NOTEBOOK From the World Series

Soriano's struggles: Yankees manager Joe Torre has no plans to drop struggling leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano down in the order. Soriano struck out three times Tuesday night in the Yankees' 6-1 win over Florida, giving him 23 in 14 postseason games this year and dropping his playoff average to .213 -- 77 points below his regular season average. "He's struggling now. No question," Torre said. "It looks like he's feeling for the ball. Hopefully we can get him a hit and start something going." Soriano's 23 strikeouts are a playoff season record, eclipsing Devon White's 20 for Florida in 1997.
Wet night: Rain interrupted Game 3, marking the first time since 1993 that a World Series game was delayed by weather. A steady shower began in the fourth inning. It intensified and plate umpire Gary Darling called the tarp crew onto the field with two outs in the fifth. The delay lasted 39 minutes, but it stopped raining six minutes after the tarp came out. "We took it to the limit," said Randy Marsh, the umpires' crew chief. "The field was in good shape, but when it gets to the point that the heavy drops are coming down, that's going to bother everybody and make it tough to see the ball. We had to go ahead and stop." In 1993, the start of Game 3 between Toronto and Philadelphia was delayed for 1 hour, 12 minutes. The last game interrupted by rain was Game 6 of the 1982 World Series between St. Louis and Milwaukee, which was stopped for 2 hours, 13 minutes in the sixth inning.
Mussina breaks through: When Hideki Matsui knocked in Derek Jeter to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning, it marked the first time Mike Mussina had been given a lead in his five starts this postseason. "Every game he has pitched, he's given us a chance to win," manager Joe Torre said. Mussina pitched 29 1/3 innings in the playoffs before getting that first lead, which the Yankees didn't relinquish.
Pavano ready: Carl Pavano has seen plenty of Roger Clemens highlights. It's his job to make sure Game 4 of the World Series doesn't become another one. Pavano will be Florida's starter tonight against Clemens, who, barring something completely unexpected, will be making the final start of his celebrated career. The Connecticut native grew up watching Clemens pitch, but won't carry any nostalgic feeling to the mound for his first World Series start. "To follow him as a pitcher would be awfully tough," Pavano said. "But his work ethic is what stands out the most for me." Pavano's regular season numbers (12-13, 4.30) were hardly eye-popping, but he was Florida's best pitcher at home, going 9-4 with a 3.44 ERA. He set a career high for wins, and Marlins manager Jack McKeon said he benefited from having a regular rotation spot for the first time in his career. "The more you pitch, the better you can get," McKeon said.
-- Associated Press