It's as easy as 1-2-3 for Lester  —  Lefty's eight-pitch outing a small but meaningful step  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — You can forget how big a guy he is.  How big his hands are.  How fluid his delivery is.  How much poise he has for a pitcher who is 23 years old.

Drew still a bit blue: Leaving LA hurtful  —  FORT MYERS - In a perfect world, J.D. Drew [stats] would have made the three-hour bus ride from Vero Beach yesterday and suited up in Dodgers blue.  —  Red Sox spring training:  —  Instead, batting fifth and playing right field for the Red Sox …

Mariners Notebook: In with the old at M's camp  —  Veterans, retirees offer expertise at spring training  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — It was a flashback to 2001 at Mariners camp Monday, with familiar faces all around.  —  Ichiro Suzuki was the lone holdover from that team until …

Nationals plant seeds on farm  —  VIERA, Fla. — On a hot and windy morning, prospect Chris Marrero takes 40 minutes of fly balls and grounders.  Then he does defensive situations, steps in the batting cage and finishes by fielding another 70 balls.  —  Three hours later he and his teammates …

Delgado Says That Green Can Be All He Once Was  —  Their friendship goes back to their eight seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays' organization, and it extends beyond baseball.  After the players who did not make the trip to Fort Lauderdale for Sunday's game had finished working out at the Mets' complex …

Notes: Shin splints sideline Hamilton  —  Outfielder will be rested against his former team  —  SARASOTA, Fla. — Opposing pitching has yet to slow down Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton this spring, but sore legs temporarily have.  —  Because he's been bothered by shin splints …

Notes: Young arms struggle  —  Williams, Redding both falter in exhibition loss to Braves  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Nationals right-handers Jerome Williams and Tim Redding are two of the 12 candidates vying for the fours spots in the starting rotation, but both were ineffective in a 14-5 loss to the Braves on Monday.

Mariners camp offers chance to make adjustments  —  Spring training ideal setting for M's players to make adjustments  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — It's spring, and that means it's time to tinker.  —  A new pitch or a new arm slot, a shorter swing or a change in weight shift.

It's The Hardball Times 2007 Season Preview  —  by clicking...  Pitchers are pitching, batters are batting, fielders are fielding and managers are mouthing platitudes.  This sure seems like a good time for The Hardball Times to unveil its first-ever season preview.

Marlins' Johnson to miss at least 1st two months of season  —  JUPITER, Fla. - Florida Marlins right-hander Josh Johnson finally has a diagnosis for his sore arm - an irritated ulnar nerve that will likely force him to miss at least the first two months of the season.

Day 25: Reyes vs. Jeter  —  In the course of interviewing Mets hitting coach Rick Down about Jose Reyes, Down stated flatly, "Jose is the best shortstop in the National League."  —  I wondered what Rafael Furcal and Jimmy Rollins would say about that statement.

OSWALT NEARLY BECAME MET  —  Late last July, the trade collapsed, and Roy Oswalt didn't land with the Mets.  —  Before last season's trade deadline a little more than seven months ago, the Mets were trying to procure Oswalt, the Houston ace.  They were talking with the Orioles about a follow …

Making a case for the Padres defense  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - Catch the ball.  If necessary, throw it to the right place.  Padres fielders were better at those tasks than the competition tended to be last year.  San Diego was first overall in defensive efficiency - converting balls in play into outs …

Guillen itching to bat Iguchi seventh  —  Likes idea of Erstad, Podsednik at top, 2nd baseman in RBI slot  —  MARYVALE, Ariz. — The Tadahito Iguchi experiment will continue at least through the middle of spring training, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.