Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca, tagging out Philadelphia's Chase Utley in a May game, says he likes to "bet on horses legally. I have an online account, bet legally. I have no gambling debts."

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NEW YORK — Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca on Tuesday denied he has a gambling problem and expressed sympathy for what his wife is going through after she filed for divorce in June.

A report in the Daily News on Tuesday alleged Lo Duca, who played at ASU and at Glendale Apollo High School, had significant gambling debts and the Mets were aware of it.

Various media outlets also have reported this week that his wife is accusing him of infidelity in a divorce petition that she filed in Texas in June.

Flanked by teammates Tom Glavine and David Wright, Lo Duca said he does not want his situation to be a distraction to the Mets and thanked fans for their support.

"I don't have a gambling problem," said Lo Duca, who did not take questions from reporters. "I do bet on horses legally. I have an online account, bet legally. I have no gambling debts, no past debts that were paid. Nothing. All of those allegations are false."

Lo Duca said he owns thoroughbreds, breeds them and added, "it's my love."

A spokesman for the Mets declined to comment on the Daily News report.

The allegations come in the midst of a fine season for Lo Duca. Heading into Tuesday night's game against San Diego, the four-time All-Star was hitting .322 with three homers and 35 RBIs. He was batting .430 since July 1, the highest average in the majors during that span.

Lee forgoes arbitration, signs a multiyear deal

CLEVELAND — Indians pitcher Cliff Lee always has felt at home in Cleveland — and now he's more rooted there.

Lee signed a $14 million, three-year contract extension Tuesday, another long-term commitment by the Indians to a young, proven player they feel can get them back to a championship run.

Lee's deal, which took form during the All-Star break, includes a $1 million signing bonus and increases his salary this year from $406,200 to $750,000.

He will get $2.75 million next year, $3.75 million in 2008 and $5.75 million in 2009. Cleveland has an $8 million option for 2010.

Lee would have been eligible for salary arbitration after this season but decided the guaranteed money was too much to pass up.

"I was considering it," Lee said of arbitration. "But the security of a three-year contract is nice to have. If I was to turn down something like that and get in a car accident tomorrow, I'd be kicking myself." ... Casey Blake was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right ankle by the Indians, who recalled first baseman Ryan Garko from Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday. Blake rolled his ankle Saturday night in Detroit while scrambling back to second base on a line out in the ninth inning.

Inside pitch

● The Yankees will break ground Aug. 16 for their new ballpark adjacent to Yankee Stadium.

The team, which has played at Yankee Stadium since 1923, set the date Tuesday. It hopes to move to the 53,000-seat ballpark for the 2009 season, and the new stadium is projected to cost at least $800 million. ... Designated hitter Jason Giambi was forced out of Tuesday night's game against the White Sox with a bruised elbow after he was hit with a pitch in the eighth inning. ... Left fielder Hideki Matsui could rejoin the team in the next few days as he rehabilitates his broken left wrist. Matsui is scheduled to have his wrist re-examined Friday. ... The Yankees activated All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday and put infielder Miguel Cairo on the DL with a strained left hamstring.

● The Blue Jays placed reliever Justin Speier on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday night with tightness in his right forearm. Speier was placed on the DL after allowing a go-ahead, three-run double in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 8-4 loss to Baltimore.

● Mike Sweeney was activated from the 60-day disabled list by the Royals on Tuesday before they opened a three-game series with the Red Sox. Sweeney had not played since May 1. He missed 88 games with a bulging disc in his back.

● Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky is seeking an explanation from the Nationals for why Cincinnati was unaware that reliever Gary Majewski had a sore shoulder when the team acquired him in a trade. The Reds say they did not know that the right-hander had a cortisone injection in his shoulder before the All-Star break. Majewski was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday after telling the team his shoulder has bothered him since spring training. ... The Nationals purchased the contract of right-hander Chris Schroder from Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday to fill the roster spot opened by the trade of Livan Hernandez.

● Braves third baseman Chipper Jones will head to Double-A Mississippi this weekend on an injury rehab assignment. Jones has been on the 15-day disabled list since July 29 with a strained oblique muscle in his left side. ... Braves pitcher Horacio Ramirez has a partially torn ligament in his left middle finger and will be placed on the disabled list, perhaps the final setback in an injury- plagued season.

● Marlins manager Joe Girardi says there's no problem between him and team owner Jeffrey Loria. "There is no rift. There never was a rift," Girardi said before Tuesday night's game against the Nationals.

He was responding to questions about media reports that the pair had an argument Sunday, when Girardi kept the clubhouse doors closed for nearly 90 minutes after Florida was swept by the Dodgers. Loria was in the clubhouse for much of that time.