Hits And Misses

On the field: Had Brady Anderson's streak of 31 straight stolen-base attempts without being caught ended in the third inning last night, he would've had a good excuse. With a 3-2 count on Kevin Bass, Anderson took off running four times -- only to return when Bass fouled off each pitch. Anderson also dove back into first twice on pickoff attempts. Bass' at-bat finally ended when Bass grounded out to third and Anderson advanced to second. Two batters later, Anderson stole third, his 32nd straight, to tie the AL record.

In the dugout: Athletics manager Tony La Russa scratched third baseman Scott Brosius from the lineup just before last night's game, because Brosius was suffering from a tight shoulder. Craig Paquette took his place.

In the clubhouse: "The last two years, [my] arbitration case has been handled very quickly, with no hard feelings. I don't know what the [Orioles'] approach is this year, because I don't think we've actually had any talks since [the figures] were exchanged. Nobody likes to go to arbitration, but when you have to go, you go." -- Orioles pitcher Ben McDonald