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.

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.

Delgado's HR gets the save  —  Shot in 12th bails out Wagner  —  Maybe they truly were yelling "Loop" at their closer for old times' sake.  At least Billy Wagner can now commiserate with all the times Mets fans booed Braden Looper off the Shea field.  —  But the rebuilt Mets …

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 …

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.

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 …

PIRATES MEET THE ENDY  —  May 4, 2006 — You might have never guessed it, but Endy Chavez boasts a pretty sizable fan club - charter members include Pedro Martinez, Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya ... even Steve Phillips.  —  And Chavez' fan club grew even bigger during last night's 4-3 …

Down Goes Bonds!  —  We can't help thinking today about the "Seinfeld" episode in which a disgruntled boyfriend tries to insult Elaine by telling her she has a big head.  At first it doesn't bother her, until birds begin slamming into her head as if it's too big to avoid.

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?

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Ten Things I Didn't Know Last Week  —  Did you know...  These are not last year's White Sox.  —  The World Series champion White Sox are first in the American League, with an 18-8 record, but this is a different team than last year's.  — Last year, the bullpen had a 3.23 ERA.  This year, it's 4.55.