Larry Walker

The strike-delayed baseball season is six weeks old, and the Orioles are off to a slow start.Local card store owners have seen an improvement in business, albeit a slight one, since the strike ended. They say that business is better than at the depth of the strike but not as good as before the strike. But Cal Ripken, whose cards were popular during the strike when almost nothing else sold, continues to be a best seller.Usually May starts the summer slowdown at All-American Cards in Essex, says Karen Smetana, because her customers rediscover other interests.

CLEVELAND -- The baseball landscape has changed considerably during the past year, but the advent of interleague play apparently has done little to diminish the 68th All-Star Game.The midseason classic is, after all, the ultimate interleague matchup, bringing together the best players from both leagues for one night every year. And, though there will be some notable no-shows, tonight's All-Star Game at Jacobs Field should not be short on subplots and story lines.Left-hander Randy Johnson will celebrate his tremendous 1997 comeback when he delivers the first pitch at approximately 8: 30 p.m. He'll engage four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux in a dream pitching duel that couldn't happen anywhere else but the World Series.

The Cincinnati Reds are a long way from clinching the National League Central, but they have sent a definite message to the two clubs that have any hope of catching them.The Reds spent the long weekend pushing the Chicago Cubs to the brink of noncontention as they continued their cross-divisional battle with the Atlanta Braves for the best record in the National League. The second-place Houston Astros are in a better position to compete for the division title (or a wild-card berth) but they already have found out who's who in head-to-head competition.

Rockies: Larry Walker extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Darryl Hamilton has hit in 11 straight.Pub Date: 5/09/99

HittingBernard Gilkey, Mets: 3 RBIs, 5 runs scored.Larry Walker, Rockies: 6-for-7, HR, 3 stolen bases.PitchingAl Leiter, Mets: 7 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits.Jeremi Gonzalez, Cubs: 8 innings, 1 run, 4 hits.Kent Mercker, Cardinals: 7 innings, 0 runs, 6 hits.Pub Date: 4/20/98

Who's hot The Rockies, who have the third-worst record in the NL, are 3-1 since trading star outfielder Larry Walker to the Cardinals. Who's not Red Sox pitchers have allowed 11 homers the past two games. Line of the day Ben Broussard, Indians 1B AB R H RBI HR 5 2 3 4 1

Hitting Vinny Castilla, Rockies: 4-for-5, HR. Larry Walker, Rockies: 2 HRs, SB. Luis Lopez, Mets: 4 RBIs, double, HR. Pitching Randy Johnson, Astros: 9 innings, 0 runs, 6 hits, 14 strikeouts. Andy Benes, Diamondbacks: 8 innings, 1 run, 5 hits. Steve Parris, Reds: 7 innings, 1 run, 4 hits. Pub Date: 9/08/98

It's a fact The Yankees have the most winning months since 1996 (36), followed by the Braves (34). Milestone The Marlins, who began play in 1993, turned the first triple play in team history last week, in their 1,496th game. Stat of the week Larry Walker hit .438 in July after a .410 June, the first since Paul O'Neill in 1994 to hit .400 in successive months.