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• The A's and Blue Jays have off days scheduled for Monday. But this isn't just any Monday -- it's July 4. Over the last 75 years, only two other pairs of teams had scheduled off days on July 4: the Rockies and Padres in 2002, and the Dodgers and Cardinals in 1958.

• Monday's separate-admission doubleheader between the Tigers and Indians in Cleveland is the first doubleheader of any kind in the majors on July 4 since 2000 (Colorado at San Francisco). But for an earlier generation of fans, July 4 meant doubleheaders across the board. During a 27-year period from 1927 to 1953, there were only 11 single games played. In 20 of those 27 years, every team played a doubleheader on July 4, with the exception of rainouts.

But there have been only three single-admission doubleheaders in the major leagues on July 4 since 1985, and all three were make-ups for earlier postponements: Baltimore at Detroit in 1997, Colorado at Chicago Cubs in 1994, and Houston at the Mets in 1992. The last regularly-scheduled twinbill played on July 4 was St. Louis at San Francisco in 1984. The last season in which at least half of all teams played a July 4 doubleheader was 1969, when there were seven DHs -- yes, at one time "DH" stood for "doubleheader" -- involving 14 of MLB's 24 clubs.

• Roger Clemens lowered his ERA from 1.50 to 1.41 with seven scoreless innings against the Reds on Sunday. Clemens is scheduled to start once more before the All-Star break -- probably at home against the Dodgers on Friday night. Over the last 20 years, the only pitcher with an ERA below 1.50 at the break was Pedro Martinez (1.44 in 2000).

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