Quote: "[My kids] were here last time. They were probably [among] the 33,000 booing me."

-- Mark Portugal, Red Sox pitcher, who left his kids at home yesterday and rebounded from his worst outing of the year with his best.

It's a fact: The Devil Rays' Fred McGriff hit his first home run at Safeco Field, extending a major-league record by homering in 36 different ballparks.

Who's hot: The Rangers' Ivan Rodriguez is batting .508 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in his last 13 games.

Who's not: Darren Lewis of the Red Sox has one hit in his last 17 at-bats.

On deck: Frank Thomas of the White Sox needs one homer for his 300th. He's been stuck on 299 since hitting his 13th of the season July 23.

Pub Date: 8/05/99