A-Rod important in grand scheme  —  To be all they can be, Yankees need more from new cleanup hitter  —  If the New York Yankees are to become the second team in the last 56 years to have a 1,000-run season, their new cleanup hitter must pick up the pace in a hurry.

Banged up Dodgers continue to struggle  —  Navarro and Mueller injured as skid reaches five games  —  LOS ANGELES — Thursday's game marked the Dodgers' fifth straight loss, but they may have lost much more than that in the process of being shut out, 3-0.  —  The game was hardly underway …

Foe's maneuver may sink Marlins' funds  —  A bill to give the Florida Marlins $60 million in tax breaks for a new stadium may fail again in the state Senate.  The legislative session ends today.  —  meklas@MiamiHerald.com  —  TALLAHASSEE - On the final nail-biting day of the lawmaking session …

Left-hander is a fantasy come true  —  ARLINGTON - When the Rangers acquired pitcher John Koronka on the eve of the 2006 season, my high-dollar fantasy baseball service described him as "a soft-tossing lefty destined, at best, for the Cubs' bullpen."  —  I'm thinking about canceling that service.

Nationals Give New Boss Another Loss  —  Lerners Witness Shellacking by Marlins: Marlins 11, Nationals 3  —  When Matthew LeCroy struck out with the bases loaded, accounting for the final out in a miserable 11-3 loss to the Florida Marlins last night at RFK Stadium, Theodore N. Lerner …

Mariners Notebook: Sexson held out  —  CHICAGO — When Richie Sexson came to the park Thursday, he was in the starting lineup.  —  When the game began, he wasn't.  —  When the game ended, he was in the on-deck circle.  —  When the Mariners were packing to leave Chicago, he was walking gingerly.

Hamels vs. Bonds would be ESPN classic  —  IT WAS a sunwashed early September afternoon in the middle of the last century.  I can't tell you why I was in the rightfield bleachers of the Polo Grounds for a doubleheader between the New York Giants and the Phillies.

Future Shock  —  Now that we're a month away from the 2006 Draft, we do have a better idea of who's going to be picked at the top, but little idea of the order.  Let's start this week's notebook with an update of where things stand with the first five picks.

Gomes has some serious strength … They are the next line, the line below the stars, but the line that clearly is on the rise.  Their next stop could be their first All-Star Game — and after that, perhaps even bigger things.  Here are five players who are off to good starts, which might be a sign of things to come.

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 …

It's almost Lima Time  —  Jose Lima was pulled from last night's Triple-A Norfolk game after two innings and received congratulatory handshakes from teammates, but Mets officials insisted they aren't bailing on John Maine for Sunday's start.  Not yet, anyway.

Second base, not second fiddle  —  ARLINGTON - Ask Mark DeRosa if he would like to be an everyday starter, and he'll give you an answer similar to what any player would: "That's always been the goal."  —  Ask DeRosa if he thinks he is capable of being a regular starter, and he won't hesitate: "Absolutely."

Setup man with stuff of closer  —  The best relief pitcher in the National League, and maybe all of baseball, looks more like a grad student in his street clothes.  Off the mound and out of uniform, Duaner Sanchez replaces his signature goggles with rimless glasses, just as Superman trades …

Dotel inches closer to joining pen  —  ST. PETERSBURG - It's possible that the Yankees' best offseason addition to their bullpen hasn't thrown a pitch for them yet this year.  —  Octavio Dotel, who is nearing the end of his rehab from elbow surgery, is targeting the end of this month …

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.

Carpenter handed second loss  —  Cardinals ace outpitched by Astros' Pettitte  —  HOUSTON — New Busch Stadium may or may not turn out to be a hitter-friendly facility, but this much is certain so far in 2006 — the rest of the parks in the National League have been most unfriendly to the Cardinals' offense.