Power company  —  Giambi, Posada, Rodriguez go deep as Yankees get even  —  Curt Schilling goes right to the top after giving up his third homer, a two-run shot to Jorge Posada in the fifth.  (Reuters Photo)  —  NEW YORK — Is it merely coincidence or convenience that Curt Schilling's season …

For Albert Pujols, will 2006 be  —  A bigger bang?  —  In 1998:  —  Mark McGwire hit his 18th home run of the year in the 43rd game.  He finished 1998 with 70 home runs.  —  In 2001:  —  Barry Bonds hit his 18th home run of the year in the 42nd game.  He finished 2001 with 73 home runs.

Notes: LeCroy fills in behind the plate  —  Backup catcher has handled the transition from AL to NL  —  CINCINNATI — The return of catcher Brian Schneider found Matt LeCroy, the team's backup catcher, back on the Nationals bench on Wednesday.  —  That's not a big deal for LeCroy.

Brewers-Padres Preview  —  Their winning streak is over, but the San Diego Padres are still feeling better about themselves than they were last month.  —  The Padres (17-16) look to bounce back after their first loss in 10 contests when they continue a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers (17-16) Wednesday at Petco Park.

Knuckled under  —  Angels pounce early, wreck Haeger's debut  —  For every problem, there's an opportunity.  —  In the case of the White Sox, Brandon McCarthy made the most of his chance Wednesday night after Charlie Haeger struggled in his major league debut in a 12-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at damp U.S. Cellular Field.

Thomas trying to put finger on struggles  —  TORONTO - There is more to Frank Thomas' early-season slump than just chipping away the rust built up over two injury abbreviated seasons.  —  "You put pressure on yourself," A's hitting coach Gerald Perry said.

Perez Is Sent to the Bullpen  —  Odalis Perez returned Tuesday from visiting his ailing mother in a Dominican Republic hospital only to be hit with more bad news.  —  Aaron Sele had replaced him in the starting rotation.  —  Perez, who hasn't pitched out of the bullpen since 1991 …

Twins Notes  — People often ask what motivated me to start this blog four years ago.  It's a complicated answer, but in the end can be boiled down partly to me getting fed up with the sub par coverage of the Twins in the local mainstream media.  Back in 2002 I was reading far too many articles …

San Antonio, Marlins end courtship for now  —  The Marlins won't be moving to San Antonio, at least not any time soon.  —  Officials in Bexar County, Texas, had set a May 15 deadline for the Marlins to pledge a move west.  But the team this week declined to meet the deadline …

Heilman penned  —  Though he would like to start, Randolph says his value is in relief role  —  PHILADELPHIA — It was not exactly surprising that the Mets picked Jeremi Gonzalez, a minor-league journeyman, to start Friday's game against the Brewers at Miller Park.

Glavine gets support as Mets roll  —  Lo Duca's three RBIs lead a balanced attack  —  PHILADELPHIA — No game is an island.  One leans on the other, no matter how often the participants chant their "one game at a time" mantra.  The season isn't 162 games as much as it is 162 segments of a whole.

Jim Bowden Self-Serving Statements O' The Week  —  Our good friend Trader Jim is back at it, with his weekly Examiner column.  This week is right in his wheelhouse, focusing on trades, which is a bit like asking me to write about being a crank — it's just what we do.

Notes: Tough road trip ahead  —  DeRosa earns playing time; Rangers prepare for Astros  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers get a day off on Thursday.  They need to enjoy it, because the next 10 days after that are not going to be easy.  —  The Rangers will spend those 10 days on the road playing …