Minor League Transactions: March 16-22  —  For the complete record: The asterisks (*) here denote instances of 40-man roster players who have agreed to terms on the minor league portion of their split major league/minor league contracts.  These players will have their minimum salary dictated …

Numbers aside, Porcello confident about arsenal  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — The numbers won't show it, and neither did several of the pitches the Nationals hit Thursday night.  But Rick Porcello feels good about where he's at with his pitches.  —  “I'm pretty close,” he said after five innings in Detroit's 5-2 loss to Washington.

Buchholz has ‘work to do’ before season  —  Red Sox righty seeks to improve command in final spring start  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Building up to 82 pitches on Thursday was a plus for Clay Buchholz, but the Red Sox right-hander recognizes that he has to go back and polish up some things.

Showalter's slap at Theo has no sting  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Well, now.  That's one way to liven up spring training, an impolitic Buck Showalter speaking to truth and people making it sound like he's picking fights with Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and Yankees captain Derek Jeter.

go here  —  Michael Baron: How much did fan sentiment play into the decision to cut Castillo and/or Perez?  —  Short answer for Castillo: Yes, for Perez, probably not.  We brought both players back to see the players, get to know the players, and make a decision not jus ton history, but current events.

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 …

2011 spring training: Texas Rangers set rotation, keep Neftali Feliz in bullpen  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — After plenty of discussion and evaluation over the last six weeks, the Texas Rangers said Thursday that Neftali Feliz will remain the team's closer in 2011.

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.

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.

Giants to explore options in right with Ross out  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Giants will consider all possibilities as they spend the exhibition schedule's final week seeking a temporary replacement for Cody Ross.  —  Ross, San Francisco's starting right fielder, is expected to be sidelined for three weeks with a sprained right calf.

Homer-happy Royals blast past Mariners 9-8  —  PEORIA, Ariz.—Melky Cabrera, Alex Gordon and Lance Zawadzki each hit two-run homers and the Kansas City Royals broke a four-game spring training losing streak with a 9-8 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.

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.

Bartolo Colonoscopy  —  The Yankees' signing of Bartolo Colon to a minor-league deal in late January was greeted by a chorus of jeers that didn't begin to subside until his successful first outing of the exhibition season.  It wasn't that Colon didn't have a Yankee-caliber pedigree …