Smoltz: Opt me in for 2007  —  John Smoltz doesn't know if the Braves' prospective new owners will pick up the $8 million club option on his contract for 2007, but the veteran fully intends to pitch next season.  —  "I will say this — if it's not picked up, I will pitch somewhere else," …

Numbers tell story of May daze  —  ST. LOUIS — A 7-22 record in May seems to offer little hope.  But Cubs general manager Jim Hendry bristled when the idea was raised that the team's playoff hopes are dead.  —  The Cubs need to go 70-40 in their remaining 110 games to reach 90 victories …

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.

Sheffield Out Indefinitely  —  MRI Shows Ligament Tear, Tendon Injury In Wrist  —  DETROIT — The injury news keeps breaking all over for the Yankees, and most of it is bad.  On Thursday, they learned right fielder Gary Sheffield will be lost for indefinitely, perhaps the rest of the season.

From Way Out in Right Field  —  Yankees Fan Who Beat O's in Stands Could Join Them in Dugout  —  This is a story about fate, a story about a curse — if you care to believe in such things.  It is a story about coming to grips with them, and maybe, just maybe, reversing them.

Protection of Milledge makes Mets look minor league  —  It took until the second inning Wednesday night, and a failed attempt at a one-handed catch by Lastings Milledge, for Mets TV voices to reveal another side of the highly touted prospect.  —  "He (Milledge) did irritate the opposition …

[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.

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 …

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 …

Sports and Salvation on Faith Night at the Stadium  —  It has long been noted that in certain parts of the United States, a fine line separates sports from religion.  But at a minor league indoor football game last month in Birmingham, Ala., fans may have witnessed as transparent an attempt …

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.

Marlins' Treanor little contributions add up big  —  Backup Treanor makes little contributions add up big.  —  South Florida Sun-Sentinel  —  Miami Gardens  · After 10-plus years of toiling in the minor leagues, Matt Treanor wondered if he'd ever get to the majors.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …