Lackey out of action for 3-4 weeks  —  Strained triceps forces ace to join Escobar on sidelines  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Angels ace John Lackey has been diagnosed with a strained right triceps after an examination on Friday by Dr. Lewis Yocum, team orthopedist.

Dice, Dice baby: A Matsuzaka is born  —  Right-handed hurler becomes father to second child, first boy  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Daisuke Matsuzaka became a father again on Saturday morning, and as a result, he is all but certain to be able to join the Red Sox during the season-opening trip to his native country of Japan.

Tense moment in China is diffused  —  BEIJING - Cool heads staved off a potential international incident involving uniformed Chinese security guards and - of all things - the autograph of nearly washed-up Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park.  —  Less than an hour after the Dodgers …

Traber added to 40-man roster  —  The Yankees today added LHP Billy Traber to the 40-man roster and placed RHP Andrew Brackman on the 60-day disabled list.  —  This not necessarily mean that Traber will be on the man roster on March 31.  But don't bet against it.  He has appeared in five games this spring.

Vargas seeks second opinion on hip  —  Mets lefty has made only one Grapefruit League appearance  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mets starting pitcher Jason Vargas traveled to Colorado on Saturday for a second opinion on his sore left hip, which may require surgery.

Upstarts Could Shake Up Status Quo in A.L. East  —  It hasn't always been this way; it only seems like it: the Yankees and the Red Sox finishing one-two in the American League East, in whichever order, and each reaching the playoffs, one as the division champion, the other as the wild card.

Castillo Feels No Pain in Spring Debut  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Luis Castillo became the last Mets regular to make his Grapefruit League debut.  Then he spoke optimistically about playing enough in the team's final 13 spring games to be ready for the regular season.  —  “I need to play,” Castillo said Saturday.

Rotation Evaluation, Detroit Tigers  —  The series looking at team pitching rotations using the Marcel the Monkey projections continues with the Detroit Tigers.  Their starters posted a 4.68 ERA in 2007, ninth in the American League.  —  Note that in figuring ERAs, I'm using Marcel's mIP and mER columns.

Carlos Gomez hits 1st homer of spring in Twins' 11-2 rout of Phillies  —  CLEARWATER, Fla.: Carlos Gomez, acquired from the New York Mets in the blockbuster Johan Santana trade before spring training, went 3-for-4 with his first home run this spring in the Minnesota Twins' 11-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

Piniella dismisses Dempster's bad day  —  MESA, Ariz. - By this time next week, manager Lou Piniella expects to have his Cubs pitching rotation set and “that's when my headaches will start.”  —  Not that Ryan Dempster didn't start the migraine early Friday with a six-run second inning …

OWNER: BOSOX CLOSER A ‘MOUSE’  —  It's one thing for owners to have a little back-and-forth like John Henry and Hank Steinbrenner did recently in regard to Red Sox Nation vs. Yankees Universe.  It's another for a young player to take a shot at an owner.  —  That's what Jonathan Papelbon, 27, did in criticizing Steinbrenner.

Minor League Transactions  —  This week's installment considers all transactions reported by MLB between March 1 and 14.  Previous transactions available here.  —  More than half of the spring-training slate has elapsed, meaning that plenty of 40-man roster members have been optioned to minor league camp.

After Receiving Suspension, Duncan Will Face Rays  —  SARASOTA, Fla. — The Yankees play two games Saturday, one in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers and one at home against the Tampa Bay Rays.  In scheduling Shelley Duncan for the Rays game, the Yankees are essentially daring Tampa Bay to escalate a feud.