Cashman Tinkers, and Resists Temptation  —  CLEVELAND, July 5 — The Yankees are needy right now, beset by injuries to their hitters and by poor performances from their pitchers.  But as they seek to improve the team, they are operating from a position of weakness.  —  Other teams know what the Yankees want.

Selig up front about absence  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — About 10 minutes before last night's game a fan in the second deck of Tropicana Field yelled, ``That knee looks fine, Manny.  Let's go.  Despite the pleas of that fan and of Major League Baseball, it still appears Manny Ramírez …

METS 5, PIRATES 0  —  Slow-Pitch Baseball as Hernández Quells the Pirates Softly  —  Cliff Floyd scored one of the Mets' five runs in the first inning in a 5-0 win over Kip Wells and the Pirates.  Orlando Hernández earned the victory.  —  Orlando Hernández threw …

Eight-run inning ties Marlins mark; Marlins 18, Nationals 9  —  WASHINGTON — The Marlins completed a double play to end the fifth inning and retreated to their dugout, but they could just as well have converged on the RFK Stadium diamond and started shaking hands.

Martinez unlikely for Saturday  —  The Mets anticipated making a decision on Pedro Martinez before last night's game against the Pirates.  But when it was time for Willie Randolph to address the media yesterday, Martinez had yet to take part in his planned throwing session - or even arrive at Shea, for that matter.

Angels trade Weaver to Cards for minor-league OF  —  SEATTLE — The Los Angeles Angels traded disappointing right-hander Jeff Weaver to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night for minor-league outfielder Terry Evans.  —  Weaver, 29, was designated for assignment by the Angels last Friday …

60 Years and 1,000 Tales Since 14 Were Ejected  —  Sixty years is a long time to stretch a memory.  But Dario Lodigiani is certain that the reason that he and 13 other Chicago White Sox players and coaches were ejected from a game against the Boston Red Sox had nothing to do with a ventriloquist in the stands.

Pirates Notebook: Burnitz, Randa amenable to being traded  —  NEW YORK — Neither Jeromy Burnitz nor Joe Randa has asked the Pirates for a trade.  —  But neither sounds as if he would be terribly troubled if one were to happen.  —  Check out Burnitz's typically candid response to a question on the matter yesterday:

Colon throws first shutout since 2002  —  Four-hitter leads sweep of Mariners; Quinlan, Cabrera connect  —  SEATTLE — Bartolo Colon takes phone calls from only two people on days that he starts.  —  One of those people is his wife, Rosanna, and the other is his father, Miguel, but all other calls go unanswered.

Dodgers ride Penny past D-Backs  —  Four-run third paves way to All-Star righty's 10th win  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers, who at one point in Wednesday night's game with the Arizona Diamondbacks had six runs on the board, held on to win, 5-4.  —  Do the math.

Soriano Says He Wants to Stay In D.C.  —  With half a season under his belt and the trade deadline less than three weeks away, Alfonso Soriano has a new take on his stint with the Washington Nationals: He wants to stay.  —  "I feel very good here, better than I expected," Soriano said in an interview yesterday.

Notes: Brewers shuffle roster  —  Eveland returns, Moeller designated for assignment  —  rbraun@journalsentinel.com  —  Circumstances and a season-long slump caused the Milwaukee Brewers to make a couple of roster moves after their 13-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday night.