Sox rally falls short  —  Clement hit hard in first home start of season  —  BOSTON — There's never a good time for a bad start.  But Matt Clement knows his timing Thursday night wasn't the best, especially considering his counterpart's recent success against the Red Sox.

Reports: Grand jury investigating whether Bonds committed perjury  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal grand jury is investigating whether Barry Bonds committed perjury when he testified in 2003 that he never used steroids, according to media reports.  —  The panel has been hearing evidence …

Nationals go back to Church  —  Washington recalls center fielder, sends Watson to Triple-A  —  WASHINGTON — After he was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans, Nationals outfielder Ryan Church said he would be back in the big leagues in two weeks.  It actually took 16 days …

Big-bat attack does trick  —  Sox's 15-hit barrage aids scuffling Garland  —  DETROIT — The White Sox returned home Thursday with a four-game winning streak and a tailwind of relief.  —  The relaxation came from an offense that bailed out Jon Garland with a relentless attack to hold off …

Homers hurt Nationals in loss to Mets  —  Hernandez allows eight runs — seven earned — on four dingers  —  WASHINGTON — After a 3-1 defeat on Wednesday night, second baseman Jose Vidro complained that the Nationals couldn't hit for power because of the huge dimensions at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.

Ross' 7-RBI outburst may change Dodgers' minds  —  PITTSBURGH — If this was Cody Ross' last game for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he certainly gave them something to remember him by.  —  Ross hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in successive at-bats and the Dodgers rode a big game …

Pulp friction  —  Home runs are up this year.  We peel away at the conspiracy that the ball is juiced.  —  Conspiracy theories about the "fly factor" of baseballs are a big hit, so to speak.  —  With balls flying out of parks at an early-season pace not seen since the suspicious heyday of 2001 …

Color them the A's  —  UNIFORM CHOICE SPEAKS VOLUMES  —  Inquiring minds want to know.  Inquiring, conspiratorial message-board minds with perhaps too much time on their hands.  —  Are the A's intentionally wearing the green road jerseys that say ``Athletics'' instead of the gray ones that say ``Oakland''?

Ball Buzz: Hillenbrand in spat with Beckett  —  False start gets minor feud going Lawton returns to duty with Seattle  —  It seems that Shea Hillenbrand and Josh Beckett have differences that go beyond the fact that the Toronto DH is an animal lover while the Boston Red Sox pitcher enjoys hunting four-legged creatures for sport.

Gerut defies Pirates by seeking knee operation  —  Gerut defies Pirates by seeking knee operation  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jody Gerut was placed on the minor-league restricted list Thursday by the Pittsburgh Pirates after the outfielder decided to have right knee surgery the team doesn't think is necessary.

Yankee Programming Goes Over the Wall  —  The first news heard at the top of yesterday's edition of "Yankees Batting Practice Today" on the YES Network was that the Yankees would not be holding batting practice, so stick around for Royals B.P.  —  But a Yankee batting practice program without …

Diamondbacks drop finale to Rockies  —  Counsell, Tracy collect three hits; Ortiz takes second loss  —  PHOENIX — When the opposing team has more extra-base hits than you have hits, that's a pretty good indication you are going to be on the short end of the final score.

Baserunning error benches Holliday  —  Phoenix - Calling it a punitive measure, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle benched outfielder Matt Holliday on Thursday for a baserunning mistake in the team's first road loss the previous night to the Arizona Diamondbacks.  —  Hurdle explained the decision …

Brewers beat Cards at own game  —  Fundamentally sound play leads to 4-3 victory in St. Louis  —  ST. LOUIS — The Milwaukee Brewers were under strict instructions to play more like the St. Louis Cardinals.  You should not go wrong following orders like this and the Brewers didn't.