Seattle Mariners: Mariners' RHP Kazuhiro Sasaki, out since June 11 with two cracked ribs, threw a 37-pitch simulated game from the mound Thursday.

He felt good about his splitter but said the fastball needs to be a little sharper. The most important thing, though, was that he reported no problems.

"No pain," Sasaki said. He will pitch Saturday and Monday for Triple-A Tacoma.

The Mariners also placed third baseman Jeff Cirillo on the 15-day disabled list on Friday because of a partial dislocation of his right shoulder.

Cirillo, who has gone hitless in his past 21 at-bats, has been struggling with his shoulder since before the All-Star break, general manager Pat Gillick said.

"This injury has been bothering Jeff," Gillick said, "and we think this will allow him to focus on rehabilitating and strengthening the shoulder."

The move was retroactive to Thursday.

Catcher Pat Borders, 40, was called up from Triple-A Tacoma to take Cirillo's spot on the roster. It is Borders' third stint in Seattle this season.

Cirillo, a nine-year veteran, has been hitting for a .210 average, with 11 doubles and 22 RBI.

He's being replaced at third base by 25-year-old rookie Willie Bloomquist.

Cincinnati Reds: Reds shortstop Felipe Lopez is having surgery Friday to repair a dislocated ankle.

Lopez was demoted to Triple-A Louisville on June 16 after struggling in Cincinnati. He hurt his ankle in a collision at home plate Thursday night during a 7-to-3 victory at Rochester.

There's no indication how long he'll be sidelined.

Lopez, 23, was considered the Reds' shortstop of the future when the season began. They got him in an offseason trade that cost them top starter Elmer Dessens.

Lopez was counted on to take over at shortstop next season for Barry Larkin, who hopes to stay with the Reds as a backup.

Lopez got a lot of chances to play while Larkin was on the disabled list twice with calf injuries early in the season, but batted only .213 and led the team with 16 errors. He was hitting .280 for Louisville.

Colorado Rockies: Left-hander Denny Neagle is considering season-ending surgery after tests revealed a continued degeneration of his elbow.

The Rockies placed Neagle on the 15-disabled list Tuesday after his elbow tightened in his last start. Neagle, who missed the first 71 games of the season with the same problem, came out of the game after allowing seven runs in four innings against San Francisco on Sunday.

Neagle had an MRI in Vail on Tuesday that showed degeneration of the elbow and inflammation of the flexors.

Rockies trainer Tom Probst said Neagle is planning to seek a second opinion from Dr. Timothy Kremcheck of the Reds before making a decision on surgery.

Probst said Neagle would be out for the season with surgery but could be ready for spring training next season if it's just a matter of cleaning out the elbow. He said "Tommy John" ligament surgery also would be an option but added that the MRI didn't show any ligament damage.

Neagle is 2-4 with a 7.90 ERA in seven starts this season.

Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies acquired right-hander Brian Powell on Friday from San Francisco for a player to be named. He will report to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre of the International League.

Powell made one start for the Giants on July 10 at Colorado. He pitched 4 2/3 innings while giving up seven earned runs in the loss. Powell also appeared in major league games with Detroit and Houston.

Powell was 7-8 with a 4.19 ERA in 23 games for Triple-A Fresno. In 101 innings he struck out 59 while walking 32.

Oakland A's: The A's have signed first baseman Scott Hatteberg to a two-year contract extension.

The deal runs through 2005 and contains a club option for 2006.

Hatteberg is hitting .258 with seven homers and 43 RBI this season. He is hitting .384 with runners in scoring position -- ranking seventh in the majors -- while driving in many key runs.

Hatteberg signed with the A's as a free agent before last season. He has started 82 of Oakland's 101 games at first base.

Last season, he had the best statistics of his major league career, hitting .280 with 15 homers and 61 RBI.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays activated designated hitter Josh Phelps and right-hander Cliff Politte from the 15-day disabled list Friday and optioned outfielder Jayson Werth and left-hander Dan Reichert to Triple-A Syracuse.

Phelps hit .262 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI before going on the disabled list with lower back spasms on July 10.

Politte had a 6.42 ERA and 11 saves before going on the disabled list on June 29.

Werth hit .208 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 26 games with Toronto. Reichert pitched in two games for Toronto.

Detroit Tigers: Tigers outfielder Bobby Higginson was activated from the 15-day disabled list after being sidelined with a pulled left hamstring since June 29.

The Tigers also placed catcher A.J. Hinch on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 18. He has an injured left groin.

Higginson is batting .235 with nine doubles, five home runs and 23 RBI in 74 games.

Hinch has played 19 games for the Tigers, hitting .207 with one home run and seven RBI. He was hurt July 17 at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field and has been unable to play since.