The Cleveland Indians kicked off the midseason trading period in style when they dealt starting pitcher Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos on Thursday for first baseman Lee Stevens and three prospects. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Power-hitting Indians first baseman Jim Thome figures to be the next big-name player to be dealt before the July 31 waiver deadline, and there has been speculation that the Orioles might be interested.

Don't get too excited. Thome would be a good fit for a team in need of a true cleanup hitter, but Orioles owner Peter Angelos figures to be reluctant to give up the young players necessary to acquire him and wary of the contract he could command as a potential free agent.

Indians general manager Mark Shapiro made it clear shortly before the Colon trade that he wasn't planning to settle for anything less than a large package of prospects for one of his marquee players.

"The kind of deals we're looking to make are a Joe Carter or Randy Johnson trade," he said.

He was referring to the Carter deal that brought the Indians Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga after the 1989 season and the trade that sent Johnson from the Mariners to the Houston Astros for future Mariners stars Freddy Garcia, John Halama and Carlos Guillen.

If the Orioles have any future Freddy Garcias or Carlos Guillens, they probably would prefer to see them develop into stars in Baltimore instead of Cleveland, but Thome is a known quantity who could help the Orioles go from a .500 team this season to playoff contender next year.

It's a tough call.

Look for the Orioles to pass at midseason and try to sign Thome, or someone like him, out of the free-agent market this winter.

R. Alomar unhappy again

It's getting tougher and tougher for Robbie Alomar to maintain his reputation as one of baseball's elite players. Everywhere he goes, it seems, he eventually wears out his welcome. He's just doing it a lot faster in New York.

Alomar was seen quarreling in the dugout with teammate Roger Cedeno this week, with the two almost coming to blows after Cedeno reportedly needled him about an unflattering picture on a baseball card. Maybe Alomar is sensitive because he has struggled at the plate in his first season with the Mets, but his act is getting old.

The scouting report on Alomar isn't very complicated. He's a player who will lead his team whichever way it was already going to go. The Mets, who are falling out of contention in the National League East, are another good example.

Elbow room

The Mets didn't take Gary Sheffield's game-winning grand slam lying down Wednesday night. They complained to the commissioner's office that Sheffield was wearing an illegal elbow protector and got the Braves' outfielder fined.

"Rules are rules," said Mets GM Steve Phillips.

The Braves found the whole issue a bit silly, but they can afford to shrug that kind of thing off with the Mets 9 1/2 games in the rearview mirror entering today.

Pedro gets some help

Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez used to be so overpowering that it didn't matter whether his teammates swung the bat well behind him. Now, he needs a little help sometimes, and he's getting it.

Martinez, who ranks 10th among American League starters in run support with an average of 6.66 runs per nine innings, gave up four early runs Wednesday against Cleveland, but the Red Sox came back to score a 7-4 victory.

It was the sixth time in 15 starts he has given up at least four runs, but he has not suffered a loss in any of those difficult starts.

"Sometimes, it's going to be like that," Martinez said. "There were times [in past years] when the offense wouldn't go and I had to win 1-0 or 2-0. I had to do it by myself. This time the hitters are doing it. I'm getting away with wins and no-decisions, but that's part of the game."

Stottlemyre returns

Diamondbacks pitcher Todd Stottlemyre has returned from the disabled list again, this time with a new role and - the Diamondbacks hope - a chance to stay healthy and productive as a member of the Arizona bullpen.

Stottlemyre has been a starter since 1989, but the club's medical staff believes that his oft-injured arm will be more durable if he reduces the number of pitches he throws an appearance.

The 36-year-old right-hander isn't complaining. The idea of switching to relief popped into his mind in May, while watching Braves closer John Smoltz beguile hitters with his surgically repaired arm.

"When I was younger I loved [relieving]," Stottlemyre said. "You're as close to an everyday player as you're going to get being a pitcher."

Stottlemyre made his first relief appearance, giving up a run in the final inning of the Diamondbacks' 9-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Strange ejection

The umpiring crew at the Metrodome was particularly touchy Monday, so much so that crew chief Jerry Crawford ejected a security guard from the Twins' bullpen.

Gary Baggott, a 10-year veteran of the Twins' bullpen detail, apparently got caught up in the furor over a series of close calls that went against the Twins. He sarcastically pulled off his glasses and waved them in the direction of umpire Joe West, prompting Crawford to order him off the field.

Baggott got a loud ovation from the crowd as he exited the field. He was reassigned to another part of the ballpark for the rest of the series against the Chicago White Sox.

"A security guard ejection is a first for me," said longtime Minnesota bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek. "Gary's a big Twins fan and was a little fired up by this ballgame. Hopefully, the umpires will let it go. He's really a great guy."

Stupid schedule tricks

The Detroit Tigers are having trouble getting people to show up at Comerica Park as it is, but this year's unbalanced schedule has basically closed the stadium for one of the prime periods of baseball weather in Michigan.

The Tigers are in a stretch from June 13 to July 10 during which they play a grand total of three games at home.

Manny happy returns

Manny Ramirez is back from the DL, which means that the Red Sox can start winning again. The Sox entered the weekend with a 46-28 (.622) record, but they were 25-10 (.714) with Ramirez in the starting lineup and just 21-18 (.538) when he was unavailable because of injury.

Quote of the week

Trainer Russ Miller, when asked about the sorry physical state of the Tigers, who have been decimated by significant injuries to most of their key players:

"I'm at the point of putting lifejackets on them when they get into the whirlpool."

Compiled from interviews, wire services and reports from other newspapers.