Prospectus Notebook  —  Astros, Blue Jays  —  HOUSTON ASTROS  —  There are 13 outfielders in baseball with at least 150 plate appearances and a negative VORP.  Many of those names aren't surprising: Juan Pierre is in the "top" five, along with defense-first fourth-outfielder types like Jay Payton and Joey Gathright.

Harden looks on track to make return Sunday  —  A's notebook  —  OAKLAND — A's pitcher Rich Harden said he's ready to return from a lower back strain that has sidelined him since April 27, and he'll almost certainly get his chance Sunday against the Minnesota Twins.

Pena To Miss At Least 6 Weeks  —  TORONTO — Wily Mo Pena, who was placed on the disabled list Sunday with a left wrist sprain, will have surgery today to remove the hamate bone and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.  —  "That bone doesn't serve a whole lot of a purpose, except when the …

Delgado slumping but won't shift blame  —  It almost seems unfair.  When Carlos Delgado steps into the batter's box and surveys the field in front of him, he probably feels as if someone has changed the rules in the middle of the game.  —  Nobody is standing within 20 feet of third base …

[Twins Notes] Whatever  —  I intended to make this an installment of "Twins Notes," because I haven't discussed the team in bullet-point form since last week.  I have a bunch of Twins-related topics set aside to cover at some point and I typically try to clear out most of them before the folder becomes unmanageable.

Notes: Guzman gets Major shot  —  Prospect gets opportunity with Kent landing on DL  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodger youth movement was accelerated a little more Thursday when 38-year-old Jeff Kent was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained wrist and replaced by 21-year-old Joel Guzman …

Padres go with Park in Pittsburgh  —  San Diego (28-25) at Pittsburgh (18-34), Friday, 4:05 p.m. PT  —  Playing on the road seems to sit well with the Padres.  So does playing against the National League Central.  —  The Padres will head out for a seven-game road trip that begins Friday …

Mariners Notebook: Sexson says injury could linger  —  First baseman moves to DH, drops to five hole  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — After not starting Tuesday to give his right heel a rest, Richie Sexson was back in the lineup Wednesday.  —  Two things were different, however.  —  First, he wasn't at first base.

Come July, Nationals Could Be a Top Seller  —  Over the next two months, fans will scan the baseball standings trying to figure out which teams are true playoff contenders and which are not.  Baseball executives are no different.  But depending on the day or the week, the health of one team or another …

Zimmerman living up to expectations  —  Comparisons to great third basemen seeming more valid  —  It was Nationals general manager Jim Bowden who proclaimed last year that third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt and Scott Rolen rolled into one.

Sherrill's persistence paying off  —  Mariners southpaw making solid showing in bullpen  —  SEATTLE — The worst job that George Sherrill ever held was working at a United Parcel Service facility in Nashville, where he spent very long days loading and unloading trucks.  —  "It stunk," Sherrill recalled.

Angels' Colon tosses four shutout innings in Class A  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — Bartolo Colon pitched four shutout innings Thursday for Class A Rancho Cucamonga of the California League in his first rehab start, and figures to make one more outing …

Ozuna honing his skills in center  —  CLEVELAND — White Sox utility player Pablo Ozuna started working out in center field before Thursday night's game at Cleveland.  —  The move was made in preparation for some upcoming games against left-handed starters once center fielder Brian Anderson begins …

Uggla's play shows pronounced gains  —  Never mind the.313 batting average, 63 hits and impressive.985 fielding percentage.  —  For rookie second baseman Dan Uggla, success in the major leagues can best be measured by listening to how flawlessly broadcasters pronounce his name.  —  UH-gluh.

Cubs Seek Nevin To Fill Void  —  Despite all his winter wheeling and dealing, Jim Hendry never thought to create a back-up plan at first base.  Derrek Lee, coming off a career season, had not played less than 155 games in six years.  As Derrek Lee went down with a wrist injury, so did the Cubs, losing 26 of their next 37 games.

Injuries abound  —  It's almost as if you blink around here and somebody has an injury setback of some sort.  Johnny Damon was not in the lineup tonight because his right foot now hurts in more areas other than just below his right toe, and Gary Sheffield was scratched toward the end …

Top 10 players who could lose their jobs  —  The 2006 baseball season is beginning its third month, and patience for the underachievers is running thin.  —  With that in mind, let's turn our attention to those regulars who are in grave danger of losing their jobs.

Notes: Chipper looking for power surge  —  Veteran hoping to pick up his homer pace after slow start  —  ATLANTA — When Chipper Jones came off the disabled list on April 25, he homered in his second at-bat and gave an indication that the two weeks he had missed with a sprained right knee and ankle hadn't affected his swing.