Wakefield set to wrap up homestand  —  Tampa Bay (7-8) at Boston (11-4), 7:05 p.m. ET  —  Though many of the faces have changed this season, the Red Sox might well maintain the swagger they've had at Fenway Park for the last several years.  They go into Thursday's contest against the Devil Rays looking …

Lee sidelined by fractured hand  —  Cubs slugger will wear cast for up to six weeks  —  CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee has a fractured right hand and will be in a cast for up to six weeks, the team announced late Thursday.  —  Lee has a fracture of the distal radial and the distal ulna bone in his hand.

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.

Mets-Padres Preview  —  After winning 10 of 12 games to open the season, the New York Mets have lost two straight games as their offense has gone dry.  —  The Mets hope to see their lineup get back on track and end their first losing streak of the season when they open a four-game series against the San Diego Padres on Thursday.

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.

Culprit of Mench's painful April: Wrong shoe size  —  SEATTLE — Kevin Mench entered Thursday night's game against the Seattle Mariners with zero RBI in his first 10 games.  —  Why?  —  Perhaps because his shoes were too small.  —  The Texas Rangers right fielder has missed five games …

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.

Note: Matthew Cerrone, Full-Time Blogger  —  In the last few week or so I've received several e-mails from long time readers saying that I am not putting forth enough original insight, nor providing the constant stream of interviews I once did at MetsBlog.com...  They are correct.  I am not.

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 …

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?

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.

Derek Bell charged with cocaine possession  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Former outfielder Derek Bell was charged with felony cocaine possession, police said Thursday.  —  Bell, 37, was pulled over for a traffic violation, Tampa police said.  —  "He was found with a crack pipe in the back seat …

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 …