Quote: "I have a lot of the year left and I'm not thinking about anything. I'm going to go see Mark McGwire. He's my man. I'm going to talk to him and see what's going on." -- The Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who hit his 43rd homer of the season and 250th of his career yesterday before beginning a weekend series in St. Louis.

It's a fact: The Dodgers will surpass the 2 million mark in home attendance for the 26th consecutive season when they open their next homestand tomorrow against Pittsburgh. Their pace is ahead of last year, when they drew more than 3 million for a record 12th time.

Who's hot: Former Orioles closer Gregg Olson yesterday earned his 20th save in 23 chances for the Diamondbacks.

Who's not: The Cardinals' Mark McGwire, who didn't start last night, has struck out 10 times in his last 17 at-bats and is in a 24-at-bat homerless skid.

On deck: The Dodgers' Carlos Perez (7-10) and Mark Grudzielanek play against their former Expos teammates for the first time since Friday's trade.

Pub Date: 8/06/98