Matthews, Laird help boost offense  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Gary Matthews Jr. and Gerald Laird went into Wednesday's game with a combined one start this season for the Rangers.  Matthews had been on the disabled list until that afternoon, and Laird mainly had been on the bench as the backup catcher to Rod Barajas.

Cool Heads, but Cold Bats  —  Nationals Fail to Hit Back at New York's Martinez: Mets 3, Nationals 1  —  Here it was, the moment Jose Guillen expected, the one when he finally would show Pedro Martinez what was right, what was wrong and how things should be done.

Sheffield Jolts Bowa, Then Stings the Ball  —  With a runner on second base, the best place for Larry Bowa to stand is in front of the third-base coach's box, about 75 feet from home plate.  That is where the runner can see him, so that is where Bowa was stationed with Gary Sheffield batting in the first inning yesterday.

No big-time performance  —  Who knew that David Wells and Dick ''Big Time" Cheney had so much in common?  —  Think about it: Both love to hunt.  Both wear pants with a waist size larger than the inseam.  And on back-to-back days in April 2006, both had trouble finding their spots …

Red Sox radio deal likely to top $12m  —  Bidding war bucks league trend, reflects team's market power  —  The multimillion-dollar bidding war to secure radio rights to Red Sox baseball is virtually certain to pump more money into the team at a time when stations in other cities are refusing …

An early slump slowly gnaws at Floyd  —  WASHINGTON — Think Cliff Floyd obsesses over a batting slump?  When asked, "What's up?" yesterday at his locker, Floyd quickly replied, "Not my average."  —  Even Floyd realizes there's no sugar coating his early-season doldrums at the plate.

WBC issues linger during early season  —  Baseball teams have expressed concern about injury or performance issues for pitchers who participated in the World Baseball Classic, but so far, some teams are concerned key pitchers didn't get enough work because of the WBC.

Griffey exits early with stiffness in knee  —  Slugger leaves in fourth inning, listed as day-to-day  —  CHICAGO — Reds center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. exited in the fourth inning of Wednesday's game against the Cubs, complaining of stiffness in the back of his right knee.

Zambrano finally takes the mound  —  WASHINGTON - A persistent fever, hamstring strain and rain kept Victor Zambrano confined to the dugout for the season's first seven games.  Today, nearly two weeks after he last pitched in a game, he takes the mound as the Mets conclude a series against the Nationals.

Giants, Astros refrain from swinging in rain  —  Consecutive rainouts force teams to squeeze in a makeup game on May 8  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Playing ballgames, which everybody takes for granted in a 162-game season, has become an issue for the rain-soaked Giants.

Cards click in clutch  —  Stringing hits together to the opposite field, turning walks and hit batters into three runs, and clearing the bases on a ball misplayed in the outfield, the Cardinals replaced power with opportunism Wednesday night in an 8-3 beating of the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium.