Illegal, waterlogged baseballs are the real reason runs are harder to come by at Coors Field nowadays, Milwaukee infielder Jeff Cirillo suggested Tuesday.

Cirillo said that on Monday he compared a baseball from Milwaukee that Brewers first base coach Dave Nelson used to hit fly balls to the outfielders with one from that night's game. The one from Denver was spongy, puffy and heavy, he said.

"One looked like a round ball and the other looked like an oblong ball," Cirillo said. "And even some of the infielders said when they were throwing across the diamond, the ball felt a little heavy."

Cirillo did not offer the baseballs as evidence when he spoke to reporters before the Brewers-Rockies game on Tuesday night.

The baseball from Milwaukee might simply have dried out and shrunk in Denver's thin air, the very reason the humidor was introduced at Coors Field five years ago. Balls are now stored in a humidor before they are used in Colorado's home park.

Milwaukee's 1-0 win at Coors Field on Tuesday night was the major league-leading 11th at Coors Field this year. Six have been thrown by Rockies pitchers. Also, it was the third 1-0 game at Coors this season after just one such game in the stadium's first 11 seasons.

Cirillo, who played two seasons in Colorado pre-humidor, agreed the Rockies have better pitching now, "but at the same time, does that mean the rest of the league has better pitching, also?"

Cirillo suggested shenanigans with the humidor could account for the dip in scoring and the decline in home runs at the ballpark that used to be known as "Coors Canaveral" for all the baseballs that were launched into the seats.

"The other thing, too, is what if the Rockies get behind by a lot of runs in a game? Say they break out the non-humidor balls, you know what I'm saying?" Cirillo said.

Hogwash, said his manager, Ned Yost.

"That's nuts, man. That's just a waste of time discussing it. The same balls are used by both teams," Yost said. "I don't care if they are dry or wet."

ROUNDUP

TWO SUSPENDED: Major League Baseball suspended infielder Marcos Chavez and pitcher Jonathan Gonzalez of the St. Louis Cardinals' organization for 50 games each yesterday for violating the drug prevention and treatment program. The pair play in the Venezuelan Summer League. Chavez has a .115 average in 52 at-bats, and Gonzalez is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in one starts and 15 relief appearances.

FELDMAN OPTIONED: The Texas Rangers optioned right-hander Scott Feldman to Triple-A Oklahoma yesterday to make room on the roster for new arrival Kip Wells. Wells, a right-hander acquired two days earlier in a trade with Pittsburgh, started last against the Minnesota Twins. Feldman, who pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings in relief on Tuesday night, is 0-2 with a 5.01 E.R.A. in 28 appearances this season for the Rangers.

OH LEAVES HOSPITAL: Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh left the hospital yesterday after successful stomach cancer surgery last month, saying that he felt reborn and hoped to return to baseball as soon as possible. The 66-year-old manager of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks underwent stomach removal surgery on July 17 after a cancerous tumor had been found in tests. "I plan to concentrate on recuperation at least until the end of August, and I hope to be in Fukuoka when the Hawks are ready to end the season as league leader," Oh said.

BONSER OPTIONED: The Minnesota Twins optioned right-hander Boof Bonser to Triple-A Rochester following a rough start yesterday in a loss to Texas. To take his place, right-hander Mike Smith will be brought up from Rochester and added to the 40-man roster.

MATHENY OUT FOR YEAR: Catcher Mike Matheny has made little progress in his recovery from a concussion and will not play again this season for San Francisco. After another series of tests and appointments with specialists at the University of Pittsburgh last week, Matheny and the Giants' medical staff made the difficult decision that he should spend the rest of 2006 recovering to reduce the risk of further damage to his brain.