Boston Got What It Wanted, or So It Seems  —  Maybe the move will wind up serving as the catalyst that vaults the Boston Red Sox to their first American League East title since 1995, but when they began their pursuit of Daisuke Matsuzaka last fall, one of their main motivations was to keep him from the Yankees.

Urbina sentenced to prison in Venezuela  —  CARACAS, Venezuela — Former Major League Baseball pitcher Ugueth Urbina was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the attempted murder of five workers on his family's ranch, the Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday.

Dye-casting White Sox's lineup  —  Guillen is set to mold the batting order but is wavering on the bullpen's makeup  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Manager Ozzie Guillen is ready to alter the middle of the White Sox's lineup.  —  But he changed his mind on finalizing his middle relievers …

Identifying those with the best tools in the game  —  Editor's Note: This story appears in the April 9 edition of ESPN The Magazine.  —  Baseball is built on five tools: hitting for average, hitting for power, throwing, fielding and running.  Here's a look at the players whose skills …

Marlins name De Aza center fielder  —  Speedy 22-year-old has never played above Double-A  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Center field is now settled.  —  The biggest surprise in camp, Alejandro De Aza, has won the Marlins center field.  —  The 22-year-old De Aza played 69 games at Double-A Carolina last season …

Indians get scare as ace Sabathia hit by line drive  —  WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia's left forearm was bruised when he was struck by a line drive in his final spring training tuneup Wednesday, putting in doubt his scheduled start in the Indians' opener next week at Chicago.

Five Questions: New York Mets  —  The 2006 Mets came within a whisker of copping the National League pennant and many are predicting another NL East crown for the New Yorkers.  I can't deny, I'm a little more skeptical than many.  Here's why...  1. Any aces on this team?

Rangers' Benoit springs forward  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - How much has Joaquin Benoit's stock zoomed this spring?  —  Just consider this question posed to manager Ron Washington on Tuesday: "What reliever would you go to if you had to retire a lefty late in a game?"

Five Questions: Milwaukee Brewers  —  Last year started out as an optimistic one for the Brewers.  This year, the happy thoughts are little more guarded, but they are all the more appropriate.  —  None of Milwaukee's offseason moves—signing Jeff Suppan, trading for Claudio Vargas and Johnny Estrada …

Power Rankings: Boston's trio could elicit a Cy  —  Boston's brass finally came to their senses on Jonathan Papelbon, allowing baseball acumen to decide his future instead of a doctor's recommendation.  By taking his 12-15 wins out of the rotation, the Red Sox bought themselves a knockout closer …

Ortiz officially Giants fifth starter  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Russ Ortiz will be San Francisco's fifth starter just as the Giants have intended since signing the right-hander in January for a second stint with the club.  —  Not that there ever was much doubt he would win the job …

Hill feels strong despite blister  —  Rich Hill wasn't particularly sharp against Kansas City on Tuesday, but that might've been due in part to a blister on his finger and a rain-shortened outing in his previous appearance.  —  The blister isn't considered serious, but Hill was taken out with two on and two outs in the fifth inning.