AL | Hurricane threat next obstacle for AL East leaders

Tampa Bay's Rays might be heading home into the eye of a storm.

Tropical Storm Fay, which could gain momentum today and reach hurricane force after passing over Cuba, is expected to make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast on Tuesday.

The AL East-leading Rays wrapped up a 10-game trip Sunday night at Texas and are scheduled to begin a three-game homestand tonight against the Los Angeles Angels.

"We hope to get at least two games in this week," Rays president Matt Silverman said. "As of now, we're playing the game Monday."

Tropicana Dome in St. Petersburg, where the Rays play, is one of the command centers for the city during severe storms.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said, "Our biggest concern is that guys can be with their families if something happens."

Bad weather is nothing new for the Angels. Last April, they had a three-game series moved from Cleveland to Milwaukee because of a blizzard.

Baltimore: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 17 years old this season, will greet its 50 millionth fan today or Tuesday night. No other stadium in the history of baseball has reached the milestone so quickly. The fan identified as No. 50 million will receive $50,000, two season tickets for five years and a commemorative jersey.

Boston: RHP Josh Beckett's 2-1/3-inning outing against Toronto was his shortest in more than two years. The Blue Jays' 22 hits were the most allowed by Red Sox pitchers in a game this year.

Chicago: Ken Griffey and Jim Thome of the White Sox and Frank Thomas of the A's all left for pinch-hitters — the first time in major-league history that has happened to three members of the 500-home run club in one game.

Cleveland: OF Ben Francisco went 2 for 4 against the Angels — his eighth two-hit game in his last nine starts.

Detroit: Reliever Todd Jones was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder.

Kansas City: RHP Brian Bannister had a disastrous start against the Yankees, allowing 13 of 16 batters he faced to reach base. He allowed a career-high 10 runs in one inning. His ERA in four starts against New York ballooned to 15.07.

Los Angeles: LHP Joe Saunders, who has a team-high 14 wins, wasn't as sharp as usual against Cleveland. He left after five innings tied 3-3, but remained unbeaten in his last six starts.

New York: OF Hideki Matsui, out since June 27 with a knee injury, is likely to be activated Tuesday, when the club begins a six-game trip in Toronto.

Oakland: The A's have lost 10 consecutive series and are a major-league-worst 5-23 since the All-Star break.

Tampa Bay: Maddon on his benching of OF B.J. Upton Saturday night for not hustling: "There's not a malicious bone in this guy's body. He's a huge part of our potential. We've got to eradicate that part of the way he plays."

Texas: Attendance at the Rangers' game was 18,363 humans, plus 378 canines in the park for a Dog Day promotion.

Seattle Times news services