Bullpen Coach Wetteland Is Given the Boot  —  The Washington Nationals fired bullpen coach John Wetteland yesterday, a move made at the behest of Manager Frank Robinson, who said he could no longer put up with what he considered to be a long line of transgressions and insubordination that was affecting the chemistry of his relief corps.

Milledge's clock is alarming  —  PHILADELPHIA - Lastings Milledge arrived in the clubhouse at 11:55 a.m., only 70 minutes before yesterday's first pitch, prompting a second straight day of tutorials on how to conduct oneself in the majors.  A day after Willie Randolph thought Milledge …

Ross homers a day after being hit in jaw with pitch  —  MIAMI GARDENS — Outfielder Cody Ross was back in the starting lineup Thursday — and homered in his first at-bat — one day after getting hit in the jaw with a fastball.  —  Ross' jaw still was sore and his lower lip was swollen …

Padres fire Magadan as hitting coach, hire Rettenmund  —  SAN DIEGO - With the worst team batting average in the NL and the third-fewest homers in the majors, the San Diego Padres fired Dave Magadan as hitting coach on Thursday and replaced him with the popular Merv Rettenmund.

White Sox fire back with Buehrle, not beanballs  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Mark Buehrle was the most effective form of retaliation Thursday night against Texas.  —  Buehrle limited the Rangers to six hits in eight innings of an 8-2 victory that helped the White Sox restore peace after Wednesday night's debacle.

From dark days, a whole new ballgame  —  PHILADELPHIA — Cliff Floyd remembers when there was no light at the end of the tunnel.  So do Tom Glavine and Steve Trachsel.  Which makes what is happening with the Mets this season that much sweeter for the longest-tenured members on the club.

Cabrera's single lifts Angels in extras  —  Guerrero belts 16th home run; Lackey has solid outing  —  ANAHEIM — The streaking Orlando Cabrera delivered a two-out, game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning that helped the Angels take down the Royals, 3-2, in front of 41,649 at Angel Stadium on Thursday.

Mets' Glavine could be headed for a fall  —  Tom Glavine may still be tied for the Major League lead in victories, but he may be pitching on borrowed time.  —  One of the bigger surprises of the first month of 2006 was not just Glavine's resurgence after three so-so seasons in New York, but the way he was doing it.

Phillies can't simply 'settle' for wild card  —  The nicest thing you can say about the Phillies' performance yesterday is also the most damning thing you can say about them as a team:  —  It is notable that they turned in a competitive, professional performance against the New York Mets.

Donnelly Frustrated With His Role  —  Wednesday night was the last straw for reliever Brendan Donnelly.  Nothing against his buddy, Scot Shields, but when Manager Mike Scioscia summoned Shields for a fourth consecutive day, in the eighth inning with the score tied against the Royals …