Baker's time getting short in already long season  —  Ozzie Guillen blustered on May 21 when the White Sox and Cubs last met that pitcher Rich Hill was going to get Dusty Baker fired.  Ozzie left out quite a few names in that assessment, although he was quite perceptive in seeing that Baker's job status was teetering clear back then.

DH faces classic injustice  —  DH should be part of All-Star Game every year  —  Maybe this is a sacrilege, but would it really kill baseball to have the designated hitter at the All-Star Game every year?  —  I mean, who really wants to watch some scared American League pitcher try to bunt …

Rangers' Matthews hopes for All-Star call  —  ARLINGTON - Gary Matthews Jr. won't find out if he's an All-Star for the first time in his career until this evening, but he earned an All-Star's ovation Saturday.  —  With the Rangers down 5-, Matthews went at least three feet above …

Notes: Webb can't explain struggles  —  Right-hander doesn't know why he was winless in June  —  OAKLAND — Brandon Webb can't explain it.  —  The right-hander picked up win No. 8 on May 26 tossing a seven-hit shutout in Cincinnati in front of friends and family and seemed on top of the baseball world.

Cards stumble early, late in tough loss  —  The "we're-still-in-first-place" Cardinals hit another (false) bottom Saturday night against the Kansas City Royals.  What might have passed for inspiration instead became another installment of a first-place club's six-week slide.

Bowden will remain with Nationals  —  Impending sale of team means money at GM's disposal  —  WASHINGTON — With the Lerner Group getting close to purchasing the Nationals before the grand reopening at RFK Stadium on July 21, incoming president Stan Kasten announced that general manager Jim Bowden …

Giants-Padres Preview  —  The San Francisco Giants were one inning away from moving into a first-place tie in the NL West Friday night.  The San Diego Padres , though, were not ready to share the top spot just yet.  —  After rallying to victory in the series opener, the Padres look to increase …

Ortiz, Orioles overcome Braves  —  Righty allows three runs in 4 1/3 innings, but drives in two  —  ATLANTA — When you're a starting pitcher, it's hard to be proud of a night where your batting line is the best part of your box score.  Russ Ortiz singled twice and drove in two runs Saturday …

Wakefield set to face Moehler  —  Boston (48-29) at Florida (35-41), 6:05 p.m. ET  —  The Red Sox will try to do what any top-notch team does a day after seeing a double-digit winning streak end — try to start another one.  —  After seeing their first 12-game winning streak in 11 seasons snapped …

TOUCHABLE  —  LASTINGS COULD MOVE FOR RIGHT PRICE  —  July 1, 2006 — OMAR Minaya made a very personal, very public goodbye to Lastings Milledge yesterday, sending the Mets' top position prospect back to the minors.  As Milledge wrapped his arm around the GM in the late afternoon …

Angels' Anderson collects hit No. 2,000  —  Outfielder shows humility after reaching hallowed ground  —  ANAHEIM — Garret Anderson has flown to where no Angel has before.  —  The left fielder, who has been with the franchise since he was signed out of high school in 1990 …

Notes: No timetable for Gagne's return  —  Venerable closer's return from nerve injury still uncertain  —  ANAHEIM — Eric Gagne and the Dodgers might not be on the same page about some aspects of his latest rehabilitation, but they both agree that he's not ready to pitch.

For Proctor, no call to doctor  —  Scott Proctor looked as if he had injured himself in the top of the seventh inning last night when he walked off the back of the mound during David Wright's at-bat, a move that brought Jorge Posada to the mound as well as Joe Torre and trainer Gene Monahan.

Yanks Leave Mets Guessing  —  It was nothing against Ron Villone, a left-handed reliever who has pitched very well this season.  But his presence should have revived the Mets last night at Yankee Stadium.  —  Villone was a gift from the heavens, which produced a 63-minute rain delay in the fourth inning.