Ortiz Provides a Good Start  —  Nats Right-Hander Gives Up Just One Run in Seven Innings : Nationals 4, Astros 1  —  He was the guy they turned to after all the prominent names — from Kevin Millwood to A.J. Burnett to Matt Morris — looked at the Washington Nationals, considered their ownerless status and went elsewhere.

Peavy strikes out 16 in loss to Braves, sets Padres record  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  SAN DIEGO — Jake Peavy needed only seven innings to set a Padres record with 16 strikeouts Monday night but lost because the only ball the Atlanta Braves hit out of the infield against him also happened to leave the yard.

Grounder past Doumit keys Pirates' 7-3 loss to Arizona  —  But Tracy, some players differ on play by inexperienced first baseman  —  PHOENIX — It would be easy to blame Ryan Doumit.  —  A ball was sliced right at him, it slipped under his glove, and it set the stage for three Arizona runs …

Prospectus Today  —  Flying High Again  —  Quick: who has the best record in the National League?  —  Once again, order has been restored in the senior circuit, where the St. Louis Cardinals have bounced back from mini-sweeps in Cincinnati and Houston at the start of the month to go 12-4 since …

Randolph's eager for Soler cycle to start  —  Willie Randolph watched Orlando Hernandez thrive from the moment he joined the Yankees after arriving from Cuba in 1998.  He also watched Jose Contreras crumble under the weight of pinstriped expectations, only to develop into a dominant starter after a trade to the White Sox.

Orioles clobber Mariners 14-4  —  SEATTLE —Ramon Hernandez is paying off handsomely for the Baltimore Orioles.  —  Hernandez, signed to a $27.5 million, four-year contract last winter, hit a three-run homer and a grand slam Tuesday night — the latter in a nine-run ninth inning that finished off …

Groin trouble ends Wright's night  —  BOSTON - Jaret Wright stood behind the mound, thinking, "No, not again" as his teammates crowded around him.  The first batter he faced, Kevin Youkilis, had hit him in the ribs with a line drive, a scary reminder of a bizarre stretch last season.

Crisp expected back in the lineup Monday  —  Coco Crisp, provided he suffers no setbacks, will return to the Red Sox lineup Monday at Toronto, having missed exactly seven weeks and 42 games, manager Terry Francona said last night.  —  Crisp, recovering from a fractured left index finger and kidney stones …

Notes: Halladay to get extra day  —  Right-handed ace to switch starts with Taubenheim  —  TORONTO — Roy Halladay was on the mound for Toronto on Tuesday, but when exactly he'd be making his next start was still up in the air until he picked up his sixth win of the season.

Maddux perfect example  —  School will be in session for the Marlins' young pitching staff this afternoon when future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux takes the mound for the Cubs.  —  ''When it comes to pitching, he really knows what he's doing,'' Marlins manager Joe Girardi said of Maddux …

Jim Bowden: Inside the Nationals' draft 'War Room'  —  WASHINGTON - When the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft begins at 1 p.m. June 6, we'll hold our portion of the draft via telephone conference call in our "War Room" on the fourth floor of RFK Stadium.

Scout who signed Pujols looks back, now stocks shelves at Wal-Mart  —  Dave Karaff misses the nomadic life of a baseball scout.  Instead of sitting behind home plate at dusty ball fields across the Midwest, aiming his stopwatch and speed gun at hot prospects, Karaff spends his days stocking …

Legacy of lies  —  Even by Bonds' standards, latest about-face shameful  —  There will come a day when Barry Bonds leaves baseball, and everything about the game will be the better for it.  —  In the meantime, the more the man reveals himself, the more we know him to be the absolute fraud for which his name has become synonymous.

Crisp's a bit closer  —  Readers with weak stomachs should skip the following couple of paragraphs.  All you need to know is Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp expects to rejoin the lineup within a week.  —  As for the rest of you, Crisp described in graphic detail yesterday the kidney stones …