Comments are not a hit with Kazmir  —  Tampa Bay lefthander Scott Kazmir didn't care for comments Curt Schilling made this week on WEEI radio, when Boston's ace said the reason the Red Sox and Devil Rays have had numerous bench-clearing incidents is because of Kazmir ''hitting multiple batters every time he threw against us.

Chat transcript: Cordero is still the Rangers' man  —  Evan Grant: Well, I'm here.  Barely.  Long game made for a long night.  I've got the Eggs Benedict heading up the room and prepared to answer all your wide-ranging questions.  But let me guess, you want to talk some Francisco Cordero, don't you?

For Marshall, it's back to the basics  —  Rookie lefty needs innings to build confidence, stamina  —  LOS ANGELES — The education of Sean Marshall continued Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, where the 23-year-old Cubs left-hander was seeking his second major-league victory.

Never Wright off Braves  —  Hudson, three errors by third baseman lift rival Mets can't beat  —  The Mets just didn't have enough health, enough hitting, enough fielding or enough luck to get through three days against the Braves.  That only made the Mets realize how amazing it is that a team can go 14 years without letting up.

Martin makes a statement by hitting Padres' Giles with pitch  —  An otherwise forgettable Wednesday afternoon for the Colorado Rockies was spiced up in the eighth inning.  —  That's when Rockies left-hander Tom Martin hit Brian Giles in the right buttock with the first pitch he threw to him.

Saying hey to Shea, finally  —  I got off my couch on Tuesday night for a trip down to Shea Stadium.  Amazin'-ly it was my first trip to the beautiful home of the New York Mets.  The sad thing is I grew up a Mets fan.  Since we didn't have a major league team in Denver until '93 …

Under The Knife  —  Expert  —  I'm often introduced as a "baseball expert."  I always chuckle, because to me, the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.  Every discovery, every analysis, every set of data leads to new conclusions and often just as many questions as answers.

Kaz gets second chance  —  Kaz Matsui's return to the Mets - and to their starting lineup - has arrived faster than the team anticipated.  Rookie replacement Anderson Hernandez was placed on the 15-day disabled list after an MRI yesterday revealed he has a bulging disk in his lower back.

Greinke takes step toward mound  —  For Zack Greinke, there's no schedule or projected return date.  Just hope.  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Zack Greinke is alone, something that seems to both comfort and frighten him.  The normally busy baseball facility has gone silent.

Q&A with Rangers' Kameron Loe  —  After posting a 9-6 record with a 3.42 ERA in 48 appearances (including eight starts) with Texas in 2005, 25-year-old right-hander Kameron Loe earned a spot in the Rangers rotation this season.  Loe, who features a fastball, heavy sinker, slurve and changeup …

Notes: Jones ready to be activated  —  Leyland to ease veteran closer into role  —  OAKLAND — All that's left for Todd Jones now is to wait.  —  After throwing about 23 pitches on Wednesday afternoon in his second simulated game, Jones' work was finished.

Idle Womack getting a bit antsy  —  Tony Womack wasn't in a chatty mood Wednesday, but he gave a pretty good indication he's not real happy about his situation.  —  Womack was out of the starting lineup for the fifth straight game Wednesday.  —  More significantly, Brandon Phillips started …

Zambrano looks clueless in defeat  —  NEW YORK — Welcome to Victor Zambrano's world, where winning streaks and early April optimism go to die.  —  Gone, in five miserable innings, was the Mets' perfect aura, the one that turned a midweek series with the Braves into a miniature October showdown.

Low-Scoring Victory: Yanks and Mussina Tweak Template  —  TORONTO, April 19 — Since the first game of the season, the Yankees had established a pattern.  Every time they won, they scored at least nine runs.  Every time they lost, they scored no more than five.

Hernandez Puts on Show, But Phillies End the Act  —  PHILADELPHIA, April 19 — Joey Eischen always has a bit of a crazed look in his eye, as if he might as soon run through a wall as hold a polite conversation.  Mike Stanton is more laid-back, the veteran from Texas who has pitched …