Mets acquire lefty Williams from Reds  —  New York sends non-roster pitcher Manuel to Cincinnati  —  NEW YORK — One day after bolstering their starting rotation with Orlando Hernandez, the Mets continued to add veteran pitching on Thursday, picking up left-hander Dave Williams from the Cincinnati Reds.

Sox out to bounce back against Rays  —  Tampa Bay (21-26) at Boston (26-18), 7:05 p.m. ET  —  The Red Sox aim to rebound from a disappointing series loss to the Yankees when they open a four-game series with the Devil Rays at Fenway Park.  —  Boston looks to right-hander Josh Beckett …

Wood, Prior weigh shoulder problems  —  Cubs hurlers deal with temperamental injuries  —  CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood has had surgery on his elbow and on his shoulder, and if he had to pick one, he'd definitely skip any further shoulder operations.

Notes: Walker home on the road  —  Reliever appreciates two-fold opportunity in Kansas City  —  KANSAS CITY — The Tigers have had a successful series in Kansas City and nobody has enjoyed the last few days more than reliever Jamie Walker.  —  Besides the positive developments on the field …

Vs. Ortiz, Torre finds Farns' worth  —  BOSTON - Mariano Rivera wasn't coming out of the bullpen to clean up his mess this time.  For Kyle Farnsworth, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.  Here it was, his first real moment of truth as a Yankee reliever.

Too many Joneses  —  Young struggles against Atlanta's two star sluggers  —  Padres newcomer Chris Young has been a dependable pitcher, turning in only one clunker in 10 starts.  The clunker came last night, and the Braves took advantage for a 10-6 win at Petco Park that was last-place San Diego's seventh defeat in nine games.

Under The Knife  —  Lounging Around  —  I know I have some extreme positions on Barry Bonds and I've ceased trying to persuade anyone with fact.  Still, let me give you an example of how this has been handled.  You'll probably remember how the media took Bonds to task for having his own leather lounge chair in the clubhouse.

Pujols harms his reputation by bonding with Bonds  —  It was awfully nice of Albert Pujols to take time out of his busy schedule to go on a humanitarian mission in San Francisco, where he continued to express unconditional and unapologetic public support for Barry Bonds.

Ten Things I Learned from Hit Tracker  —  Baseball followers have long wondered how long the long ball goes.  Even during the days of infrequent home runs, fans would ooh and ahh every long-distance whack.  Baseball Almanac has a great article by William Jenkinson about the history …

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION  —  If San Jose or another Bay Area city is willing to donate the land and pay for related road improvements, Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff will build a stadium and deliver a Major League Soccer team to replace the departed Earthquakes.

Daily Dish: May 25  —  There has been no slowing down Travis Buck this season.  —  In fact, the 22-year-old hasn't slowed down since coming out of Arizona State last year.  —  Buck, a supplemental first-round pick of the Athletics a year ago, signed for $950,000 and hasn't stopped hitting as a pro.

Three men and a maybe  —  Royals will draft Miller, Lincecum or Lincoln with first overall pick  —  KANSAS CITY — Call them the Big Three.  —  They are the three most prominent names in the Royals' search for the No. 1 overall choice in the First-Year Player Draft.  They have one thing in common.

Owners Want City to Shift Gears on Parking  —  The Washington Nationals' ownership group is pushing District officials to build massive parking garages for the baseball stadium aboveground, contrary to the wishes of city planners, who say the structures should go underground …

Ask Paul Sullivan  —  The Tribune's Cubs beat writer answers readers' questions every week throughout the season  —  What exactly has Dusty Baker done this year or the previous two to earn a chance to continue managing this club?  The only consistent thing the past three years has been poor fundamentals …

Torn Hamstring Tendon Slows Posada  —  The Yankees' injury problems continued yesterday when catcher Jorge Posada's magnetic resonance imaging test revealed a torn hamstring tendon in his left knee.  —  Posada could be put on the disabled list if he does not improve over the weekend …