Olsen joins Marlins' hit parade  —  WASHINGTON — After slapping a base hit in an exhibition game last month, Scott Olsen joked that he'd try to beat out fellow pitcher Dontrelle Willis for the Silver Slugger award.  —  In his first start of the season Tuesday night, he didn't waste any time.

M's off to quick start  —  Two games into season, Seattle equals 2006 win total against A's  —  Big league ballclubs aren't in the habit of crowing about accomplishments garnered over the first two games of a season, but don't blame the Mariners for pumping out their chests this morning.

Weiss, Castilla out of dugout  —  The conspiracy theory was sexier: Arizona Diamondbacks keep Weiss guys out of Rockies' dugout.  Too bad it wasn't true.  —  Rockies special assistants Walt Weiss and Vinny Castilla were evicted because Major League Baseball, as promised in November …

Sore elbow slows Carpenter  —  A bad Sunday night has become a bad week for Chris Carpenter.  Still to be determined is whether it will extend to a bad month.  —  The Cardinals' ace will miss at least his next scheduled start against the Houston Astros on Friday after notifying team trainers …

George bans Swindal from Yank dinner  —  A standing ovation from his team brought George Steinbrenner to tears Monday night at the Yanks' popular "Welcome Home" charity dinner at the midtown Sheraton, a few hours after their Opening Day victory over the Devil Rays.

Unhappy Cantu to play for Durham  —  NEW YORK - Disgruntled and demoted second baseman Jorge Cantu will report to Triple-A Durham in time for Thursday's season opener and will be focused and prepared to play hard, agent Steve Canter said Tuesday.  —  But whether Cantu plays again for the Devil Rays could be another issue.

Cormier likely to go on DL  —  Cox says Davies may be recalled from Richmond  —  Philadelphia — Lance Cormier hoped his dream spring wouldn't be spoiled by a sore shoulder, but it appears it will be.  —  The Braves right-hander had some lingering discomfort when he long-tossed Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Ozzie's opening line: If we don't win, fire me  —  Ken Williams at first seemed a bit taken aback by his manager's latest words Monday.  But after pausing a moment, the White Sox general manager smiled and borrowed a phrase associated with enigmatic Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez.

Pirates Notebook: Lincoln has major elbow surgery  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  HOUSTON — Another top pitching prospect has gone under the knife.  —  Brad Lincoln, the Pirates' first-round draft pick last summer, yesterday had reconstructive surgery to repair ligament damage …

A BAGEL ON OPENING DAY  —  Giants shut out by the Padres  —  (04-03) 19:26 PDT — Start with a quart of awful and add two teaspoons of hideous.  Throw in a dash of miserable and you had the recipe for the Giants' 2007 opener Tuesday.  The best they could do with this foul-tasting stew …

Payroll ($30,507,000) ranks 29th  —  WASHINGTON - Unlike last season, the Marlins aren't starting at the bottom of the payroll standings.  —  According to team payroll information gathered by The Associated Press, the Marlins' Opening Day payroll more than doubled to $30,507,000.

More baseball clubs joining spending spree  —  The New York Yankees, at $189.6 million, still have the highest payroll in baseball, but other teams are beginning to close the gap.  —  According to USA TODAY's 23rd annual survey of salaries, seven of the 30 teams have 2007 payrolls above $100 million.

Swing and a miss for Blue Jays' commercial  —  DETROIT — Frank Thomas's prodigious talents hitting home runs throughout his illustrious 17-year Major League Baseball career have been well celebrated.  —  However, the sight of Mr. Thomas, nicknamed the Big Hurt, swinging a pillow at a child …

Past an indicator for future success  —  Eight former Tulsa players appear on the Rockies' roster.  —  If the next four years of Tulsa's affiliation with the Colorado Rockies are anything like their first four, several players wearing Drillers uniforms during their Texas League season opener Thursday night will soon be in the majors.