Wednesday notes: Hughes slides by with his cutter  —  Phil Hughes had seven strikeouts tonight, and the way he remembers it, all but one came on a modified version of his cutter.  Disappointed in the pitch this spring, Hughes tweaked his cutter grip and turned the pitch into more of a slider, something slightly slower and bigger.

Mets Fans, Meet Brad Emaus  —  With Plate Discipline, No-Name Rookie Appears to Have Won Second-Base Job  —  JUPITER, Fla.—For a professional athlete, Brad Emaus is a little bit doughy.  He is barely 6 feet tall.  He runs at a plodding pace.  He doesn't hit for much power.

Report: Buck Showalter rips Derek Jeter  —  Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn't backing down from the American League East's big boys.  —  In fact, it seems as if Showalter is going out of his way to antagonize the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Franklin Gutierrez isn't healthy yet … Franklin Gutierrez, the Gold Glove center fielder who's battled stomach ailments for more than a year, hasn't played in the Seattle Mariners last four games - isn't in the lineup today - and is undergoing more medical tests.

MUSIAL NO MAN OF HONOR, MR. PRESIDENT  —  With the economy and international turmoil, President Obama has enough headaches; he doesn't need any more.  But his staff has created one for him with its failure to investigate fully the career and life of Stan Musial before recommending …

Continual digs at Yankees' A-Rod unfair  —  The easiest target in baseball — probably in all sports — should just make life simpler for his detractors by replacing the No. 13 with a bull's-eye.  —  Look, Alex Rodriguez always has been Alex Rodriguez's worst enemy, and perhaps his litany of career sins …

Jason Isringhausen's health hinges on every pitch  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Jason Isringhausen was on his iPhone late Tuesday night, video-chatting with his 8-year-old daughter, when he asked her if she was ready for Dad to come home.  —  With her face pressed close to the camera, she told him he still could play baseball.

Out Of Options: Maybin, Joyce & Other Position Players  —  Presumably finding little or no trade interest, the Mariners and Indians each attempted to send an out-of-options reliever to Triple-A in March.  Each player stood little chance of making the Opening Day roster …

Nationals ink Ollie to Minor League deal  —  VIERA, Fla. — The Nationals signed left-hander Oliver Perez to a Minor League contract Wednesday afternoon, according to two baseball sources.  —  The news comes four days after Perez was hit hard by the Nationals during a 7-4 loss to the Mets.

Phillies' Oswalt escapes injury after liner to neck  —  PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Knocked to the ground by a line drive to the neck, Roy Oswalt stayed down for nearly a minute.  Then, he rose to his feet and walked off the mound on his own.  —  That was a good sign for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bonds, Clemens lack integrity needed for Hall  —  No offense to John Thorn, recently named the official historian of Major League Baseball, but I have a different take on whether Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  —  Contrary to what Thorn says …

CarGo, Tulo not afraid to let it rip  —  Silver Sluggers have had success swinging at the first pitch  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Standing in the batter's box against Giants pitching genius Tim Lincecum isn't fun, so Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez decided Monday he didn't want to do it any longer than necessary.

Jeter, Mauer, Halladay top MLB most popular jerseys list  —  Top Ten Includes Players on Seven Different Clubs; 12 of top 20 Under Age 30; Yankees Lead Overall Licensed Products Sales List  —  Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins and Roy Halladay …