Mirabelli to catch Wakefield tonight vs. Yankees  —  The Boston Red Sox have finalized a trade to obtain catcher Doug Mirabelli from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Josh Bard, minor-league pitcher Cla Meredith and cash, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney is reporting.

Cubs still can't find Z answer  —  After a shaky last two days against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs look ready to shake up their pitching staff again.  —  Rich Hill is expected to arrive today from Class AAA Iowa and replace Glendon Rusch in the starting rotation Thursday at Arizona.

Boss to rookie ump: Yer out!  —  Umpire Adam Dowdy may have called his last game behind the plate if George Steinbrenner gets his way.  —  After ejecting Joe Torre and Toronto skipper John Gibbons in the span of one inning yesterday, Dowdy incurred the wrath of The Boss as the Yankee owner left …

Minor league umps reject settlement  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Striking minor league umpires rejected a tentative strike settlement by a 2-1 margin.  —  The umpires, who have been on strike since the start of the minor league season on April 6, had reached a tentative agreement last Thursday following …

Mailbag: Will Wilson be consistent?  —  Beat reporter Ed Eagle answers Pirates fans' questions  —  Craig Wilson has had a great start of this season.  However, in past seasons, I know that he has been hot for two weeks, then in a slump the next two.  Do you think Craig will perform this well on an everyday basis?

Sweep reveals Marlins' mess  —  Colorado outscored Florida by a combined four runs but swept all three games.  'It's hard to believe,' Joe Girardi said.  —  cspencer@MiamiHerald.com  —  The term ''moral victory'' rings hollow for manager Joe Girardi.  —  To him, the area between wins …

Astros' pitching corps impressing early  —  One of the season's most surprising early developments is that the Astros lead the majors in rotation ERA by a considerable margin — even without right-hander Brandon Backe, who is out until at least June 1 with a sprained elbow, and right-hander Roger Clemens …

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Notes: Minors stint helped Cabrera  —  'Rehab' after Classic helped reliever get up to speed  —  CLEVELAND — Fernando Cabrera didn't have a typical Spring Training, and he didn't have a typical stint on the disabled list.  —  Cabrera, who was activated from the DL on Sunday …

Two of three, but some cause for concern....  ...and primarily in the rotation.  —  As the Mets lead going into May is still one of significant comfort in six games over the Braves and Phillies, its time to take some stock in the starting rotation.  —  With the passing of months during the season …

Goin' Deep: Contract incentives  —  Before Francisco Cordero's miserable April, it was a foregone conclusion that he'd be a Ranger at least through 2007.  But just as the definition of Cordero's bullpen role is in the hands of the ballclub, whether the 30-year-old is here a year from now is also up to Texas.

Cards notebook: Influenza ruled out as Rolen's malady  —  Influenza ruled outas Rolen's malady  —  Tests results taken late last week ruled out influenza for the illness that's kept third baseman Scott Rolen from the ballpark for five days.  According to the club, Rolen has been fighting …

Tigers put whuppin' on Twins  —  The Detroit Tigers jumped out of the gate in 2006 winning their first five games before losing six of their next eight.  At 7-6 and following a 10-2 home loss to Cleveland, manager Jim Leyland went off on his team, saying the losing was unacceptable.