SPRING TRAINING NOTEBOOK : MCDOWELL HEADED TO DL?

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

Cleveland Indians pitcher Jack McDowell, scheduled to pitch in Saturday's exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs, may start the season on the disabled list.

McDowell, scratched from his last start of the spring with a strained abdominal muscle, stayed in Florida and is to pitch in a game Monday. If he's OK, McDowell will join the Indians and start the third game of the season Thursday at Anaheim. If not, McDowell could be placed on the DL for the second year in a row and second time in his career.

``We're covering our bases so we don't get caught short,'' manager Mike Hargrove said.

Bartolo Colon replaced McDowell as the starter in Cleveland's final exhibition game Saturday at Jacobs Field, allowing one run on three hits in five innings with one walk and five strikeouts.

``It's the best I've seen him throw,'' Hargrove said.

Colon, 21, is the likely choice to join the rotation if McDowell goes on the DL.

McGwire returns to A's lineup: Mark McGwire, who missed seven games because of back problems, went 1 for 3 with a single for the Oakland Athletics in an exhibition game against the San Francisco Giants.

McGwire left camp Wednesday and returned home for a cortisone shot in his

lower back.

Oakland manager Art Howe said McGwire will not make the trip with the A's for today's game against the San Diego Padres at Las Vegas.

Clark may miss opener: Texas first baseman Will Clark suffered a small fracture in the third finger of his left hand when he tripped over a bullpen mound while chasing a foul pop on Friday and may not start Tuesday's season opener against Milwaukee.

Clark fell over the mound in the first inning of Friday's 6-5 loss to the Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers.

Lewis put on DL: Mark Lewis, scheduled to be the starting third baseman for the San Francisco Giants, was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Friday because of bone chips in his right elbow.

Lewis is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on today to remove the chips.

Turner Field opens for business: Turner Field, baseball's newest stadium, opened with Atlanta scoring a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees, the team that beat the Braves in Game 5 of the World Series - the final game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

The team's home for the past 31 seasons still stands like a forlorn monument across the street, awaiting its scheduled demolition at the end of the season, though a court battle has erupted over preserving it for soccer and other events.

There's no chance of the Braves ever moving back, not with a new, 49,000-seat stadium that combines many of the nooks and crannies of old-style parks with the modern, moneymaking devices like luxury suites, a barbecue restaurant that overlooks the field in right-center and two giant souvenir and concession pavilions just beyond the center-field scoreboard.

Beamon traded to San Diego: Trey Beamon, favored to win the Pittsburgh Pirates' right-field job when spring training began, was dealt to San Diego in a four-way trade of minor-leaguers.

Devils Rays make first trade: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays - who start play next year - made their first trade, acquiring Single-A pitcher Terry Harvey from the Cleveland Indians for future considerations.

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Photo

Photo: Cleveland fans welcome former Atlanta Brave David Justice to the Indians before Saturday's exhibition game with the Chicago Cubs.

Associated Press