You kind of have to take a step back and think `is the game really over?''

Seattle closer Eddie Guardado struck out the first two batters he faced in the ninth before Kevin Youkilis beat out grounder up the middle. Mariners second baseman Jose Lopez made a diving stop, but his throw to first was a shade late. Loretta followed with his first home run for Boston, which leads the AL East.

Matt Clement (1-1, 9.00 ERA) will start the series opener against Tampa Bay. The right-hander is coming off a rough outing against Toronto on Thursday, allowing seven runs in four innings of an 8-6 loss. Clement went 2-0 with a 3.14 ERA in three starts against the Devil Rays last year, his first in the AL.

Left fielder Manny Ramirez is hitting .326 with 38 doubles, 35 home runs and 112 RBIs in 116 games against the Rays.

A three-game sweep of Kansas City over the weekend pushed Tampa Bay (7-6) over .500 for the first time since it started 3-2 last season.

The Devil Rays' 5.84 ERA is one of the worst in the league, but they've come on offensively, scoring 29 runs in their last four victories, including 22 in the three wins over Kansas City.

Tampa Bay has won four times when trailing after six innings, and on Sunday overtook the Royals with a three-run sixth that erased a 4-3 deficit en route to a 9-5 victory.

Shortstop Tomas Perez, who went 5-for-10 in the series, tied the game with a two-out RBI single. Left fielder Carl Crawford then put the Rays in front with a two-run triple.

'It's one of the funnest plays in all of sports, watching C.C. hit a triple,' Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon said. 'He's one of the strongest runners I've ever watched. He runs hard and he runs fast. He's intense.'

Crawford, who has 50 triples in 535 games, picked up his first of the 2006 season. He and center fielder Joey Gathright each scored five runs in the series.

Tampa Bay left-hander Casey Fossum (0-0, 6.94 ERA) will face his former team Tuesday. After lasting only 4 2-3 innings in his season debut against Toronto, he bounced back by allowing three runs in seven innings of the Rays' 7-4 victory over Baltimore on Wednesday.

Fossum, sent to Arizona as part of the trade for Schilling before the 2004 season, has pitched four games against the Red Sox, including two starts. He is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA in those appearances, all of which came in 2005.

The Red Sox took 13 of 19 meetings with the Rays last season.

 

[BRUSHMAN]

At 10-2, the New York Mets have the best record in baseball and are off to the best start in team history. They look to continue both trends when they host the NL East rival Atlanta Braves on Tuesday in the second game of a three-game set.

Pedro Martinez won his 200th game and newcomers Carlos Delgado and Xavier Nady each belted home runs as the Mets took the first game of the series 4-3 over the Braves on Monday.

The Mets' newly acquired trio of first baseman Delgado, right fielder Nady and catcher Paul Lo Duca combined to go 8-for-11, while the rest of the team managed just one hit in 20 at-bats.

Delgado looks to extend his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games. The two-time All-Star is hitting .375 with five homers and 14 RBIs, both leading the team. He joined New York in a trade with the Florida Marlins in November after hitting .301 with 33 homers and 115 RBIs in 2005.

Nady, acquired from the San Diego Padres for Mike Cameron, has started the season going 18-for-45 (.400) and has three homers in the last four games.

Lo Duca, who was involved in another deal with the Marlins, has started the season hitting 14-for-38 (.368) and has scored a run in seven of his last eight games.

New York hopes the offseason acquisitions can continue their good play, as it may be without its 2005 home run leader Cliff Floyd, who suffered a strained ribcage scoring on a single by Nady.

'It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be,' said Floyd, who had 34 homers and 98 RBIs last season. 'I'm not really looking forward to missing any games, especially with Carlos (Beltran) out. ... I was a little bit more scared than anything because I did it last year, too.'

Beltran sat out Monday's win with a tight right hamstring and his status is also uncertain.

The Mets send Victor Zambrano to the mound for his second start of the season. The right-hander earned the win and allowed three runs in five innings of a 13-4 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

He has not earned a win against the Braves since June 28, 2003, as a member of the Tampa Bay Devils Rays.

The Braves (6-8) will give Kyle Davies his third start of the season after a rough outing in Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 22-year-old right-hander was charged with the loss, gave up six runs and nine hits, including four homers. Five of the runs and three of the homers came before the first out of the game.

He also had a shaky first inning in his first outing of the season, allowing three runs in a 14-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants on April 7.

'I was just so anxious to get out there and throw,' Davies said. 'That's not a bad thing. But you've got to be able to go out there and not leave balls up.'

Only one Atlanta starter, John Smoltz, has earned a win this season.

