Even Before Rain, Mets Would Rather Be in Philadelphia  —  Willie Randolph and the Mets were not happy that they were scheduled to play the finale of their four-game series with Cardinals last night.  They would have preferred an afternoon game, so they could leisurely make their way to Philadelphia …

No news not bad for Sox, Buehrle  —  Sides may agree on 4 years, $56 million  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Silence may be golden when it comes to negotiations between the White Sox and left-handed ace Mark Buehrle.  —  Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn returned to Chicago Thurday …

Astros' Biggio gets 3,000th career hit  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Craig Biggio was exhausted and ready to talk about his latest accomplishment.  He still had some time for an old friend, though.  —  "Hey Frankie, how you doing," he said nodding to a slight teenager with a mop of dark hair.

Lo Duca outburst has Latin accent  —  Calls out media, Hispanic mates  —  Admitting he was "in a bad mood all day," Paul Lo Duca announced in a near-empty clubhouse last night - and on the eve of the Mets' key NL East showdown with the Phillies - that some of his Spanish-speaking teammates need …

Yanks Take New Approach to Season  —  Jorge Posada's throw sailed into left field, a wild heave from an exhausted stalwart of the Yankees.  Corey Patterson, who was trying to steal third base, trotted home with another run to put the Baltimore Orioles ahead by two in the seventh inning Thursday at Camden Yards.

Padres tentatively acquire OF Milton Bradley  —  The Padres have tentatively acquired outfielder Milton Bradley from the Oakland Athletics.  As part of the trade, the Padres will send a minor league pitcher to Oakland.  Bradley, a switch-hitter, could join the Padres on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

Martin leads onslaught vs. Johnson  —  Dodgers hammer big lefty to move back into first place  —  PHOENIX — The Dodgers found a Cy Young Award winner they could beat Thursday, making Randy Johnson wish he had stayed on the disabled list a little longer.  —  After not scoring against Brandon Webb …

Rangers' bid for sweep derailed  —  Millwood pitching better; Kinsler sprains left ankle in loss  —  DETROIT — Roll call in the Rangers' locker room after a 5-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon.  —  Ian Kinsler.  Sprained left ankle.  Crutches present at locker.

Cardinals face a decision with Reyes  —  NEW YORK — After a week of games extended, games delayed and one game postponed, the Cardinals reach a weekend in which they won't have any chances to impede the inevitable.  A decision looms.  What to do with Anthony Reyes.

Notes: Jones takes responsibility  —  Closer holds himself accountable for Tuesday's loss  —  DETROIT — The Tigers do not have a captain.  The way Todd Jones sees it, their bullpen does, in a way.  —  While Jones' frustration was tempered Wednesday morning after Tuesday's loss, he still wasn't happy with how it unfolded.

Q&A with Ryan Zimmerman  —  Young star excited about club's progress in rebuilding efforts … MLB.com: You told everyone to be patient regarding the Nationals.  How do you feel about the rebuilding plan?  —  Zimmerman: I think it's going a lot faster than what people thought.

Rewriting history: What if the Braves had signed Willie Mays?  —  Pretend you're at a bar, sitting near a couple of guys wearing baseball hats, clutching beers and talking animatedly.  Now pretend the two guys are Matthew Namee and Steve Treder.  This is what you might hear:  —  Namee:

No second thoughts for Angels  —  It's an organizational philosophy to go from first to third on singles and no one in baseball does it more often.  —  BALTIMORE — Howie Kendrick was on first base in the second inning of a June 18 game against Houston when Shea Hillenbrand grounded a single through the shortstop hole.

Pirates Notebook: Armas' days numbered?  —  MIAMI — The end could be nigh for Tony Armas.  —  He might be the least of the Pirates' problems, having been relegated to mopup duty a month ago, but he also has been the least effective of their pitchers with a 8.92 ERA and nine home runs allowed in just 37 innings.