Rafael Palmeiro

Who's hot Bobby Estalella of the Rockies is 7-for-16 with nine RBIs in his past five games. Who's not Athletics starting pitchers are 14-22 this season. Line of the day Barry Bonds, Giants LF AB R H RBI HR 3 3 3 3 2 On deck Mark Buehrle of the White Sox tries to become the AL's first eight-game winner to day, facing the Angels. He said it "I hit that ball as well as I can hit one. It's just too big out there. Now I know why Juan [Gonzalez] had such trouble playing here - and he's twice as strong as I am."

Palmeiro not in class of true Orioles greats I applaud David Steele for his Thursday column ["Fans can make a stand by sitting at home"]. Allowing Rafael Palmeiro to wear the same uniform as Cal Ripken, Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson or even Craig Worthington is heresy. Rather than riding off in the sunset of what could have been a Hall of Fame career, Palmeiro will slither his way out of baseball. The team is out of contention. What purpose does it serve to have him suit up?

Cubs: Mark Grace, who began the game one hit ahead of Rafael Palmeiro for the decade hits lead, finished 1-for-2 with three walks, two intentional. His eighth-inning double gave him 361 for the 1990s, tying him with the Astros' Craig Biggio for the decade lead.Marlins: Second baseman Luis Castillo was voted the team's MVP by the South Florida media. Castillo, out for the year with a dislocated shoulder, batted .302 with 50 stolen bases.Phillies: A crowd that included many Mets fans was late arriving because of a busy night in South Philadelphia.

Highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' 5-2 victory over the New York Mets yesterday in Port St. Lucie, Fla.Ups and downsUps: Eric Davis. Outfielder continued to hammer the ball, with two more hits -- a single and a long double -- and two runs scored. He raised his spring batting average to .484 and ranks among the league leaders in seven offensive categories.Ups: Rafael Palmeiro. First baseman also went 2-for-3 and lined his first home run of the spring off the right-field foul pole. The three-run shot off Brian Bohanon broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning.

UPS AND DOWNSRafael Palmeiro -- UP -- In one of those streaks when, with each at-bat, you wonder if he'll hit a homer.Bobby Bonilla -- UP -- Give the Mets anything but Alex Ochoa and Rocky Coppinger, the plums of a generally fruitless farm system.Jeffrey Hammonds -- EVEN -- Hurt again. Maybe its a good time for him to sit down and get his head clear for the stretch drive, because he was really struggling.Chris Hoiles -- UP -- Funny how this game goes: A month ago, the Orioles were looking for alternatives.

Ups and downsMike Mussina -- Winner -- Two exceptionally pitched games in a week. The three-hitter against Cleveland was near-perfection. Get the long-term deal signed.Jeffrey Hammonds -- Loser -- Maybe he's physically able, maybe not. But if hewasn't going to play for the O's, sending him down was the right thing to do.Leo Gomez -- Loser -- Tough week. He loses arbitration case, makes big error and the gets benched...Jeff Manto -- Winner -- ...in favor of this guy. They call him Mickey Manto.

With the wind and rain making it difficult for either team to field a ball in the outfield, the Orioles and Cardinals played to a 6-6 tie in 10 innings. The Cardinals scored twice in the seventh off Darwin Cubillan to erase the Orioles' 6-4 lead. Kerry Robinson walked to begin the inning, and Ray Lankford and Hector Luna hit back-to-back doubles with one out. Mike DeJean replaced Cubillan, who was making his second appearance, and retired the last two batters. He pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Luis Matos led off the first inning with a home run and came within a triple of hitting for the cycle, and the Orioles celebrated the return of Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa with a 9-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Orioles sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning against Twins starter Kyle Lohse. They collected five hits, including an RBI single by Palmeiro, who spent Thursday testifying before Congress on steroid use in baseball. Sosa also spoke at the hearing. Melvin Mora, who has been slowed by the flu, hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

Playing his last home exhibition game of the spring, Rafael Palmeiro hit a two-run, walk-off homer off Antonio Alfonseca to give the Orioles a 7-6 victory over the Florida Marlins yesterday. Palmeiro launched the first pitch from Alfonseca over the right-field bleachers to cap a three-run rally that began when Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora singled with none out in the ninth inning. Chris Gomez put down a sacrifice bunt, and Sammy Sosa lined out to left field, allowing Roberts to score.