Injuries mount for Marlins' staff  —  Tankersley shut down 5-7 days; Johnson worries grow  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Some of the Marlins' most promising young pitchers have injury concerns.  —  On Wednesday night, the Marlins confirmed that reliever Taylor Tankersley has left shoulder inflammation …

Mets have aces up sleeve  —  No Zito, but plenty of good young arms  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - You could almost hear the zinger coming.  The more Oliver Perez struggled in the Mets' spring training opener yesterday, the louder the grumbling among the paying customers grew.

Schilling in fine form for Sox in opener  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Stopper."  —  That's the tune citizens of Red Sox Nation could have been humming after Curt Schilling's two innings in the inaugural game of the 2007 spring training season last night.

Getting his groove back?  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — All the progress Rangers pitcher John Koronka made as a rookie last season was just good enough to get him right back where he was a year ago.  —  Koronka became the Rangers' fifth starter after Adam Eaton was injured at the end of camp in 2006.

Wednesday's report  —  rdurrett@dallasnews.com  —  Fair or foul  —  Rundowns: (Fair)The Rangers worked extensively on rundowns on Wednesday as the infielders and catchers rotated so that players could work on where they needed to be to make the out.  —  Meeting: (Down the line) …

Cactus opener offers look at what Cubs have  —  MESA, Ariz. — After writing his opening Cubs lineup in cursive on a company envelope, Lou Piniella wandered outside his office Wednesday morning and handed it to a group of reporters.  —  If it winds up in Cooperstown, Piniella's role as miracle worker will be deemed a huge success.

HITTING IT OFF  —  MR. OCTOBER SCHOOLS A-ROD IN CAGE, SEES MONSTER YEAR  —  Smooth and powerful swings sent the sound of thunder racing through the Legends Field batting cages yesterday, where a Hall of Famer was working with a future Cooperstown resident long after the Yankees' regular workout ended.

Baseball Q&A with Dan Connolly … Michael, Boalsburg, Pa.: What is the key to developing a consistent flow of talent that keeps low-budget teams like the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins competitive without breaking the bank?  —  Dan Connolly: Start with the top.

Miller's Clout Goes Unrewarded by Veteran Voters  —  You'll excuse Marvin Miller, please, if he is more concerned right now about his left shoulder than he is about his vote count.  —  "Terry and I were in Florida in mid-December," Miller said, referring to his wife.

Q&A with Terry Tiffee  —  Terry Tiffee was drafted in the 26th round of the 1999 first-year player draft by Minnesota and played parts of three seasons with the Twins before the Orioles signed him as a minor league free agent in November.  Tiffee, who hit .244 last season with two home runs and six RBIs …

Guillen hopes Jenks not stretching truth  —  Says he trusts closer that exit was due to tightness, not pain  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — The White Sox have more than four weeks to work out the kinks before their April 2 regular-season opener.  —  That also should give closer Bobby Jenks …