Source: Wood to say goodbye after final K … “Kid K” likely went out in fitting fashion: with a strikeout.  —  After sources said Friday that Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood would retire after making one last appearance, he whiffed the Chicago White Sox's Dayan Viciedo in the eighth inning and promptly left the game.

Sources: Oswalt throwing for teams  —  Roy Oswalt is back in play.  —  Oswalt, a free-agent right-hander, threw bullpen sessions for the Philadelphia Phillies last week and the Boston Red Sox this week, according to major-league sources.  —  He is scheduled to throw for two additional teams, one on Friday, one source said.

Will Youkilis finish season with BoSox?  —  I asked two general managers Thursday about Kevin Youkilis.  —  The first said that he would need to see Youkilis play for an extended period before determining whether his team had interest, citing Youkilis' declining offense, defense and health.

Harang Pitches Dodgers Past Hometown Padres, 8-1  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Aaron Harang held his former team to four hits in seven shutout innings and had one of Los Angeles' 12 hits as the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 8-1 Thursday night to split a two-game series.

College grads in baseball a rare breed  —  College commencement ceremonies and Major League Baseball games are staples of American life in May.  —  Only a small number of men can say they have participated in both.  —  As of Wednesday morning, 917 players had appeared in at least …

Acta and Chernoff: Optimizing the Indians Offense  —  As a small-market team with limited firepower, the Cleveland Indians need to optimize their run-scoring capabilities.  Whether they're doing that is hard to quantify: Cleveland ranks in the middle of the pack among American League teams in most offensive categories.

Venezuelan Links: Mora, Escobar, Cervelli  —  A trio of venezolanos try to claw their way back to la gran carpa.  Yes, that literally translates to “the big carp,” but it also means “the big top.”  Links are in Spanish...  - Melvin Mora will fly to the states this weekend to begin negotiations …

Anger towards umpires and why I feel like an ass  —  Sixth inning of a tie game- 1 out- runners on 1st & 3rd- Elvis Andrus hitting.  He attempts a squeeze bunt and pops it up.  I run in, dive and catch it.  Then I throw to third base to complete the inning ending double play.

Even more interleague intrigue  —  The 2013 schedule isn't perfect, but it's a huge step in the right direction  —  Year No. 16 of the ever-popular interleague-play era kicks off this weekend.  And you'll be shocked to learn that, once again, the 2012 interleague schedule makes less sense than Snooki.

Cooperstown Confidential: The tale of Charley Lau  —  Mickey Hatcher had become a polarizing figure in Southern California.  The Angels' manager, Mike Scioscia, felt fierce loyalty to his batting coach, who had worked with him for the past 13 seasons.  Many in the organization liked Hatcher's sense …

Wieters earns break after marathon duty  —  KANSAS CITY — Orioles manager Buck Showalter had a preliminary plan to pencil in Matt Wieters as his starting catcher on Thursday.  But the plan changed after Wieters worked 15 innings in a 4-3 win over the Royals on Wednesday night.