The Hot Corner

Expos manager Felipe Alou said last week that if he were the Phillies' skipper, he would yank lefthander Omar Daal (3-19 through Sunday) from the rotation before he becomes the first pitcher to lose 20 games in a season since A's righty Brian Kingman in 1980. "You carry that the rest of your life," said Alou. Phillies manager Terry Francona's reply: "I have a ton of respect for Felipe Alou, but I'll handle the pitching here. I think [Daal] will get more out of pitching, whether he wins or loses, than from sitting."....

Through Sunday, Royals outfielder Johnny Damon, hitting .412 since the All-Star break, had nearly as many four-hit games (eight) as hitless ones (II) in the second half of the season....

The Cardinals began this week needing 16 stolen bases in their final 12 games to keep alive their streak of 100-steal seasons. St. Louis had at least 100 thefts in every nonstrike year from 1979 to '99....

When Blue Jays righthander Kelvim Escobar moved to the bullpen last month, he replaced his four-seam fastball, which he says gave him more control, with a two-seamer with more movement. The change worked: 7-13 with a 5.42 ERA as a starter, Escobar was 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA in relief through Sunday, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio had jumped from 1.5 to 4.0.