Showoff  —  Alay Soler got the Mets a much needed victory...and convincing victory at that...tonight at Dodger Stadium.  Soler went seven innings, striking out seven and giving up six hits and only one run in a 4-1 Mets victory over Los Angeles.  It was only their second victory …

Tuesday Morning Mock Draft  —  For the first time since 1999, when the Devil Rays deliberated between Josh Hamilton and Josh Beckett, scouting directors will wake up on draft day without knowing for sure who will go No. 1.  The Royals own that pick, and if they've finalized their decision, they've kept it closely guarded.

Rangers' GM faces old dilemma in 1st draft  —  Daniels deciding between 'best player' vs. 'best fit' at No. 12  —  Shortly before noon today, Jon Daniels will sign off on the first draft pick he'll make as the Rangers general manager.  But until then, he wrestles with the same, age-old issues that dogged his predecessors.

Alfonseca's return boosts Rangers' bullpen  —  IF Jimenez expected to be odd man out; move adds flexibility  —  Rangers manager Buck Showalter said he expects right-handed reliever Antonio Alfonseca to be activated from the disabled list today, giving the club an eight-man bullpen for the foreseeable future.

Battery Park  —  Yankees unload on Sox, Beckett in Stadium rout  —  NEW YORK — When Josh Beckett walked off the mound last evening, the sky was still a soft blue, the lingering sun illuminating the Bronx courthouse that looms beyond Yankee Stadium in right-center.

Former prep prospect now creating heat in the kitchen after shoulder surgeries  —  Persistent shoulder injuries early this decade prevented Ryan Anderson from throwing 100-mph heat in the major leagues.  Now out of baseball, Anderson is ready to turn up the heat in a new career.

Giants roll as Bonds rocks  —  Slugger gets homer No. 716 and will get additional support with Alou's return  —  SAN FRANCISCO - The Giants had crushed the Florida Marlins, Moises Alou was about to be activated, and the clubhouse was theirs again.  —  Gone were the scores …

Pirates likely to select a pitcher in first round  —  Player they are projected to get might stir up memories of former star Pirates pitcher from early '90s  —  If the teams ahead of them behave as expected, the Pirates almost certainly today will select University of Houston right-hander Brad Lincoln …

Kids are all right to Brian  —  In the spring, Brian Cashman says, he and Joe Torre spent a fair amount of time talking to the Yankee kids, to the guys off the bench.  The message, Cashman says, was the same, from the first time all the players were together in one room.

Former umpire Gregg, 55, dies after stroke  —  Eric Gregg, the fun-loving West Philadelphia native who became a popular Major League Baseball umpire, died last night at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood after suffering a massive stroke at his Ardmore home Sunday morning.  Mr. Gregg was 55.