FOR GAMES OF 08/04/02 by Matt Santillo, John Claeys and Brian Osborn LAKEWOOD (SAL) RHP GAVIN FLOYD had a bid to record a second no-hitter within the past 12 days broken up in the eighth inning of the BlueClaws' 5-2 victory at Charleston-WV. Floyd, who suffered the loss in a nine-inning no-hitter versus Lexington on July 24, yielded just a walk and hit a batter over the first seven frames. He started off the eighth with a groundout, but C JOSE YEPEZ laced a single past the shortstop to snap the bid. Yepez entered the eighth with just four hits in his last 46 at-bats, a .087 batting average. Overall, Floyd allowed two runs and two hits, striking out six and walking three, in eight frames for the win, improving to 10-7 with a 2.93 ERA in 22 starts. Over his last six road starts, the 19-year-old is 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA. He has held opponents to a .216 batting average, struck out 39 and walked 14 in 41 1/3 innings over that span.

EDMONTON (PCL) C MATTHEW LECROY hit a game-winning grand slam in the ninth inning and finished with two homers and a career-high seven RBI in the Trappers' 15-11 victory over Sacramento. With runners on second and third and two outs in a three-run game, RiverCats' RHP MATT MILLER intentionally walked Todd Sears to load the bases. LeCroy then drilled a pitch over the right field wall for his 11th longball of the season. The right-handed hitting cleanup hitter also drove in a run with an infield single in the third inning and a two-run blast to right field in the eighth. LeCroy went 3-for-5 with a walk in the contest, his 16th multi-hit game out of 33 with Edmonton this season. Overall, the 26-year-old is batting .393 with 42 RBI and 28 runs scored. He has yet to hit into a double play in over 120 at-bats this year. Just optioned down from Minnesota on Friday, LeCroy was hitting .282 with 18 RBI in 41 games with the Twins.

ELSEWHERE IN THE MINOR LEAGUES

BRISTOL (APPY) OF DARREN CIRACO drove home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with a base hit, extending his hitting streak to 22 games, in the White Sox's 4-3 triumph over Elizabethon. Ciraco, who grounded out in his first two at-bats, laced a two-run single with one out in the sixth, supplying Bristol with a 4-3 lead in a game that was shortened to seven innings because of an earlier completion of a suspended contest. The New York native recorded his eighth multi-RBI game during the streak, and has knocked home a total of 30 runs while hitting safely.

IDAHO FALLS (PIO) SS LUIS GARCIA had a pair of hits and two RBI in the Padres' last-inning rally to beat Provo in the first game of a doubleheader, 6-5. Trailing 5-0 going in the bottom of the seventh, Garcia led off the frame with a single and scored directly after on a double by OF RUBEN MORA. Idaho Falls mustered three more hits and a pair of walks to cut its deficit to 5-4. With the bases loaded and two outs, Garcia then laced a two-run single to give the Padres just their second win in their last seven games with the Angels. In the nightcap, RHP JAMES HOLCOMB allowed a run, six hits and struck out six over five innings to help Provo earn the split, 6-1.

MODESTO (CAL) 2B CAONADO COSME recorded three RBI in a 12-run seventh inning to lead the A's past High Desert, 15-12. After going hitless in his first three at-bats, the 23-year-old laced a run-scoring triple and eventually crossed home plate in his first plate appearance in the seventh. The 6-2, 160-pounder, who finished the game 3-for-6 with two triples and two runs, capped the big rally with a two-run double in his second at-bat of the frame, giving Modesto a 13-11 lead. Cosme, who entered the contest fifth in the league with 121 hits, is now batting .291 with 25 doubles, five triples and 51 RBI in 105 games. OF BRIAN SELLIER also drove home three runs in the seventh with a pair of hits, including a two-run double that started the scoring. The A's scored the most runs in an inning of a California League game since June 12, 2000 when they scored 12 in the seventh against Bakersfield. Modesto is the league's only team to amass 12 runs in an inning since 1998, accomplishing the feat three times.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA (CAL) RHP PEDRO LIRIANO won his fifth straight start with six-plus strong innings in the Quakes' 12-4 victory over Lake Elsinore. Liriano, who struck out 10 in a one-hit shutout on July 30, yielded a run and five hits over 6 1/3 innings to improve to 9-10 with a 3.89 ERA in 23 outings. He also fanned five and walked four in the contest. Over the win streak, the 21-year-old has posted a 1.70 ERA, allowing 20 hits and striking out 39 over 37 frames. C JARED ABRUZZO finished 4-for-5 with three doubles and a pair of RBI for the victors.

SALEM (CARO) RHP CHIN-HUI TSAO struck out a season-high 10 batters over seven scoreless innings in the Avalanche's 2-1 loss to Kinston. Tsao, Colorado's first significant international free agent, fanned seven of the final nine batters he faced. Signed out of Taiwan in October of 1999 with a $2.2 million signing bonus, the 21-year-old yielded two hits and a walk, but did not figure in the decision for Salem. Tsao, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in eight starts split between the Avalanche and Tri-City of the Short-Season Northwest League. He has struck out 38 batters, allowed 25 hits and walked seven in 32 frames so far.