Wells may retire: Knee woes worry lefty  —  David Wells said he will abruptly pull the plug on his 20th and final major league season if his knee problems do not start to improve or if he discovers that he is risking his future health by continuing to pitch.

Oldie is still a goodie  —  Franco's pinch HR sparks six-run rally as trip begins with a win  —  SAN DIEGO — The Mets approached last night's game against the Padres with an all-hands-on-deck mentality.  They emptied the trainer's room and even the forgotten Kaz Matsui …

Showalter says Cordero still Rangers' closer  —  SEATTLE - In the wake of his second blown save in eight days, Rangers closer Francisco Cordero and pitching coach Mark Connor insisted the pitcher isn't abandoning his fastball for the slider.  —  That's right, manager Buck Showalter agreed.

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 …

Notes: Piazza, Mets reconnect  —  Catcher tries to dowplay first meeting with former team  —  SAN DIEGO — The changes are conspicuous — facial hair, a smaller body, a smaller batting average.  He's No. 33 on your scorecard.  The only 31 in his new identity is concealed in his batting average — .231.

Cards-Cubs: Not another series for fans  —  The Chicago Cubs and their fond faithful will make their first visit to the newest of the Busch stadiums tonight.  And other than an aberration last year when they won the season series here five games to three, the Cubs have found wins difficult …

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.

Prospectus Today  —  On Edmonds  —  Jim Edmonds, Hall of Famer.  —  What's your first reaction to that?  A quiet nod?  A horrified recoil?  Something in between?  —  I've been playing with this idea for a while, mentioning Edmonds as my personal choice for a "stealth" Hall of Fame candidate whenever asked for one.

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.

Go 2 Guy: Where have all the M's fans gone?  —  For the third consecutive game, there were more empty seats than fans at Safeco Field Thursday night.  —  Tuesday's game set a record low for attendance at Safeco Field until Wednesday's game went even lower, down to 17,613 fans.

Former teammates ready to square off  —  Boston (11-5) at Toronto (7-7), 7:07 p.m. ET  —  It will be a Florida Marlins reunion when Josh Beckett, looking for his fourth win in as many starts for the Red Sox, opposes Toronto's A.J. Burnett Friday night in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Rogers Centre.

He's no talk, all action  —  "George Hendrick is probably one of the best clubhouse coaches I've ever been around.  He is universally liked by every baseball player or person who's ever been affiliated with him.  He's very introspective and bright.  He's very straightforward and honest.

Notes: Kolb cleared to return  —  Right-hander eyes return to Brewers bullpen  —  MILWAUKEE — Dr. William Raasch, the Brewers' team physician, cleared reliever Dan Kolb for a bullpen session on Thursday, and the right-hander hopes to return to active duty by Friday.