At long last  —  As they stated repeatedly during their introductory press conference last night, the Lerner family and Stan Kasten are in this for the long haul.  —  They intend to build the Washington Nationals into a long-term success, on and off the baseball field.

Angels bust out bats to halt skid  —  Rookie additions make immediate impact in win  —  DETROIT — The kids came to the Angels' rescue on Thursday.  —  Led by Mike Napoli and Tommy Murphy, who were both called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday night, the Angels beat Detroit, 7-2, to snap the team's six-game losing streak.

Padres-Dodgers Preview  —  The San Diego Padres seek their fifth straight win.  The Los Angeles Dodgers hope to avoid a fifth straight loss.  —  Two teams headed in different directions meet when the Padres (12-15) and Dodgers (12-16) close out their two-game set on Thursday.

Bonds gets a day off from starting lineup  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) - Barry Bonds' pursuit of the Babe might have to wait until Philadelphia.  —  Bonds wasn't in the starting lineup for the San Francisco Giants' game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.  —  He still had a bit of a headache …

Cards Notebook: Pujols is hobbled  —  Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols fouled a breaking pitch off his left ankle during a first-inning at-bat Thursday.  He ended the plate appearance by grounding to second base.  He limped noticeably running to first before slamming his helmet.

Sox win in 11  —  With 37 come-from-behind victories and 35 one-run victories last season, you might think the White Sox had found every possible way to win a baseball game.  —  Nope.  They discovered a new one in Wednesday night's 6-5, 11-inning victory over Seattle—Pablo Ozuna's first major-league home run after 1,333 at-bats.

Notes: Starter needed for Saturday  —  Fernandez to be recalled Friday; Clark working hard on swing  —  MILWAUKEE — This, and not much more, is known about the Brewers' starting pitcher for Saturday: It will not be Dana Eveland.  —  After Thursday's win over the Giants …

Randolph's hunch pays off  —  NEW YORK — With a hunch like he had last night, Willie Randolph should have gone to Vegas.  —  The Mets' manager had a feeling about outfielder Endy Chavez, and he went with his gut and played him over Xavier Nady in right field.

Random Thursday Stuff  —  Enjoy the random Thursday stuff I have prepared for you all today.  — Last season the Mets had some great commercials.  If you are out of area and never got a chance to see them, here you go.  If you saw them, watch again and revel in the silliness....thanks to Brian for the links.

Notes: Griffey's knee injury still an issue  —  Outfielder's return remains a question mark  —  DENVER — They're saying it's not really any worse.  But it certainly isn't getting any better, either.  —  Still feeling the discomfort of a strained tendon in the back of his right knee …

Chat transcript: It's a love affair with John Koronka  —  Evan Grant: OK, all it's 11 a.m. I'm fully recovered from another walkoff Rangers win - they are becoming awfully common these days - so let's answer some questions!  —  Jason Lustig: In his wildest dreams, could Jon Daniels have envisioned John Koronka of pitching this well?

Interest in Clemens Is Low-Key and Far Away  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 3 — Roger Clemens will decide on his future soon, his agent said Wednesday, and there are no indications Clemens is leaning toward pitching for the Yankees.  —  "Roger is mulling over what he wants to do but does …

Pujols may be best ever by time he's done  —  At this moment, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols leads the National League in a bevy of offensive categories.  —  To wit, Pujols tops the loop in home runs, RBI, runs scored, slugging percentage, total bases and extra-base hits.

Wily comfortable with Mo time in CF  —  Some fans might be confused, but that indeed was Wily Mo Pena settling comfortably under a fly ball for the first out of last night's 7-6 Red Sox loss, hit by Toronto's Alex Rios to medium center field.  —  Even for a big guy, Pena looks a lot …

An Uphill Battle Since Hitting Hill  —  BOSTON — The world will probably never know if Josh Beckett's pitch into Aaron Hill's shoulder blade two weeks ago in Toronto was intentional.  What is indisputable is that Beckett has not been the same pitcher since.

Oliver Perez Available?  —  Here's a new one for ya, courtesy of Baseball Prospectus's Will Carroll yesterday:  —  "One rumor from the last few days is that Oliver Perez and Ryan Doumit are being dangled to the Phillies."  —  Would this deal make a good fit?

Notes: Leyland shuns media attention  —  Team's Skipper hopes Tigers' success inspires fans  —  DETROIT — Don't ask Tigers manager Jim Leyland about national attention.  To him, the most significant sign about the Tigers' success is word of mouth.  —  So when Leyland heard Tiger talk …

Baseball won't bother to certify Bonds ball … When Barry Bonds hits home run No. 715 and moves into second place on the all-time list behind Hank Aaron, the lucky fan who catches the ball might have a hard time proving it's the real thing.  —  That's because Major League Baseball …