Andruw Jones, who homered and had two RBIs on Monday, has struggled against Zambrano, going 1-for-10 with an infield single as his only hit. The center fielder leads the Braves with five home runs and 18 RBIs.

The Braves will continue to be without shortstop Edgar Renteria for at least a week, after he suffered a strained ribcage in Saturday's 2-0 win over the San Diego Padres. The team is hoping the four-time All-Star will avoid the 15-day disabled list.

Atlanta is also looking to avoid its worst start in four seasons, when the team started 6-9 after 17 games.

 

[BRUSHMAN]

Jon Garland hasn't exactly given the Chicago White Sox what they expected when they signed him to an extension in the offseason.

Garland hopes to correct some of his problems Tuesday night for the White Sox when they continue a three-game series against the struggling Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field.

After Garland went 18-10 with a 3.50 ERA last season, the White Sox (8-5) rewarded him with a three-year, $29 million deal through 2008.

The 26-year-old right-hander has been hit hard in his first two outings this season, posting a bloated 13.94 ERA.

He was tagged for nine runs and 10 hits over 5 1-3 innings in an 11-7 loss at Kansas City on April 7. Garland earned a victory his last time out despite surrendering seven runs and a career high-tying 13 hits in a 13-9 victory at Detroit last Thursday.

'Stuff-wise, it feels like I'm there,' Garland said. 'I don't know if every hitter in the league is just really good or my location is that bad.'

This will be Garland's first start of 2006 at home, where he began 7-0 last season. He finished 10-6 with a 3.56 ERA over 16 home starts.

Garland is 6-1 with a 3.28 ERA at home against the Royals (2-10) in 13 career appearances, including 11 starts.

Kansas City starter Jeremy Affeldt has had similar results to Garland this season, going 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA through two outings.

Affeldt was tagged for six runs and seven hits over 3 1-3 innings in a 12-5 loss at the New York Yankees last Wednesday. He was dropped out of the rotation before being reinserted when Denny Bautista was placed on the injured list Sunday.

The first inning has been a big problem for the left-hander, who allowed five runs in the opening frame against Chicago on April 7 and walked his first two batters before giving up a three-run homer to Gary Sheffield last week after the Royals had staked him to a 3-0 lead.

'That's not very good,' Royals manager Buddy Bell said. 'It's hard to elaborate on that, other than to say it's hard to win doing that for a lot of different reasons. You're in the field a long time, you're giving them opportunities. You know going in that they make you throw strikes.'

Affeldt is 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA at U.S. Cellular Field in five career appearances, including two starts.

Royals starters are 0-7 with a 6.94 ERA this season.

Chicago evened the season series with Kansas City at two games apiece by opening this set with a 9-0 victory on Monday. Jose Contreras and two relievers combined on a one-hitter to send the Royals to their eighth straight loss.

'It was one of those games where you almost feel you should have seen a no-hitter. He had that kind of stuff,' first baseman Paul Konerko said. 'He was coming right at them.'

Konerko homered and drove in four runs to extend his hitting streak to seven games. He's batting .538 (14-for-26) with 13 RBIs during his hitting streak and has homered four times over his last four games.

Kansas City leadoff hitter David DeJesus went 0-for-4 and is batting .174 for the year.

 

[BRUSHMAN]

If Jason Johnson had pitched for the Baltimore Orioles the way he pitches against them, they may never have let him leave as a free agent.

Johnson looks to continue the recent run of strong Cleveland Indians pitching efforts as they open a three-game series at Baltimore on Tuesday.

In five seasons with Baltimore from 1999-2003, Johnson posted a 34-53 record. The Orioles declined to offer him a contract after the 2003 season. He pitched two seasons with the Detroit Tigers before signing with Cleveland in January.

The 32-year-old right-hander had Baltimore's number last season, going 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA in three starts versus the Orioles. He was just 5-13 with a 4.81 ERA in his 30 starts against all other clubs.

Johnson impressed in his Indians debut on April 8, throwing seven innings of shutout ball to defeat Minnesota. He left with the lead again on Thursday against Seattle after allowing three runs in 5 2-3 innings, but wound up without a decision as the Cleveland bullpen allowed six runs in a 9-5 loss.

The entire Indians pitching staff seems to be rounding into form after splitting a four-game series at Detroit. Cleveland pitchers allowed a total of just five runs and 16 hits in the last three contests.

The offense is also clicking. The Indians (8-5) are batting .309 as a team, and Casey Blake's solo homer sparked a six-run third inning in support of starter Paul Byrd on Monday en route to a 10-2 victory.

