Sturtze's year could be over  —  Scott Proctor could tell something was wrong.  Before the Yankees' 4-2 loss last night to the Texas Rangers, he saw fellow reliever Tanyon Sturtze emerge from Joe Torre's office with a look on his face that made it clear he needed to be alone.  So Proctor kept his distance.

Mets' pitchers face challenge from Pujols  —  ST. LOUIS — Those four fingers the Mets showed Barry Bonds last month?  —  Well, they'll show them to Albert Pujols this week.  And as Bonds twice did when the Mets went after him in San Francisco, don't be surprised to see similar results …

Padres-Diamondbacks Preview  —  Jake Peavy hopes to help the San Diego Padres defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first time this season when the NL West rivals continue a three-game series at Chase Field on Tuesday.  —  Peavy (3-3, 3.61 ERA) is 2- with a 1.29 ERA over his last three outings …

Field-and-scream effort  —  Rookie Logan has a nightmare night in an ugly Sox defeat  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Brandon McCarthy suffered from a high pitch count Tuesday night and lasted only four-plus innings.  —  That paled in comparison, however, to the embarrassing outing …

LaRoche's disorder in spotlight  —  ATLANTA — Adam LaRoche knows how it looks.  He doesn't seem to be trying hard.  He comes across as inattentive, sluggish, a little too laid-back to be a professional athlete.  —  When LaRoche was coming up through the minors, countless coaches and instructors told him to show more emotion.

Future Shock  —  NL West Roundup  —  The Sidewinders roster is all about offensive prospects.  As loaded as they are, their best hitter statistically has been outfielder Scott Hairston, who has seemingly worn out his welcome with the Diamondbacks but is hitting .301/.389/.559.

Notes: Milton fully recovered  —  Pitcher set to start against the Tigers on Saturday  —  PITTSBURGH — The limited amount of pitches Eric Milton threw in Monday's Hall of Fame game appeared to be enough.  He said he's ready.  —  It was revealed on Tuesday that Milton will be activated …

Zambrano could be finished  —  ST. LOUIS - Victor Zambrano's career is in jeopardy after the righthander yesterday unexpectedly had a second Tommy John elbow surgery.  —  Team doctor David Altchek found a torn ligament that required replacement during what was expected to be a less intense procedure.

Ball from stands nearly hits Jones  —  Incident raises security concerns  —  An allegedly inebriated fan in right field threw a ball that barely missed hitting Jacque Jones before the ninth inning Tuesday, raising some red flags about security problems in the bleachers.

If Baker still wants to stay, keep him  —  Cubs must find out now if manager has desire or part ways  —  At this ugly intersection, 37 games into what would be the Cubs' third straight disappointing season, firings appear almost inevitable, if not imminent.

Notes: Lima, Gonzalez remain in rotation  —  Mets don't want to rush Bannister back from hamstring injury  —  ST. LOUIS — The perceived need for Brian Bannister to make a start in the Minor Leagues before returning to big-league duty has forced the Mets to retain the rotation they have used since Victor Zambrano went down on May 6.

Notes: Chances for Minors pitchers?  —  MRI reveals torn elbow ligament for Drese, surgery may follow  —  CHICAGO — Entering Tuesday's action, the Nationals' pitching staff is near the bottom of almost every category, and the team is still debating whether or not to carry more than 11 pitchers.

Mailbag: Big plans for new owners?  —  Beat writer Bill Ladson answers Nationals fans' questions … While there is no doubt that the Nationals need to rebuild the farm system and essentially start from scratch, don't you agree that they need to retain at least some of the good players on the Major League roster?