Mets come out on top in pivotal play  —  Lo Duca receives benefit of doubt on difficult call at the plate  —  NEW YORK — Paul Lo Duca wanted to see a replay, just to make sure he'd actually dropped the ball.  His teammates needed no such confirmation.  —  Lo Duca and the Mets received …

Notes: Nomar out with ribcage strain  —  First baseman likely to go on disabled list to recuperate  —  LOS ANGELES — The latest injured Dodger is first baseman Nomar Garciaparra, felled even before the season's first pitch with a strained intercostal (ribcage) muscle.

McCarthy in Sox' '07 plans  —  Ken Williams didn't feel it was necessary to go into details or name teams, but the White Sox general manager did say pitchers Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia were closer to being traded this offseason than maybe they even know.  —  Then again, they weren't the …

Under The Knife  —  Play Ball  —  Baseball's back.  Kind of.  I'm writing this as the Sox/Indians game is delayed by rain, so I'm not sure if we'll have an official game, but we do have an official injury.  —  The coverage early by ESPN2 was dominated by talk of the steroid investigation.

Shelton, Rogers lift Tigers past KC  —  Veteran starter gets 19th career victory over Royals  —  KANSAS CITY — Joel Zumaya heard his name called to enter the game and thought, "Holy smoke!"  —  Funny, the Royals had a similar reaction.  —  After Chris Shelton homered down both foul lines …

Notes: Workout just the start for Nats  —  After getting in time on field, team faced strategy meetings  —  NEW YORK — The Nationals took the field at Shea Stadium late Sunday morning and had their usual hitting and fielding drills, which lasted about 90 minutes.  But their day was far from over.

Notes: Perez's release hits home  —  Teammates say they will miss fun-loving, energetic infielder  —  PHILADELPHIA — Word spread quickly through the Phillies clubhouse as if someone had died.  Lower lips quivered and tears welled in the eyes of teammates wanted to say goodbye to Tomas Perez.

Phillies Preview  —  Hey!  Opening Day!  Here so soon!  —  First things first: Tom G of Balls, Sticks and Stuff has invited us over for an open game day thread.  We did one of these last year, and it was a tremendous success — lots of good conversation between fellow baseball fans who just happen to root for different teams.

Lackey signs through 2009  —  Pitcher says, 'It is nice for them to show the confidence in me.'  —  SEATTLE — John Lackey signed a $17.01 million, three-year deal with a club option for 2009 on Monday.  —  The right-hander avoided arbitration in January when he signed a one-year deal …

Cabrera connects to win opener  —  Two-run single in ninth breaks tie; Vlad homers in first at-bat  —  SEATTLE — The Angels used a proven formula to set their 2006 season on a positive course.  —  Vladimir Guerrero provided some early power, while Orlando Cabrera's clutch …

Rangers fall short on Opening Day  —  Millwood's Texas debut yields mixed results  —  ARLINGTON — Rangers manager Buck Showalter walked into a room full of reporters and cameras and flashed an all-so-brief smile.  —  "Everybody coming back tomorrow?"  Showalter asked.  —  Probably not everybody.