'It helps you relax,' said Byrd, who limited the Tigers to two runs and four hits over seven innings. 'You don't have to be perfect.'

The Orioles (8-6) are no strangers to facing a stingy Cleveland pitching staff. The Indians took six of seven games in last season's series, outscoring Baltimore 37-18 while the Orioles batted only .180.

This year's Orioles could be a different, however. Baltimore has won six of its last eight games after four straight losses.

Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada each had two RBIs on Monday as the Orioles jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning of a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimore won three games in its four-game series with the Angels, against whom they went 2-4 last season.

'They're obviously deeper in a lot of areas than they were last year, and they're going to come right at you,' Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said.

The Orioles will now need to use their depth. Outfielder David Newhan broke his right leg while sliding into second base on a steal Monday. He is expected to undergo surgery on Thursday.

'It's one of those things. I'll roll with it,' Newhan said. 'Hopefully they'll have some good news for me, they'll put the pins in and six to eight weeks I should be back playing. I'll keep my head up and go about it as if I'll be back soon.'

Baltimore sends left-hander Bruce Chen to the mound in the series opener. Chen left his last start trailing after allowing five runs and a career-high four homers in 7 2-3 innings Thursday at Tampa Bay, but the Orioles scored three in the ninth inning to win 6-5 and let him off the hook.

'We won, so obviously I feel very good,' Chen said.

Chen's only start against the Indians came last season on August 21. He went five innings and gave up two runs - one earned - but took a tough-luck loss as the Orioles managed only one run off Indians starter C.C. Sabathia and closer Bob Wickman

 

[BRUSHMAN]

Philadelphia's Ryan Howard hasn't been able to carry his record-setting home run performance of spring training into the regular season - while his predecessor continues to put on a display of power for his new team.

After finally hitting his second homer in 2006, Howard looks to begin adding to his total as the Phillies take on the Washington Nationals in the opener of a 10-game homestand Tuesday.

Howard's seventh-inning homer Sunday was a timely one for the Phillies, who went on to defeat Colorado 1-0 at Coors Field. The first baseman hit a home run on opening day, but had gone without a homer, or an RBI, since.

Last season's NL rookie of the year hit 22 homers in 2005 and set a team record with 11 during spring training, but was mostly unable to locate his power stroke in the first 12 games. Meanwhile, Jim Thome, traded to the Chicago White Sox during the offseason in part to make room for the 26-year-old Howard, has seven home runs and 13 RBIs. Thome hit seven homers all of last season for the Phillies during an injury filled 2005.

'I just got a good pitch to hit, a fastball up in the zone, and fortunately it landed on the other side of the fence,' Howard, hitting .317, said of Sunday's homer.

Howard batted .320 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 50 at-bats against the Nationals last season.

While Howard hasn't provided much power production so far, Philadelphia (5-7) has come on of late, winning four of five. Brett Myers allowed seven hits in 7 2-3 innings Sunday for the Phillies, who got back on track after having their three-game winning streak snapped Saturday in a 10-6 loss to the Rockies.

Philadelphia will be looking to improve its play at Citizens Bank Park after dropping five of its first six games there. Right-hander Cory Lidle (1-1, 4.91), set to make his third start, went 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in four starts against the Nationals last season.

The Nationals will counter with right-hander Tony Armas Jr. (0-2, 3.27 ERA), who takes the ball after Washington (4-9) won its second straight for the first time this season Sunday, 7-5 at Florida.

Ryan Church hit a pair of two-run homers for Washington, his first two hits in nine at-bats since being promoted from Triple-A New Orleans.

'I didn't let myself get down for not being here at the beginning of the year,' Church said. 'You have to let the game come to you and wait for your opportunities. This is definitely a good start.'

Nationals left fielder Alfonso Soriano has batted 5-for-14 (.357) while hitting leadoff in three of Washington's last four games.

Soriano is 10-for-28 (.357) with two homers and five RBIs against Lidle, and shortstop Royce Clayton is batting .389 (7-for-18) with two homers and eight RBIs against the right-hander.

Second baseman Jose Vidro is expected to return to the Nats' starting lineup Tuesday after leaving Friday's game against the Marlins with hamstring tightness.

When the Nationals conclude this series, they will have played 13 of their first 16 games on the road.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, batting .346 this season with a hit in 10 of 12 games, is 8-for-21 (.381) against Armas in his career. Right fielder Bobby Abreu is 7-for-24 (.292) with two homers and six RBIs against him.

The Phillies won 11 of 19 meetings with the Nats in 2005, including a three-game sweep at Philadelphia to conclude the season.

