Quote: "There were some doubts I would ever get here. I go frustrated a lot. I had high hopes coming out of college [Stanford, as a teammate of Mike Mussina] and I just kept getting hurt. It was a rough road." -- Padres' Stan Spencer, who won yesterday in his major-league debut at 29 after missing parts of three seasons with three different injuries.

It's a fact: The Astros lead the league in scoring, yet are the only team in the majors without a grand slam this season.

Who's hot: The Pirates have won a season-high nine straight games and 13 of their last 15.

Who's not: By falling to the Padres yesterday, the Phillies ran their loss streak to six.

On deck: In St. Louis today, the Braves' Greg Maddux (17-6) takes on Mark McGwire and the Cardinals, who counter with Kent Mercker (8-11).

Pub Date: 8/28/98