ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals were short-handed Tuesday night, with Mark McGwire, Fernando Vina and Ray Lankford all sidelined by hamstring injuries.

Trainer Barry Weinberg said all three will be out at least until Friday. He described the injuries as "mild to moderate."

"They're all about the same," Weinberg said. "I'd be happy if one played on Friday, I'd be thrilled if two and surprised if three."

Placido Polanco replaced Vina at second base and in the leadoff slot. Outfielder Eric Davis supplanted McGwire in the cleanup slot and Larry Sutton, called up earlier Tuesday, started at first base and batted fifth.

Manager Tony La Russa, who used rookie pitcher Rick Ankiel as a pinch hitter and allowed reliever Mark Thompson to bat in a 7-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, didn't seem to mind going with essentially a 22-man roster.

"Guys in the minor leagues do it every day," La Russa said. "It just limits the moves you make. The most important thing every game is who starts the game."

Lankford injured his left hamstring running the bases on Saturday. Vina injured his right hamstring running out a grounder in the third inning Monday and McGwire left after feeling a popping sensation in his right hamstring fielding a bunt by Royals pitcher Mac Suzuki in the fourth.

La Russa hedged whether McGwire could be used as a pinch hitter.

"Mark's sore," La Russa said. "Can he hit? I don't know. I think the answer for the Royals is yes."

Weinberg said the disabled list would be considered for all three players on the Cardinals' day off Thursday, if not enough progress is made.

Another pitcher, left-hander Scott Radinsky, visited Dr. Frank Jobe on Tuesday for a second opinion on his ailing elbow. Radinsky was sidelined the second half of last season with bone chips and his only outing this season, last Thursday at Arizona, lasted only three pitches.

Padres' Hitchcock undergoes Tommy John surgery
SAN DIEGO -- Padres left-hander Sterling Hitchcock underwent reconstructive surgery on his left elbow Tuesday.

Dr. Lewis Yocum of the Anaheim Angels performed the Tommy John surgery, in which a tendon was taken out of his wrist to repair or replace the torn ulnar collateral ligament.

"A significant bone chip was also removed from behind Hitchcock's left elbow, and mild arthritis was found," the team said in a statement.

Hitchcock, MVP of the 1998 NL Championship Series, will need up to a year and a half for recovery, the team said.

Hitchcock (1-6, 4.93 ERA) was San Diego's opening day pitcher. He left a start against Montreal on May 26 complaining of pain in the elbow.

Rangers send down Glynn, call up Johnson
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Outdueling Kevin Brown wasn't enough to keep Ryan Glynn in the majors.

The Texas Rangers sent Glynn back to Triple-A Oklahoma on Tuesday one day after he beat Brown and the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0. Glynn allowed two hits in eight innings to get the win.

Rangers manager Johnny Oates said Glynn earned consideration for another big league start later this season.

Texas recalled right-hander Jonathan Johnson from Oklahoma to take Glynn's place.

Johnson was in the bullpen on Tuesday night for Texas' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was 2-3 with a 5.14 ERA in 19 relief appearances for Oklahoma this season.

Rockies' Walker not ready to return
DENVER -- Colorado Rockies outfielder Larry Walker is not expected to play in a three-day stand at Seattle through Wednesday.

Walker has been on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 11, with the beginning of a stress fracture in his right elbow. He has missed 20 games, and the Rockies have gone 15-5 in his absence.

"I'm not playing in Seattle," he said Sunday. "I'm not ready."

Walker has been hitting and throwing before games and has experienced occasional soreness in his elbow during his rehabilitation.

Because the Rockies will be visiting an American League opponent, they will be able to use a designated hitter.

But if Walker is tapped to be the DH, the roster would be jumbled when the Rockies return home against the Rangers because a move would be necessary to activate him.

"You can't go on the (disabled list) for three days, come off and go back on for four days," Walker said.

Royals place Febles on disabled list
ST. LOUIS -- Kansas City Royals second baseman Carlos Febles was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday, a day after he strained his left shoulder diving for a ball.

Febles, who was batting .270 with two home runs, 16 RBI and 11 steals, was hurt in the 11th inning Sunday at Pittsburgh.

The Royals called up infielder Ray Holbert, who batted .264 with one homer and 15 RBI in 40 games at Triple-A Omaha.

The Royals have four players on the disabled list, with pitchers Blake Stein (broken forearm), Orber Moreno (strained elbow tendon) and Jose Rosado (shoulder tendinitis) also sidelined.

Marlins demote winless Nunez to minors
MIAMI -- If Florida Marlins right-hander Vladimir Nunez is going to make it back to the major leagues, he has to start getting batters out. The Marlins sent Nunez to Triple-A Calgary on Monday, a day after he gave up six hits and five runs in three innings.

Nunez (0-6), whose ERA rose to 8.35, has given up 82 hits and 27 walks in 12 starts.

"It just wasn't working and it didn't look like it was going to at this level," Marlins manager John Boles said.

Boles said the Marlins will not need a fifth starter until June 13, so the club doesn't need to make any pitching moves until then. In the meantime, Florida reinstated outfielder Mark Smith from the 15-day disabled list.

Smith was placed on the disabled May 11 with a strained right elbow.

Liddle, pitcher for Mays' famous catch, dies at 75
MOUNT CARMEL, Ill. -- Donald Liddle, a former major leaguer who threw the pitch that became one of baseball's greatest defensive plays, died Monday of lung cancer. He was 75.

Liddle was on the mound in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series at New York's Polo Grounds when Willie Mays made his famous over-the-shoulder catch running down a 460-foot fly ball hit by Cleveland's Vic Wertz.