 

[BRUSHMAN]

Carlos Zambrano has been fairly tough to hit this year. It's been even tougher for the burly right-hander to control his pitches.

Zambrano makes his fourth start in search of his first victory of the season for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday when they continue a three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Through three games, Zambrano is limiting hitters to a .238 average. However, he has issued 12 walks over 16 2-3 innings after walking 86 - eighth-most in the majors - in a career-high 223 1-3 innings last year.

'I hate them,' said Zambrano about the walks. 'I have to be able to control them and throw more strikes.'

Zambrano received his first decision of the year in an 8-3 loss to Cincinnati last Thursday, allowing five runs and four hits over six innings while walking three.

Cubs manager Dusty Baker wasn't worried about his 24-year-old right-hander.

'He's still very young, and one thing's for sure, this guy has dynamite stuff and he's going to win a lot of ballgames for us,' Baker said. 'This wasn't typical Carlos.'

Zambrano is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA against the Dodgers in seven career appearances, including three starts.

The Cubs are hoping for a pitching performance from the youngster similar to what Greg Maddux gave them on Monday in his first outing since turning 40. Maddux allowed one run and three hits over eight innings to improve to 3-0 and notch his 321st victory in a 4-1 win in the series opener.

'I heard Julio Franco say a million times, 'Age is just a number,'' Maddux said. 'I'm finally starting to understand what he meant by that. I used to laugh at him 10 years ago, but I know what he means now.'

The four-time Cy Young Award winner also had an RBI single to trigger a three-run fifth inning. Todd Walker homered and drove in two runs for Chicago (8-4).

The Cubs, whose starters have a 2.25 ERA over the last three games, improved to 3-1 on a nine-game road trip.

Struggling right fielder Jacque Jones returned to the lineup for the Cubs after not starting the last five games due to a strained right hamstring. Jones went hitless in four at-bats and saw his average drop to .091.

The Dodgers (6-8) are 2-5 at home, where they have scored only five runs over the last four games.

Los Angeles second baseman Jeff Kent was out of the lineup Monday due to a slight headache and a sore spot on his head after being beaned in Sunday's loss to San Francisco. Kent, who was taken to a hospital after being hit by the pitch, indicated he would return soon.

'I've been hit in the head a few times,' Kent said. 'That one hurt. I should have retired. One pitch too late.'

Dodgers right-hander Derek Lowe seeks to win his second consecutive outing after going 0-1 in his first two starts. He allowed four runs - two earned - over six innings in a 13-5 victory at Pittsburgh last Thursday.

Lowe went 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in two starts against the Cubs last season, his only two career appearances against them.

Cubs slugger Derrek Lee is 6-for-12 against Lowe with five strikeouts.

 

[BRUSHMAN]

A slow start for the Oakland Athletics is nothing new - and if recent history is any indicator, nothing for them to be concerned about.

Known for second-half runs that have led to first- or second-place finishes in the AL West for seven straight years, the Athletics try to get back to the .500 mark when they open a three-game set with the Detroit Tigers at McAfee Coliseum on Tuesday.

Oakland (6-7) has lost five of six since a 5-2 start, including two of three to Texas to begin a nine-game homestand, and is under .500 through 13 games for the fourth time since 1999.

Over that span, the A's are a combined 50-54 in the first 13 games of each season, including a 3-10 start in 2001. They won 102 games that year and advanced to the postseason, losing to the New York Yankees in the AL division series.

The A's reached the playoffs every year from 2000-03.

Esteban Loaiza (0-2, 11.42 ERA) will make his third start for Oakland after being signed as a free agent in the offseason. A 12-game winner with Washington in 2005, Loaiza is 11-4 with a 2.58 ERA in 18 games against Detroit, including 7-1 with a 2.73 ERA at home.

The 34-year-old right-hander has struggled in two outings in 2006, allowing five earned runs in 4 2-3 innings of a 6-2 loss to Seattle on April 6 and six runs in four innings of a 6-5 defeat to Minnesota last Wednesday.

The A's are hoping Loaiza, 22-19 with a 4.80 ERA since a 21-win season with the Chicago White Sox in 2003, can give them an outing similar to what Dan Haren had in a 5-3 loss to the Rangers on Sunday.

Haren pitched eight innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and striking out five, and left with a 3-1 lead. Closer Huston Street, though, gave up four earned runs in the ninth, including a two-run homer to Mark Teixeira that tied the game at 3.

Street had converted his last 21 save opportunities.

'You always want to keep a streak going but I've blown saves before,' Street said. 'It was set up perfect - bobblehead day, Easter Sunday, get a win for Haren right there. Now it's just a blown save.'

