Good as advertised  —  Prized Phillies prospect Hamels sparkles in debut  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Cole Hamels' numbers in the minor leagues suggested he was ready for big things.  —  His major league debut suggested the same.  —  The 22-year-old left-hander pitched five shutout innings on a raw …

Dreary day on all counts  —  Ernie Banks was at Wrigley Field on Friday, but his trademark "Let's play two today" would have been a bad joke.  —  Lee improving faster than Cubs  —  Walks leave Guzman on the outs  —  Adam Caldarelli: Cubs-Padres  —  Rick Sutcliffe's self-described …

Rain Beats Mets, 2-0  —  For all intents and purposes, the Mets lost this game in the first inning.  —  Phillies starter Gavin Floyd had walked the bases full with two outs.  David Wright, one batter previous, had narrowly missed a three-run homer that curved foul instead.

Tracy: Pirates Not Delivering In Clutch Situations  —  Jim Tracy has no idea what ails this team. … Well, Tracy could fix some of the hitting problems by playing the right hitters.  Not to sound like a broken record, but when you start Jose Hernandez at first base against a right-handed pitcher …

Episode 832, In Which Mike Lowell Confronts the Army of Mike Lowell Clones as They Contemplate an Invasion of the Earth  —  "You called for me, Imperious Leader?"  —  "Indeed.  Nice game against the Yanks last night."  —  "Thank you."  —  "Games like that restore our faith.

It All Swings Wrong Way For Nationals  —  After Washington Takes Lead in Top of 11th, Griffey Hits Three-Run Homer in Bottom Half: Reds 5, Nationals 4  —  CINCINNATI, May 11 — It was the kind of swing that replays on television screens and in minds for the rest of the night …

Williams tears calf muscle, out indefinitely  —  CHICAGO - Padres pitcher Woody Williams is out indefinitely after tearing a calf muscle in Friday's 10-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs.  —  Williams suffered the injury while running the basepaths in the second inning at soggy Wrigley Field.

How is youth being served?  —  A first-place team is sending Jose Lima to the mound tonight, and it is doing so with a straight face.  Injuries in the Mets' rotation have put them in a bind, and their solution somehow calls for the resurrection of Lima Time.  They are calling up minor leaguer Jeremi Gonzalez to start on Saturday.

Under The Knife  —  U.S.S. Enterprise  —  I live in a fantasy world, almost literally.  We all love baseball but I get to spend all day surrounded by it, rather than having it be just a hobby.  Unfortunately, that existence doesn't preclude the problems of the normal world.

Notes: McAnulty geared up for sub role  —  Energetic utility man fills in for Bowen; Adkins back, too  —  CHICAGO — One man's misfortune is another man's opportunity.  So it is with Rob Bowen and Paul McAnulty.  —  A foul tip off his catching hand on Thursday afternoon resulted in a trip …

For starting pitchers, 'off days' aren't what they seem  —  If all goes well, a starting pitcher will make an appearance for about two hours every five days.  —  He'll be in the spotlight, with his performance replayed, analyzed and packaged into the nightly recap shows.

Think-Pink Week  —  Mother's Day is special to Tomko, after his biggest fan was diagnosed with breast cancer  —  The mother talks to the son before every start.  —  For 10 years, she has talked to him before every start.  —  It's never deep, it's never original, but it's always Mom, and it always matters.

Diamondbacks Preview  —  Sorry if you experienced any problems accessing the site today — evidently the good folks at Savvis were having networking problems.  Whaddaya gonna do?  —  So, the entire top deck of the game on Wednesday was filled with kids.  School trips left and right …

M's down, but not out  —  TACOMA — The Rainiers clubhouse is cozy and crammed full Thursday afternoon.  Two players sit at a rickety table playing checkers.  Another microwaves instant noodles and eats them with a plastic fork.  —  This is not the big leagues, not The Show …

Damon to deal with pain  —  Johnny Damon streaked back to the center field wall, leaped at the 408-foot marker and snared Doug Mirabelli's drive as the ball appeared to be going over the fence for a two-run homer.  —  The spectacular play in the fourth inning was one of two highlight-reel catches …