Liddle had been summoned by Giants manager Leo Durocher to relieve Sal Maglie, specifically to face Wertz. When fellow reliever Marv Grissom came to the mound to replace him after Mays' spectacular catch, Liddle said, "I got my man."

Liddle also was the starting and winning pitcher in Game 4, when the Giants defeated the Indians 7-4 to complete a four-game sweep and win their first world championship since 1933.

Liddle appeared in 117 major league games, including 54 starts, in a career that began in 1953 with the Milwaukee Braves. He was traded to the Giants in 1954 and went 9-4. His best season was 1955, when he went 10-4 for the Giants.

Liddle was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956. He retired in 1958 with a career record of 28-18, returning home to Mount Carmel.

After leaving baseball, Liddle worked at the local Elks Club, owned a service station, sold insurance, and then went to work at the Snap-On Tools factory. He stayed there for 22 years, 18 as a supervisor.

Cuban player picked up near Key West
MIAMI -- A Cuban baseball player who hit a key home run last year against the Baltimore Orioles was reportedly aboard a U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sunday, one of 31 would-be defectors found on a boat stranded near Key West.

Agent Gus Dominguez said Sunday that Coast Guard officials have told him that Andy Morales, a 24-year-old third baseman and designated hitter, is one of the Cubans aboard the cutter.

Coast Guard and Immigration and Naturalization Service officials would not confirm that Sunday. The Coast Guard said the Cubans were aboard a powerboat that ran out of fuel Friday.

The Cubans are being interviewed by INS officials on the cutter, INS spokesman Rodney Germain said. Those that might have legitimate claims to political asylum will be brought to the United States for processing, he said, while the others could be returned to Cuba.

Morales would be the latest Cuban national team member to defect, following such current major leaguers as New York Yankees pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, his cousin, San Francisco Giants pitcher and 1997 World Series MVP Livan Hernandez, and New York Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez.

About 35 Cuban baseball players have defected over the last 10 years. Calls to the Cuban Interests Section in Washington on Sunday went unanswered.

Dominguez said it will be up to Morales to decide if he wants to remain in the United States, which would subject him to baseball's amateur draft, or become a free agent by traveling to a third country such as Costa Rica as several Cuban players have done.

'El Duquecito' has impressive U.S. pro debut
TAMPA, Fla. -- Cuban defector Adrian Hernandez retired his first 12 hitters -- eight on strikeouts -- en route to a three-hit, 13-strikeout performance over 6 2/3 innings in his U.S. pro debut Saturday night for the Class A Tampa Yankees.

"I felt very good," Hernandez said through an interpreter. "It felt very good to put on the Yankee uniform."

In Tampa's 5-1 victory over the Fort Myers Miracle in the Florida State League, the 25-year-old pitcher didn't allow a runner until Dustan Mohr's leadoff single in the fifth.

The Miracle ended Hernandez's shutout bid in the seventh on a wild pitch. He waved toward the Legends Field crowd of 1,869 as he departed to a standing ovation.

Hernandez, who walked one, threw 60 of 93 pitches for strikes. He said he has not been told where is next start will take place, however, he expects to join Double-A Norwich in the near future.

Report: Blue Jays up for sale again
TORONTO -- Interbrew SA, the Belgian brewery that owns the Toronto Blue Jays, will soon receive a new set of offers to buy the team, the Toronto Star reported Saturday.

Among those interested in purchasing the team, valued at $150 million by its owner, are Rogers Communications, Bell Canada Enterprises, CanWest Global and Sportsco, which last year bought the SkyDome, the Blue Jays' ballpark.

Although baseball commissioner Bud Selig said Friday he hasn't heard anything about a proposed sale, a Blue Jays official speaking on the condition he not be identified said the organizations are among the "multiple parties interested" in the team.

Interbrew had the team up for sale in 1997, but yanked the two-time World Series champions off the market because the uncertainty distracted many of the team's top players.

Phillies demote Byrd, put Aldred on disabled list
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Phillies righthander Paul Byrd, who has struggled since being named to the National League All-Star team last year, Friday was demoted to the minor leagues.

After winning only one of his last six starts last year, Byrd was just 1-5 with a 7.86 ERA in nine starts for the Phillies this season. He allowed seven runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 10-4 loss at San Francisco on Tuesday and was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the International League.

Last year, Byrd emerged as a solid No. 2 starter behind ace Curt Schilling, going 15-11 with a 4.60 ERA in 199 2/3 innings. But he never fully recovered after missing two straight starts in mid-August with back spasms.

To take Byrd's roster spot, the Phillies recalled righthander Cliff Politte from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Politte was 5-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 10 starts for the Red Barons. He walked 20 and struck out 53.

In another move Friday, the Phillies placed left-hander Scott Aldred on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder injury that could require surgery.

An MRI taken Thursday on Aldred's left shoulder revealed a SLAP lesion, or tear, in the shoulder area. The Phillies' medical staff and Aldred will decide "in the near future" on how to treat the injury.

Royals sign Randa to one-year extension
PITTSBURGH -- The Kansas City Royals took a step toward solidifying their core of young position players, agreeing Friday to a one-year contract extension with Joe Randa.

Randa, 30, is making $1 million in the final year of a two-year deal signed in 1998. He would have been eligible for salary arbitration at the end of the season.

"He's done an outstanding job for us and is an important part of our future," Royals general manager Herk Robinson said.

Randa, a career .293 hitter, was batting .326 with seven home runs and 34 RBI going into Friday night's game against the Pirates. He hit .314 last season with 16 home runs and 84 RBI.