Notes: Abreu injures shoulder vs. Astros  —  Promising prospect out 2-4 weeks with moderate bone bruise  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — Promising Dodgers infielder Tony Abreu will be out two to four weeks with a moderate bone bruise to his left shoulder suffered when he dived headfirst into second base …

A-Rod has short circuited  —  Alex Rodriguez thought he would be more than a star here.  He thought he would be the good guy.  Not greeted as a baseball liberator at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees were way too good for that, even if they were already three seasons away from winning …

Sheff rips Torre, Yankees  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Detroit Tigers are Gary Sheffield's seventh team and the slugger says many of those clubs made him feel "like family."  —  But his last team, the Yankees, are "strictly a business," Sheffield says in a recent Q&A with ESPN.com that discusses his upcoming book.

Time for Rangers to perform  —  Three pitchers vying for No. 5 spot enter a key stretch  —  rdurrett@dallasnews.com  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - Welcome to the final phase of the chase for the No. 5 spot in the Rangers rotation.  —  Manager Ron Washington said starting today …

Rockies' Francis, manager suspended  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Colorado Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis and manager Clint Hurdle were suspended by the commissioner's office Friday for their roles in a dustup with the San Diego Padres this week.  —  Francis was suspended for five regular-season games …

Stats mean little in Spring Training  —  If you take a gander at the Spring Training statistics from any year, you'll find some interesting things.  —  As of Wednesday, for instance, we find that Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is batting only .125, while the Nationals' Shawn Hill has a 2.00 ERA after three starts.

Piazza's three RBIs not enough for A's  —  A's catcher hits first homer of spring; Kennedy allows five runs  —  BREWERS 11, A'S 4  —  Brewers at the plate: Leadoff man Rickie Weeks singled to open the game and started a string of six consecutive hits for Milwaukee, including an RBI single …

Vargas taking nothing for granted  —  Not guaranteed No. 5 spot, Brewers righty out to impress club  —  PHOENIX — Brewers manager Ned Yost has spent parts of the last week insisting that his starting rotation is not set in stone.  —  But Claudio Vargas, the frontrunner for the only spot remotely …

Pirates Notebook: Grabow is resting his injured left elbow  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Pirates have a potential problem in their bullpen because left-hander John Grabow currently is unable to pitch because of inflammation in his left elbow.  —  Grabow, who last season stranded …

Notes: Wright still 'excellent'  —  Young shooting to return Wednesday; Teixeira doing better  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — As far as Jamey Wright is concerned, this spring has gone as well as he possibly could have expected.  —  "I'm going out there and pounding the strike zone," Wright said.

Lofton brings winning attitude to Texas  —  Veteran outfielder seeks that elusive world championship  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Kenny Lofton belongs in another era, one where bunting, basestealing and getting on base were far more important and a higher priority was placed on manufacturing runs.

Piniella alters Cubs' game plan  —  Manager unlikely to play for 1 run in early innings  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — On the cold days, with the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field the last few years, you could count on Dusty Baker playing for one run in the first inning.

Duckworth looks worthy  —  Royals pitcher throwing effectively and appears to have spot on roster.  —  PEORIA, Ariz. |  Veteran right-hander Brandon Duckworth has just about got the Royals convinced to include him on their 25-man roster when the club heads home two weeks from tonight.

Dice-K delayed by downpour  —  Righty throws just 34 pitches vs. Dodgers before rainout  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — With a torrential downpour — rare at this time of year in Florida — inundating Vero Beach on Friday afternoon, submerging the dugouts, flooding the press box and soaking virtually every person …