Matsui ahead of schedule  —  Thursday is an important day for Hideki Matsui, who is scheduled to visit the doctor and could be given the go-ahead to begin basic hitting drills.  —  Matsui, who is recovering from a broken left wrist, already has been taking dry swings in which he allows …

Nationals fall to Fish in Florida  —  Club tripped up despite first Washington homer for Lopez  —  MIAMI — A home run, his first as a member of the Nationals, allowed Felipe Lopez to move a step forward in the adjustment to his new team.  Unfortunately, a mental mistake in the next inning brought him a step back.

Rangers GM looking for pitchers  —  Market tricky for starters; GM won't mortgage the future  —  TORONTO - A weekend's worth of dreary offense did not dampen the sunny optimism general manager Jon Daniels has about his lineup.  —  He is still making the acquisition of pitching the Rangers …

Graffanino back on the block  —  Trade rumors swirl around KC second baseman, but not to Boston.  The Red Sox are solid at that position.  —  It was a year ago this week that he arrived here, in a trade from the Royals to the Red Sox.  On Monday, he returned to Fenway Park, back with the Royals but again on the trading block.

Rockies recall three players from Triple-A  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) -The Colorado Rockies recalled infielders Jason Smith and Ryan Shealy and right-hander Manuel Corpas from Triple-A Colorado Springs after their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday night, their eighth consecutive defeat.

Dodgers lose and may lose Kent to DL  —  Sele allows five runs, nine hits in five-plus innings to D-Backs  —  PHOENIX — Jeff Kent said Monday was "not a good day," and he wasn't talking about the Dodgers' fifth consecutive loss that dropped them below .500 for the first time since May 11.

2 more years for Baker isn't crazy  —  Actually, there's no better alternative to manage the Cubs  —  More than two months ago, on the subject of the Cubs, I wrote that "firings appear almost inevitable, if not imminent."  Two weeks ago, the view here was the sacking of manager Dusty Baker had become imminent, as well as inevitable.

Notes: Lowe works on pitch mechanics  —  Right-hander has worked three straight days in bullpen  —  PHOENIX — Most starting pitchers throw a bullpen session between starts.  —  Struggling Dodgers starter Derek Lowe on Monday threw his third bullpen session in as many days as he attempts …

Audition, Round 2  —  Pelfrey gets another look and Peterson is bullish on his future  —  CHICAGO — The Mets' dream of someday adding Barry Zito to their rotation will likely have to wait until the offseason, when he becomes a free agent.  But Zito's former pitching coach, Rick Peterson …

Under The Knife  —  Muse  —  Let's get right to this today.  Powered by Muse's "Revelations and Black Holes," on to the injuries:  — Mets fans like to see Pedro Martinez on the mound, even if it's just a side session.  Despite his problematic hip and a severe case of what the team thinks …

Yankees save hurtin' A-Rod  —  Needs X-rays on toe after 3 E's  —  There was no beauty and little grace to this one.  Just a lot of sweaty palms, sticky foreheads and what the Yankees hope is little more than a badly stubbed toe.  —  They won't complain about the aesthetics, of course.

Ortiz is hoping 3rd time charm … Russ Ortiz will make his third start for the Orioles tonight, and if it's not better than the first two, his future in the rotation may be uncertain.  —  When asked if Ortiz must pitch well to earn another start, manager Sam Perlozzo did not say yes …

Krukow adds color to Giants broadcasts — and how  —  In 1976, early in his pitching days with the Cubs, Mike Krukow had dinner with his wife's relatives in Chicago.  One of the other guests that night was Raul Smith, a linguistics professor from Northwestern, who couldn't believe his ears.

Mets reach rare air  —  But there are tougher feats to accomplish than 2 slams in inning  —  It would be fine with Ed Hartig if he never hears his name over the radio during a Cubs broadcast the rest of this trying season.  That probably would be OK with the Cubs too.

Foulke wanted 'the ball' - Sought out Mientkiewicz, #0-3543  —  Keith Foulke, not to mention the Red Sox, always wanted the baseball that Doug Mientkiewicz walked away with after the final out of the 2004 World Series.  —  Now the Hall of Fame has it, for keeps, but no doubt the subject …

Mariners Notebook: Pineiro linked to Yanks  —  Mariners unlikely to make trade involving righty  —  NEW YORK — Joel Pineiro's name has been all over the Internet lately.  —  Word is the Yankees have a more than passing interest in Pineiro, who starts tonight at Yankee Stadium.