Notes: Silva apologizes to teammates  —  Liriano's Minor League start up in the air; Garza earns honor  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Twins pitcher Carlos Silva felt like he was doing the best thing for his club when he pulled himself after the sixth inning of Wednesday's game due to a stomach ache.

`No-Hitter Night' fails to bring out Marlins fans  —  MIAMI (AP) — The game began on a damp, typically dreary night at the Florida Marlins' ballpark, with a couple of thousand fans in the stands, reaffirming that the city has yet to embrace its young, overachieving, playoff-chasing team.

Notes: Guillen not panicking  —  Manger holds closed-door 'talk' before series finale in Boston  —  BOSTON — One of the many theories believed in by Ozzie Guillen is that bad teams have meetings and good teams win games.  —  So, the 15-minute, closed clubhouse session the White Sox …

Lester is prepared to fight  —  Rookie pitcher's spirits are high as he gets set to begin chemotherapy treatments  —  Red Sox rookie pitcher Jon Lester paid a visit to Fenway Park yesterday afternoon after calling to say he was coming, and spent about an hour visiting with teammates …

Yost dismisses detractors  —  He says staying cool better than yelling  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  When local fans take aim at Brewers manager Ned Yost - and he was dodging fire right and left during his club's recent 10-game slide that ruined its playoff hopes - the complaints often have a similar theme.

Prospectus Today  —  Dateline: Minneapolis  —  The Twins get one last chance to put two playoff spots in play this weekend, kicking off a four-game series with the Tigers tonight at the Metrodome.  They lead the White Sox by a half-game (one in the loss column) for the wild card …

Thunder make room for Matsui  —  Rehabbing Yankees slugger forces changes in playoff lineup  —  TRENTON, N.J. — When Hideki Matsui was asked on Wednesday night when he'd be ready to return to New York, the veteran outfielder from Japan said wanted the Yankees to make that decision for him.

Hafner an AL Aaron Award finalist  —  Secret to designated hitter's success is in preparation  —  CLEVELAND — In the strictest sense, the job description calls for him to come up to bat between three and five times a game.  Nothing more, nothing less.  —  If he really wanted to …

Comerica officially survives blogger invasion  —  I wish I had some sort of excellent memory for conversations, because I'm pretty sure if someone had just transcribed everything we all said to each other while at Nemo's and then the ballpark, I'd be free of blogging for the rest of the season.

Stands empty as Cubs return to cellar  —  The smallest crowd at Wrigley Field in four years watched the Cubs plummet to the depths of the Tampa Bay Devils Rays on an otherwise perfect afternoon on the North Side.  —  Pittsburgh center fielder Chris Duffy hit the first two home runs …

Francisco is back with Rangers  —  SEATTLE - The Rangers' long wait for Frank Francisco is over.  —  General manager Jon Daniels said Thursday that Francisco, who hasn't pitched in the majors since the end of the 2004 season, will join the Rangers today for the final three weeks of the season.

Q&A with manager Frank Robinson  —  Beat reporter Bill Ladson sits down with the Nationals skipper … MLB.com: How surprised are you that the Nationals are having a disappointing season?  One would think the team got better with the addition of Alfonso Soriano.

Job News ... Finally  —  A couple weeks ago, I discussed the contract negotiations I was going through regarding a new job.  I had to keep the actual details quiet, because things were still going on behind the scenes in order to get everything finalized.  I initially expected to get the go-ahead …

Notes: Maldonado makes the big time  —  Catcher's perseverance pays off with callup  —  CHICAGO — Carlos Maldonado's road to the big leagues has not been short, and it has not been easy.  —  The 27-year-old catcher finished his 11th Minor League season before joining his first Major League team on Wednesday.

Notes: Stults could be starting option  —  Left-hander candidate to replace Hendrickson in rotation  —  MILWAUKEE — When Eric Stults entered the Dodgers' game against Milwaukee on Tuesday, he was making his Major League debut, and maybe also an audition.  —  With the ineffectiveness …

Pick 'Em Challenge Rules Update...  We already have our first entrant to the 2006 BTSC Pick 'Em Challenge.  There's a few changes to the rules.  —  *Most importantly, we will be picking 10 games a week, not 16.  Some weeks have fewer games than others, but all weeks have at least 10 games.

Liar Liar, Vest on Fire!  —  Before any big showdown in college football, fans can expect tons of hyperbole and hype.  But Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has added "miscommunication" to this week's clash between his "top ranked" Buckeye squad and the "#2 ranked" Texas Longhorns.