Mets open series with Brewers  —  Milwaukee (6-3) at New York Mets (7-1) 7:10 p.m. ET  —  The Mets venture outside the thus-far friendly confines of the National League East for the first time Friday night, when they face the Brewers in the opener of a three-game series.

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.

Mariners to tangle with Sox at Fenway  —  Seattle (5-5) at Boston (6-3), 4:05 p.m. PT  —  The Mariners' first road trip of 2006 won't get any easier, but they go into Boston on a positive note.  —  Seattle's 9-5 win over the Indians on Thursday capped a series in which the Mariners won …

Boy Who Helped Yankees Is a Hit Again  —  Jeffrey Maier, a senior at Wesleyan, had two doubles against Bates on Wednesday to reach 170 hits.  He hopes for a career in baseball.  —  MIDDLETOWN, Conn., April 12 — The pitch was a fastball on the outside part of the plate …

Park leads Padres into Atlanta  —  San Diego (3-5) at Atlanta (4-6), 4:35 p.m. PT  —  Padres manager Bruce Bochy keeps telling his players there are some turbulent ups and downs to the typical Major League season.  They've seen a few already.  The Padres certainly didn't expect to lose three home games to the Rockies.

Low Payroll and High Hopes for Brewers  —  TOM HICKS and Mark Attanasio have conducted business deals with each other, but it is a deal Hicks did on his own for which Attanasio owes Hicks a large thank-you.  Hicks, the Texas Rangers' owner, fired Doug Melvin as his general manager in 2001 …

Vidro, Tavares Argue About Dimensions at RFK Stadium  —  Jose Vidro was quite clear.  He feels RFK Stadium is unfair to hitters.  He thinks the club should have moved in the fences during the offseason.  He said so on Wednesday night.  And he didn't back down yesterday …

Bidders For Nats May Join Forces  —  With Major League Baseball poised to select a new owner for the Washington Nationals within the next week, the family of local real estate patriarch Theodore "Ted" Lerner yesterday was very close to teaming up with former Atlanta sports executive Stan Kasten …

Brand New Shoes  —  Ladies, here's a sneak view inside the Guy Code — that unwritten set of rules that govern what American Guys do in social situations, covering everything from the type of drinks which are acceptable to order to the selection of urinals in a public restroom.

Grand jury investigating Barry Bonds  —  SAN FRANCISCO —Barry Bonds could be facing bigger problems than baseball's probe into his alleged past steroid use.  A federal grand jury is investigating whether Bonds committed perjury when he testified in 2003 that he never used steroids …

Mariners Notebook: Willie waits his turn  —  Utility player hasn't received much game time  —  CLEVELAND — Ten games into the season, Willie Bloomquist's starting percentage is .200  —  His batting average is .200.  —  The two are not unrelated.  Bloomquist isn't a regular starter …

Wood may be nearing minor-league rehab  —  Kerry Wood could begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment in about 10 to 12 days.  If Wood's strong comeback from shoulder surgery last August continues in a simulated game Saturday in Mesa, Ariz., the usual routine would be one more simulated game …

TV station refuses to air game on Good Friday  —  WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - A television station declined to broadcast a baseball game because it was being played on Good Friday.  —  WNEP-TV, which traditionally televises the home opener of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons …

Wily Mo gets more help  —  Wily Mo Pena was standing in front of his locker yesterday, his hands outstretched, clutching an imaginary bat.  —  Pena lifted his hands a little and pulled them closer to his body.  —  "David Ortiz told me to do this.  And then you do this," said Pena …