J C Romero

The only thing missing from the Oakland Athletics' 17th consecutive victory was a win for Cory Lidle. Lidle's masterful month came to an end Saturday when he gave up his first earned run in August on the month's final day, but the A's got enough late offense to defeat the Minnesota Twins, 6-3, and extend the majors' longest winning streak in 49 years.

Bartolo Colon began throwing last week for the first time since a shoulder injury knocked him out of the American League championship series in October, and the Angel ace is scheduled to throw off a mound Feb. 1, two weeks before spring training begins. The Angels sent two trainers to the Dominican Republic to examine Colon over the weekend, and General Manager Bill Stoneman said the AL Cy Young Award winner's rehabilitation from a shoulder strain has gone as scheduled.

The New York Yankees took advantage of 14 walks, then capped their latest comeback victory with a couple of strolls around the bases. Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui hit consecutive homers in the ninth inning, and the Yankees rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Orioles, 9-7, Sunday at Baltimore. New York trailed, 6-2, in the fifth inning before escaping with its seventh win in eight games.

The Angels filled a hole in their bullpen, acquiring veteran left-hander J.C. Romero from the Minnesota Twins on Friday for Class-A infielder Alexi Casilla, a trade that seems a little lopsided until the circumstances surrounding it are examined. Romero was one of the American League's top relievers in 2002, going 9-2 with a 1.89 earned-run average in 81 games to help the Twins reach the AL championship series, and his numbers in the last three seasons -- a 13-7 record and 3.

Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui each hit two-run doubles, and Jon Lieber (11-8) struck out a season-high nine to lead the New York Yankees past the slumping Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 11-2, Tuesday night at New York. Gary Sheffield had four hits and Bernie Williams homered for the Yankees, who won their third consecutive game. Rocco Baldelli hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Tampa Bay, which lost its ninth in a row.

Eric Chavez hit a two-out homer in the 11th inning, and Mark Ellis hit for the cycle as the Oakland Athletics recovered from Boston's dramatic ninth-inning rally for a tumultuous 5-4 victory over the Red Sox on Monday night. Chavez left no doubt on his eighth homer of the season, this one against Kyle Snyder (1-1), ending a game with a homer for only the second time in his career.

As soon as David Ortiz comes off Minnesota's disabled list, Brad Radke pulls up lame. The Minnesota Twins survived the injury to their starting pitcher Monday night, beating Kansas City, 3-2, when Ortiz doubled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth in his first game back. The American League Central-leading Twins seem to be having more than their share of injuries. They've had six players go on the disabled list.

Texas Ranger left-hander Justin Thompson will have surgery Friday to repair a torn rotator cuff and will be sidelined for the season. The decision for more surgery on Thompson's pitching shoulder was made Wednesday after an examination by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. Thompson was recalled from a medical rehab May 1, and appeared close to joining the Rangers until he continued to have soreness in his left shoulder last week. A preliminary MRI was done Monday. Dr.

Jim Parque, a former pitcher for the White Sox and Tampa Bay, says he used human growth hormone "about six times" after he was cut by Chicago in 2002 and before he tried a comeback with the Rays the next season. Parque made his confession in a lengthy, first-person account printed Thursday in the Chicago Sun-Times. He says he tried HGH in a bid to recover from a shoulder injury that he blames for derailing his career.