Soriano sets standard for 200-200 club

Washington Nationals outfielder Alfonso Soriano became the 40th player in major league history – and the fastest – to reach 200 homers and 200 steals for his career.

Playing against the Atlanta Braves Friday, Soriano walked in the third inning and stole second to reach 200 in that category. He already had 203 career homers.

Soriano reached the milestone in his 929th career game, eclipsing Eric Davis as the quickest member of the 200-200 club. Davis accomplished the feat with homer No. 200 in his 1,053rd game on Sept. 18, 1993.

Taveras streak reaches 28

Willy Taveras of the Houston Astros ran his hitting streak to 28 games with a line-drive single in the first inning off Pittsburgh’s Victor Santos.

Taveras’ streak is the longest in Astros history – Jeff Kent’s 25-game streak in 2004 previously was the longest – and is the second longest in the majors this season. Chase Utley of Philadelphia had a 35-game streak from June 23-August 3.

Umpires get payday

Major League Baseball was ordered by a federal judge to give five umpires $3.1 million to cover back pay, interest and medical costs as part of a lawsuit stemming from their failed mass resignation in 1999.

After the Supreme Court declined in January 2005 to hear an appeal of a lower-court ruling, baseball tried last November to give Gary Darling, Bill Hohn, Larry Poncino, Larry Vanover and Joe West more than $1.9 million to cover salary, bonuses and medical costs for September 1999 and the 2000 and 2001 seasons, with management taking a $122,000 credit for the umpires’ estimated earnings during that time.

But the umpires instructed their banks to refuse the payments, and they went back to the court.

Katrina remembered

Spike Lee, Harry Connick Jr. and Faith Hill will tape public-service announcements as part of Major League Baseball’s remembrance for the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Along with the TV spots, scoreboard messages at the 15 stadiums holding games on Tuesday will encourage fans to donate to Habitat for Humanity.

Baseball raised more than $7 million in pledges for the American Red Cross after the storm hit.

Clearing the bases

Washington outfielder Alex Escobar likely sustained a season-ending shoulder injury on a headfirst slide into first base during the Nationals’ victory over Atlanta. … Pittsburgh shortstop Jack Wilson has a viral syndrome that kept him from starting against Houston. … Boston slugger David Ortiz said stress and nearly a week of sleeplessness caused dehydration and eventually the irregular heartbeat that landed him in a Boston hospital last weekend. … Gene “Junior” Thompson, who pitched in the major leagues for six years and was a member of the Cincinnati Reds’ 1940 championship team, died Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 89. No cause of death was released.