Trade for Karsay adds veteran arm to bullpen  —  A's notes  —  NEW YORK — With their pitching corps in a shambles because of injuries, the A's, looking for immediate help, acquired reliever Steve Karsay from the Cleveland Indians for an undisclosed amount of cash.

Brian's return held up  —  MILWAUKEE - Mets brass is now leaning toward having Brian Bannister pitch in a minor-league game before reentering the rotation.  That would prevent the rookie from facing the Yankees on Friday and delay a decision about whether to bounce Jose Lima or Jeremi Gonzalez from the rotation.

Pirates choose McLouth, send Duffy to minors  —  The Pirates made official what had become increasingly obvious over the past few days: Nate McLouth is their center fielder.  —  Chris Duffy, the starter at the position on opening day, was optioned yesterday to Class AAA Indianapolis in a move …

Is this the swan song for Alou, Bonds, other veterans?  —  IT WAS EARLY Sunday morning, hours before his team's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Giants manager Felipe Alou was packing his suitcase for the upcoming road trip.  —  That's when the question popped into his head.

Improved Unit still at a loss  —  Unable to find A-game  —  Afterward, Joe Torre said Randy Johnson's outing was "a step in the right direction," which may tell you something about how small expectations for the Big Unit have become in Yankeeland.  But Torre also seemed realistic when he noted that Johnson has "a ways to go yet.

Back in major leagues, veteran Erickson goes right to work  —  Scott Erickson's comeback tour now includes both the Mets and Yankees.  The veteran sinkerball specialist overcame arm surgery to pitch two games for the Mets in 2004 and joined the Yankees yesterday from Triple-A Columbus, taking injured Tanyon Sturtze's roster spot.

Haren brilliant in Bronx  —  EVEN THOUGH he grew up in Southern California, Dan Haren spent his youth listening to stories about the Yankees.  That's just how it is when your father grew up in upper Manhattan.  —  Now Haren has a great tale of his own to tell about the Bronx.

Blue Jays 'Tower' over Rays  —  Towers earns first victory with strong outing in finale  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Josh Towers can breathe a little easier and maybe feel a little more comfortable inside Toronto's clubhouse — let alone in the starting rotation.

Padres-Cubs Preview  —  Mike Piazza isn't putting up numbers like he used to, but the All-Star catcher has certainly made a difference for the San Diego Padres against the Chicago Cubs during their weekend series.  —  The Padres look to complete a season sweep of the Cubs on Sunday …

Weaver struggles in series finale  —  Starter gives up four Mariners homers in 3 2/3 innings  —  ANAHEIM — The challenge in front of Jeff Weaver is two-fold.  —  He must unravel the mystery to his horrendous start, while keeping the patience of the Angels' coaching staff, gossamer thin as it is, from wearing through completely.

The Weather Was Fine, and the Home Runs Were Easy  —  Kevin Mench of Texas hit seven home runs in April.  He had 10 through Friday.  —  Three weeks ago, when major leaguers were bashing baseballs at paces unseen since the so-called Steroid Era, conspiracy theorists wanted the deep flies explained by a Deep Throat.

'That's not how I operate'  —  Kevin McClatchy says he has no immediate plans to step down from his post as managing general partner of the Pirates.  But he also does not want to grow old and gray on the job.  —  "I don't think I'll own the team in 15 or 20 years," he said.  "If I did, I think it would kill me.

Sox Skipping In The Rain  —  Beckett Goes Today  —  BOSTON — You didn't need The Weather Channel, Doppler radar or the Farmer's Almanac to know that it rained pretty hard around Fenway Park Saturday.  —  When the Red Sox, a team that never met a gate receipt it didn't like …

Phillies fly from Cincy on brooms  —  Howard recovers from stomach virus to belt two homers  —  CINCINNATI — Ryan Howard spent the better part of Sunday's early-morning hours in a hospital, feeling the effects of a stomach virus.  By his graphic account, it wasn't pretty.