D-Rays Shift Their Strategy  —  Play Six Outfielders Against Ortiz  —  BOSTON — Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon used his six-outfielder shift against David Ortiz again Wednesday night, with all of his infielders out there, except first baseman Travis Lee.  —  "It's our 3-4 defense …

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?

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.

Forbes.com: The Business Of Baseball … Baseball owners continue to slam the ball out of the park.  Team values increased an average of 15 percent for the second consecutive year, to $376 million, in our 2006 survey of Major League Baseball's 30 franchises.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.