Eric Chavez went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs to up his average to .313.

Chavez is a .292 hitter with 12 homers and 35 RBIs against the Tigers.

Detroit (7-6) began the season 5-0 but has since dropped six of eight, including a 2-5 homestand that concluded with a four-game split against Cleveland.

The early season schedule isn't doing any favors for the Tigers, who are kicking off a nine-game West Coast road trip with this series before playing three each at Seattle and the Los Angeles Angels.

Justin Verlander, a 23-year-old right-hander and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 draft, will make his first career start against the A's.

Verlander (1-1, 6.52 ERA) earned his first major league win April 8 when he pitched seven innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven, in the Tigers' 7-0 victory over the Rangers.

He ran into trouble in his next start, giving up seven earned runs and seven hits in just 2 2-3 innings of a 13-9 loss to the White Sox on Thursday.

That outing was similar to Nate Robertson's in a 10-2 defeat in the series finale against the Indians on Monday.

Robertson, who had a team-high 16 losses last year, gave up six earned runs and eight hits in 2 1-3 innings, exiting in the third with his team trailing 7-1.

'We stunk,' said Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who unleashed a booming, expletive-filled postgame tirade that could be heard outside the clubhouse. 'The whole ball of wax was lackluster. It's been going on here before.'

Chris Shelton provided yet another highlight for Detroit's offense, connecting on his ninth home run of the season in 13 games. He totaled 18 in 107 games as a rookie in 2005.

Carlos Guillen also homered, his third of the season and first since he homered in the Tigers' first two games.

Oakland is 22-9 against Detroit since 2002, including 11-5 at home.

 

[BRUSHMAN]

Ken Griffey Jr.'s injuries aside, the Cincinnati Reds are feeling pretty good right now.

They'll try to build on the strong pitching and big hitting that highlighted Monday's homestand-opening victory over the Florida Marlins when the teams play each other in the second of a three-game set Tuesday.

The Reds (8-5) stopped a two-game slide with a 9-1 win over Florida before placing Griffey on the 15-day disabled list after Monday's game.

'I love this team,' said Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips. 'Everybody's laid back and cool. There's a lot of jokesters on this team. I think I fit in real well with this team.'

Phillips, acquired in an April 7 trade with the Cleveland Indians, drove in four runs with a double and a pair of singles Monday, matching his career highs for hits and RBIs.

The Reds have homered 26 times in 13 games this season including 23 in seven games at Cincinnati's homer-friendly Great American Ball Park. Adam Dunn upped his home run count to eight with a two-run shot in the first inning Monday. He's 6-for-23 - all of the hits being homers - in his last seven games.

'Dunner is swinging the bat really well,' Reds manager Jerry Narron said. 'I'd like to see him hit a lousy single somewhere.'

Austin Kearns has a five-game hitting streak after hitting a homer in Monday's series opener and is batting a team-high .346.

Griffey, meanwhile, is sidelined with an inflamed tendon behind his right knee. He's missed the last five games because of the injury.

Griffey, 36, earned NL comeback player of the year honors last season after surviving his first year without a major injury since 2000.

'He's had a long history,' Dr. Timothy Kremchek said. 'So this is peace of mind.'

Following lefty Brandon Claussen's win Monday the Reds send left-hander Eric Milton (2-0, 2.63 ERA) to the mound for his third start this season.

Milton gave up six hits and three runs - two earned- in 6 2-3 innings of last Thursday's 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. He is 1-2 with a 4.03 ERA in five career starts versus Florida.

The Marlins (3-9) also send a lefty to the hill as pitcher Jason Vargas (1-1, 5.73) attempts to snap the team's three-game losing streak.

Vargas won his last outing 9-2 over San Diego on Thursday, giving up two runs in six quality innings. He allowed just one run on three hits in 6 1-3 innings in his only career appearance against the Reds, a victory last August 5 at Cincinnati.

Florida is without pitcher Carlos Martinez (strained elbow) and outfielder Jeremy Hermida (sore hip) after placing both on the 15-day DL.

Randy Messenger and Matt Cepicky were recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace the injured players.

Marlins center fielder Reggie Abercrombie's hitless slump is at 0-for-20 after going 0-for-4 Monday.

 

[ScreaminPain]

I don't know if you're writing these or using the old "cut n' paste", but thanks for posting. Some valuable info in there....

 

[BRUSHMAN]

Its bad enough I had the time to paste and copy.Just thought it was some good info!! You are welcome.Will do this when I have the time!!ANYTHING TO HELP!!