Wrist of fate  —  2 broken bones likely to bench Lee at least 2 months; Cubs sift options  —  Derrek Lee could miss at least two months with a broken right wrist, putting the injury-plagued Cubs in the same boat in which they capsized last summer.  —  Lee will be in a cast for up to six weeks …

Johnson, Nationals Pound the Phillies  —  Traber Also Contributes as Robinson Wins 1,000th: Nationals 10, Phillies 4  —  PHILADELPHIA, April 20 — Nick Johnson's manager knows something about hitting, and that means he knows something about the feeling Johnson must have right now.

Defeat Rankles Scioscia  —  Angel manager criticizes effort after poor defense and pitching lead to 12-10 loss to the Twins.  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Scioscia was livid Wednesday night, a rarity for a manager who does not make a habit of revealing his emotions or criticizing his team.

Becoming Oldest to Homer, Franco Rallies the Mets  —  SAN DIEGO, April 20 - More often than not, Julio Franco is the answer to questions that begin, "Who is the oldest player in baseball to..."  —  Franco, at 47 years 240 days, is by far the oldest player in the major leagues …

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.

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.

Lerner Adds Two Investors to Group  —  The family of Washington area developer Theodore Lerner has added two prominent African Americans to its bid to buy the Washington Nationals, according to several sources.  —  Rodney E. Slater, 51, a secretary of transportation under President Clinton …

Ortiz looking for upgrade  —  DH award not his first choice  —  As usual, David Ortiz's laugh entered the room before he did.  The Red Sox slugger followed, clad in a red warmup shirt and clutching a bottle of pink vitamin water, sure to be the official drink of budding designated hitters across New England.

Notes: Piazza ponders past, present  —  Veteran catcher reflects before game against former team  —  SAN DIEGO — Renewing acquaintances with some old friends from New York at PETCO Park on Thursday, the Padres' Mike Piazza was in a philosophical frame of mind, pondering where he's been …

Developments in the Baseball Blogosphere  —  Toward the end of the 2004 season, I wrote about a key late-season Dodgers/Giants game, and I graphed the Win Expectancy of the game, play by play.  As far as I know, this was the first time it had been done, and I was pretty proud of myself.

Notes: Pudge open to other spots  —  Catcher willing to DH, play other positions to keep bat going  —  OAKLAND — Ivan Rodriguez will play at DH Friday.  He'll play first base if Chris Shelton needs a day off.  He might play shortstop if you ask nicely.  —  "Give me a glove," …

BERARDINO: Tough to say it, but Uggla a beauty  —  Blending into the major leagues as a rookie second baseman hasn't been the hardest part for Dan Uggla.  —  Getting people to pronounce his last name properly has been the larger challenge.  —  Fans.  Teammates.  Visiting broadcasters.

A's sold on Kendall's leadership skills  —  Jason Kendall was an impressive hitter in his nine National League seasons.  —  As a Pittsburgh Pirate from 1996 to 2004, he hit .306.  One year, he hit 14 home runs.  Another year, he had 75 RBI.  Three years ago, he hit .325.  He was on three All-Star teams.

Notes: Dialed in, and it shows  —  Lee much more comfortable than he was last April  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  Houston - Carlos Lee remembers how lost he felt at times last April.  —  "Last year, I was pretty much trying to adjust to the league," he said.  "It was kind of different.