Padres beat Mets, 7-4  —  SAN DIEGO — The first ominous gong of "Hell's Bells" echoed around Petco Park yesterday at the top of the ninth inning, and that meant the end was near for the Mets.  —  Padres closer Trevor Hoffman appeared moments later, and it seemed fitting that Mike Cameron …

Bonds: Passing Aaron not likely  —  Slugger can't strengthen lower body because of ailing knee  —  DENVER — That first homer of the season is out of the way, but even if only a few more are to come, Barry Bonds is satisfied.  And for the first time this weekend, the Giants slugger admitted …

Notes: Williams sent down; Guzman up  —  Lee reinforcements hard to come by; Baker must be creative  —  ST. LOUIS — The Chicago Cubs shuffled their pitching on Sunday, sending Jerome Williams to Triple-A Iowa and recalling right-hander Angel Guzman from the Minor League team.

Easy Like A Sunday Morning  —  One thing about covering baseball: When you show up at the ballpark after a day game, there's very little to talk about.  Unlike night games, where reporters face deadline pressure, day games allow you to spend more time in the clubhouse after a win or loss.

Bochy angered by Hernandez's on-air comments  —  SAN DIEGO — Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez's comments that women "don't belong in the dugout" drew criticism Sunday from Padres manager Bruce Bochy, who supported the female member of his training staff and said he was surprised it even came up.

Long ball nightmare in Reds' loss  —  Claussen hit hard as Cincy's winning streak snapped at three  —  MILWAUKEE — From his lofty perch above left field at Miller Park, mascot "Bernie Brewer" goes down a big yellow slide each time the Brewers hit a home run.

Rockies hurting over Helton  —  Todd Helton doesn't get hurt.  He doesn't complain about aches or pains.  —  So when teammates arrived Saturday at Coors Field to find Helton not only on the disabled list, but still in the hospital with a mysterious stomach ailment, they graduated from surprised to concerned.

Kotchman Presents Quandary  —  OAKLAND — Darin Erstad has not begun taking ground balls at first base.  The Angels have not dispatched scouts to triple-A Salt Lake for the sole purpose of determining whether Kendry Morales is ready for the big leagues.  —  There is a limit to the leash …

Eskandarian's Celebration: Question of Taste  —  EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., April 22 — D.C. United enjoyed plenty of entertaining moments during its 4-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Giants Stadium, a result that kept the club undefeated after four matches and left its rivals still searching for a win.

Pirates Notebook: Bay just keeps on walking  —  HOUSTON — This was to be the summer Jason Bay finally had some protection, finally saw some pitches to hit.  —  So far, neither has happened.  —  On the protection front, Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa, signed as free agents to fit behind Bay in the order …

Guerrero ensures a powerful finish  —  Homer, three RBIs give Angels win over A's, 5-5 road trip  —  OAKLAND — Vladimir Guerrero homered and the Angels secured a 4-3 victory over the A's in front of 27,104 on Sunday afternoon to take the series.  —  It was the second straight series win for the Angels …

It's a day to remember for Rangers rookie pitcher  —  ARLINGTON - At 10:30 Saturday night, John Rheinecker outlined his previous 23 hours, which made up one of the most unusual days in his life.  —  Friday, 11:30, Memphis: Waiting at Autozone Park in Memphis, where the Oklahoma RedHawks …

Marlins offered Dontrelle for Wright  —  The Marlins made a bombshell trade suggestion to the Mets within the past several weeks - Dontrelle Willis for David Wright - people familiar with the brief trade talk told Newsday.  —  If the straight-up swap of young stars was at all intriguing to the Mets, they didn't show it immediately.

A new wrinkle  —  Tougher off-season training puts Maddux, 40, in prime condition  —  A man as economical with his words as with his pitches, Greg Maddux characteristically budgeted them when he approached noted Las Vegas physical therapist Keith Kleven last November.

Completing a win cycle  —  Garcia returns to form as last turn of rotation goes 5-0  —  OK, so the opposition hasn't exactly been the '27 Yankees.  But for one entire turn around the five-man rotation, White Sox pitchers have looked like ... well, like the White Sox starters in the 2005 playoffs.