Yankees see no sense in juggling lineup  —  BOSTON — Once upon a time, when the Yankees weren't sure whether Jason Giambi was healthy, (and were convinced he would forever wound them in the field), there was a Plan B at the ready: Giambi would be eased into the DH spot …

Nats Throw One Away on Error in 9th  —  NEW YORK, May 1 — The play won't show up on the splashy back pages of the tabloids, for that territory this week will belong to the Yankees and the Red Sox, the two teams receiving postseason hype for a three-game series in May.

Maine gets the call for spot start  —  Lack of depth in the starting rotation could be a season-long concern for the Mets, as it is for most teams.  But most teams didn't trade away a pair of starters, as the Mets did with Kris Benson and Jae Seo, and most teams don't have a wannabe starter …

Notes: Cards stick with thin 'pen for now  —  La Russa has just six relievers, only one lefty at his disposal  —  CINCINNATI — The Cardinals are sticking with 11 pitchers for the time being, but that's far from a permanent arrangement.  With a trip to Houston following the current series in Cincinnati …

Padres-Giants Preview  —  One week after suffering through a season-worst five-game skid, the San Diego Padres try to win three straight contests for the first time this year when they conclude a two-game series with Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants .

Mariners Notebook: The joke's on Hargrove  —  Latin players get manager to bite on boycott prank  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Hargrove didn't have a heart attack Monday.  —  But some of his players, intent on playing a practical joke on him, thought he came close.

This card costs 'cause you aren't supposed to have it' … Alex Gordon has yet to play a single game in the major leagues and yet his rookie card is the hottest in all of baseball, selling for as much as $2,550 in recent weeks.  —  Is Gordon the Kansas City Royals' next great player?  Could be.

Prospectus Hit List  —  Week of April 30  —  Kill the Ump!  It's a sentiment nearly as old as the game itself, and while it's not meant to be taken literally, it's nevertheless true that the men in blue are the outlet for a good deal of the frustration we fans express.

Giambi and Contreras named American League Player, Pitcher of the Month  —  New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi and Chicago White Sox right-hander Jose Contreras have been named the American League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for April.

Racial Tension Heats Up In Nationals Owner Battle  —  D.C. Council Members Accuse Group Of 'Renting Blacks'  —  WASHINGTON — New racial tension is mounting in the battle over which group will own the Washington Nationals baseball team.  —  D.C. Council members Vincent Orange and Marion Barry …

Broxton Gets Elevated as Carter Is Demoted  —  PHOENIX — Attention minor league pitchers.  Want to be called up to the big leagues?  Follow the formula of Jonathan Broxton.  —  Don't allow a run the first month of the season.  —  And it doesn't hurt when a pitcher on the major league club …

Ask Anthony  —  Newsday's Anthony Rieber answers your e-mails on the Mets, Yanks and the rest of MLB  —  One observation after spending the better part of last week at Yankee Stadium: Boy, do Yankees fans love Bernie Williams.  —  Unless the first 20-odd games of the season are a mirage …

Bannister delivers  —  Injured pitcher a hit as SNY voice  —  When Brian Bannister looks back at 2006, he will remember it as his rookie season with the Mets - and in broadcasting, too.  —  Such is life when the team you play for also owns a network.  —  On Friday, when the pitcher went …

Floyd working hard to find way out of darkness  —  There really is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Cliff Floyd can see it clearly, which is more a commentary on the brightness of the light than on how close he is to the end.  —  Floyd truly believes this Mets team is good, and if he didn't, he would say so.

Clutch: What the Numbers Say  —  By twist of fate, I had just completed loading all of the available play-by-play Retrosheet data into a shiny new database when I noticed yet another "Clutch" slash "Bobby Abreu" thread on PhilliesPhans.com.  I decided to test out my new toy …

Daily Dish: May 2  —  Double-A Jacksonville center fielder Matt Kemp extended his hitting streak to 16 games and his on-base streak to 19 as he came a single shy of hitting for the cycle in the Suns' 9-3 win against West Tenn on Monday.  —  Kemp is hitting .406 during the streak, and all four of his homers have come during that span.