As Homers Skyrocket, Baseballs Put to the Test  —  Commissioner Bud Selig has taken notice of the nearly 25 percent increase in home runs in the first month of the season.  And he was curious enough about the jump to ask that Major League Baseball test the baseballs, he disclosed yesterday during …

Rays' Young suspended indefinitely  —  Top prospect threw his bat at umpire after being ejected  —  Delmon Young has been suspended indefinitely by the International League, pending a review of the events in Wednesday night's Durham-Pawtucket game.  —  Young, 20, the Devil Rays' top prospect …

Notes: Harris sent down to Triple-A  —  Decision a tough one for Robinson, Nationals to make  —  ST. LOUIS — In order to get left-hander Mike O'Connor on the 25- and 40-man rosters, the Nationals optioned infielder Brendan Harris to Triple-A New Orleans and designated outfielder Tyrell Godwin for assignment.

Mariners Notebook: Day off gives all arms a rest  —  Mariners decline to skip anyone in their rotation  —  The Mariners have their second day off of the month today, which could have led to a shakeup in the pitching rotation.  —  It won't.  After talking it over the past couple of days …

Moving Willis by deadline makes sense  —  Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria keeps denying that the team might trade left-hander Dontrelle Willis, growing increasingly outraged by each new round of speculation.  —  What Loria can't deny is the sheer logic of moving Willis at the July 31 non-waiver deadline …

Morneau doesn't panic over slump  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Justin Morneau, mired in a hitting slump, spent more than an hour Wednesday watching video on a laptop in the visitors' clubhouse.  —  Watching video of your swing, huh?  —  "Nah," the Twins first baseman said.  "I was watching the stadium session."

MRI results good news for Bannister  —  Right-hander has Grade 1 strain of his right hamstring  —  ATLANTA — Flights from San Francisco to Atlanta are surprisingly short, a mere four hours.  (No wonder the Braves once played in the National League West.)

Mench on hot streak since changing shoe size  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — It's gotta be the shoes for Kevin Mench.  —  Since finally getting the right size shoes last week, Mench is on a torrid streak — a Texas Rangers record with home runs in six straight games, including two grand slams, and 20 RBI in a week.

Calabrese's value transcends gender  —  Padres say female massage therapist fits in, helps in big way  —  SAN DIEGO — Kelly Calabrese's work speaks for itself.  —  Her tenure as a massage therapist speaks so loudly that when she worked on first baseman Ryan Klesko while he was with the Braves …

Exclusive Interview with GM Wayne Krivsky  —  In this space, we had intended to bring you a big exclusive: an interview with Reds General Manager Wayne Krivsky.  —  Last week, Mr. Krivsky graciously allowed me to pepper him with questions for a half-hour, or so.

To Combat Ortiz, Just Add Outfielders  —  DAVID ORTIZ swung and missed for strike three, and Toby Hall, the Tampa Bay catcher, went to throw the ball to third base, the way catchers do when a batter strikes out for the first or second out.  Only this time the third baseman was not there.

Insider: Maddux-Glavine, in our words — and theirs  —  Rolled together again like a favorite pair of old socks, there Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were at the start of the week, still throwing cotton-soft, still a match ... and still remarkably unrumpled.  —  The latest link in the Maddux-Glavine chain …

Shinjo leaves the ballpark for a quiet life of nude modelling  —  "I've decided to take my uniform off at the end of this season."  —  With these words, Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo announced his plans to end one of the more unconventional careers in Japanese professional baseball.

QuesTec would help umps get in the zone  —  Bottom of the ninth.  Yankees down to Baltimore 6-5.  Bases loaded and a full count to Hideki Matsui.  O's closer Chris Ray uncorks a breaking ball that's at least a foot off the outside corner.  Matsui doesn't bite.  Strike three called.  Game over.