MAINE EVENT ON SHEA HILL  —  May 2, 2006 — MET NOTES With rookie Brian Bannister on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring, the first pitcher to try to fill that hole in the Met rotation will be John Maine - tonight at Shea against the Nationals.

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 …

Mets' happy Endy  —  NEW YORK — No, Victor Zambrano said, one so-so outing and two lousy ones didn't have him feeling pressured.  —  No, the Mets' right-hander said, having a stat line with more runs allowed than innings pitched and more walks than strikeouts didn't give him any greater sense of urgency.

Wood on target for May return  —  Will start in minors Sunday, could rejoin Cubs within 2 weeks  —  Kerry Wood will make his first minor-league rehab start Sunday and could be back in the Cubs' rotation May 17 against Washington.  —  Wood threw five shutout innings against rookie leaguers Tuesday in Mesa …

Bad deal?  Not for Rangers  —  Once upon a time - OK, that time was three weeks ago - I received plenty of e-mails complaining that the Rangers had been hoodwinked by San Diego in a winter time trade.  —  On April 12, Dallas-born, Ranger-reared Padre Chris Young threw six shutout innings, allowing only one hit.

Lerners, MLB Finish Details of Nats Deal  —  D.C. Steps Up Pressure on Comcast to Air Games  —  Bethesda developer Theodore N. Lerner and his family were wrapping up final details with Major League Baseball last night on the purchase of the Washington Nationals for $450 million …

Mailbag: Peavy, Hoffman will be OK  —  Padres reporter Lyle Spencer answers your questions  —  Is there any danger that Jake Peavy will hurt himself trying to overthrow, thinking he has to pitch a shutout just to keep his team in a game?  —  Your concern is not unwarranted.

Notes: Minor Leaguer suspended  —  Rico gets 100-game suspension; Huff set to return  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Matt Rico, a Minor League pitcher in the Devil Rays organization, was suspended 100 games on Tuesday for a violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

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.

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.

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.

Don't blame Tracy ... yet  —  It is easy to jump to conclusions about the managing acumen of Jim Tracy after his first month with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The easiest one to make is that he hasn't made a bit of difference.  —  The Pirates went 7-19 in Tracy's first month …

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.

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 …