A-Rod offers a powerful case  —  Blasts Bosox and then critics  —  BOSTON - Be fair, Yankee fans.  —  If you're going to hammer Alex Rodriguez every time he fails to deliver in the clutch, or even when he hits too-late-to-matter home runs, you have to give him his due for taking Tim Wakefield out of the ballpark last night.

Gaining new appreciation for Young  —  Spent my night off watching the Mavericks.  Somehow, I came away with a better appreciation for Michael Young.  —  Flipping back and forth between the Mavericks and Rangers, two juxtaposed images were seemingly freeze-framed.

Shoulder pain forces Hamels to miss start  —  NEW YORK - Cole Hamels never sweats the small stuff.  —  Unless it has to do with his injury-plagued body.  —  Hamels, the Phillies' 22-year-old lefty phenom, felt a pop in his left shoulder while throwing in the outfield before last night's game.

It's wild time on O's runway … With a staff of starters who all pitched fairly well last season and the game's most successful pitching coach on hand, the Orioles spoke of the mound as an area of strength, or at least reliability, this spring.  —  Seven weeks later, it seems more like a disaster zone.

Soler to realize dream on Wednesday  —  Right-hander left Cuba to pursue passion for baseball  —  NEW YORK — For 10 minutes after batting practice on Tuesday, only the short wall along the right-field line separated Mets starter Alay Soler from his new adoring fans.  —  He smiled.  They smiled back.

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.

Beltran shot is sweet in 16  —  Carlos' HR sparks Mets in marathon  —  So many times it could've ended earlier, but the longest game in the majors this season - both in innings and time - was only just beginning at Shea.  —  Carlos Beltran over-slid second base in the 11th.

Daily Graphing - Brad Penny  —  Brad Penny and Hee Seop Choi for Guillermo Mota, Paul LoDuca, and Juan Encarnacion.  That trade made two years ago was most likely Paul DePodesta's defining transaction as GM of the Dodgers.  Nobody seemed to like it, arguing LoDuca's leadership couldn't be replaced …

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 …

Going Deep: Bright side of Castro injury  —  Rangers use Rule 5 to advantage, sending reliever to Minors  —  The primary downside in utilizing the Rule 5 Draft is certainly not the $50,000 investment ($377,000 if the player makes the team), or even the likelihood that the player will be limited …

Granderson's double helps Tigers hand Royals 11th straight loss  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Even crusty old managers like Detroit's Jim Leyland can feel warm and fuzzy over wins like this.  —  Down 4- early to a Kansas City team desperate to snap …

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.

A few final notes  —  A few post-game notes for you night owls:  —  * Joe Torre said they would bring up a pitcher for the last game of the series.  I suspect it will be Ramiro Mendoza, who has pitched well for Columbus.  Best of luck, Kevin Reese.  They should dump Terrence Long (0 for 8, two balls out of the infield), however.