Green day is a good day  —  New RF goes 1-for-3 with an RBI in debut, and gets plenty of love  —  Right now, the Mets are like a political candidate who is running unopposed.  They still show up at a few events, shake a few hands, kiss a few babies.  But they know how the race is going to end.

Padres get Branyan from Devil Rays  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The San Diego Padres obtained outfielder Russell Branyan from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for minor league pitcher Evan Meek and a player to be named or cash on Thursday night.  —  Branyan is hitting .201 with 12 homers and 27 RBIs in 64 games.

Thome out vs. Twins, but no DL  —  Leg injury not serious; no timetable for return  —  DETROIT — Designated hitter Jim Thome is unlikely to return to the White Sox's starting lineup against American League Central rival Minnesota this weekend, but his strained left hamstring isn't serious enough …

Heart issue landed Papi in hospital  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz was held overnight at Mass. General Hospital last weekend to monitor an irregular heartbeat, but the matter ultimately proved nothing more than a scare for the player and team.

Weaver takes first loss as Halos fall  —  Angels rookie yields costly solo shot to Sox slugger Ortiz  —  ANAHEIM — Push came to shove on Thursday when Little Weav met Big Papi.  —  Jered Weaver, who carried the nickname when he shared the Angels clubhouse earlier this season with big brother …

M's Notes: Seattle not filling office vacancy  —  With Benny Looper changing jobs, the Mariners plan to go without one of their top baseball executive positions, vice president of player development and scouting.  —  Looper, who has been with the club 10 years, will move to his first love, hands-on scouting.

Underachieving?  —  NEW YORK — Cardinals executives said the club's current roster, regardless of cost, should be performing better than it is.  But rather than pay for short-term fixes and complicate future finances, they have taken a long-term and in-house approach to improving.

Frank Thomas, once written off, enjoying renaissance in Oakland  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -Frank Thomas can run from first to third with relative ease and is crushing home runs into the upper deck again.  That spat with his former general manager earlier this year is a thing of the past.

Stock Skips His Way To USC  —  Across America this month, millions of teenagers were preparing for their final year of high school, brushing up on their calculus and narrowing their list of colleges to attend a year from now.  —  Robert Stock is a year ahead of them.

Pluto sent down to Minors  —  Former planet hurt by lack of size, disgruntled fan base  —  Pluto has been sent down.  —  It was only a matter of time.  —  Small body, never got hot, kind of distant.  —  Astronomers made the decision at their version of the winter meetings, the International Astronomical Union in Prague.

Notes: Cedeno reacquainted with short  —  Izturis' hamstring pain moves versatile infielder off second base  —  CHICAGO — Ronny Cedeno has had to dig his old shortstop glove out from the back of his locker.  He's re-learning the position.  —  "I can tell how much difference there is," …