If it's 'best for team,' Smoltz says he's open to trade talk  —  ATLANTA — John Smoltz said he's ready to leave Atlanta if a trade can help the last-place Braves.  —  The 17-year veteran, who's played his entire career in Atlanta, said his once-firm opinion against leaving the Braves changed this year.

Red Sox seek to extend streak  —  Boston (40-28) vs. Washington (32-40), 7:05 p.m. ET  —  Tim Wakefield and the Red Sox seem to be making a weekly habit of proving that a pitcher's record is one of the more deceptive statistics in baseball.  —  In 2005, Wakefield finished with 16 wins and a 4.15 ERA.

Padres-Rangers Preview  —  The Texas Rangers look to extend their winning streak to four when they begin a three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Ameriquest Field on Tuesday.  —  The Rangers (38-32) swept Arizona in three games over the weekend and are looking to win four straight …

Trachsel looking for third straight  —  Cincinnati (38-32) at New York (43-26), 7:10 p.m. ET  —  The Mets will try to bounce back after losing the first game of a series two times in a row.  —  Against the Orioles last Friday, the Mets were surprised by a team on a three-game losing streak.

Home-field matters  —  Garner, Guillen will play to win 2006 All-Star Game  —  PITTSBURGH — Last year's Fall Classic won't be lost on Phil Garner when he manages the National League in next month's Midsummer Classic.  —  His Astros were swept by Chicago, but Garner knows the complexion …

Devil Rays deal Gathright to Royals for LHP Howell … The Kansas City Royals have traded left-handed pitcher J.P. Howell to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for center fielder Joey Gathright, ESPN.com has learned.  —  The Rays also sent minor league second baseman Fernando Cortez to the Royals in that deal.

Segui: I told O's about need for hGH … Former Orioles first baseman David Segui, who revealed over the weekend that he is one of the players named in Jason Grimsley's affidavit on drug use in baseball, said Tuesday that he informed the club in 2003 that he had obtained a prescription for human growth hormone.

Damon, Yanks rally to upend Phillies  —  Center fielder laces go-ahead two-run triple in four-run eighth  —  PHILADELPHIA — It appeared as though the Yankees had run out of chances on Tuesday after Ryan Howard's seventh RBI of the night gave the Phillies a two-run lead in the seventh inning.

Baseball Won't Save Samples For Testing  —  While Commissioner Bud Selig reiterated that Major League Baseball was eventually hoping to find a urine test to detect human growth hormone, he said he did not envision freezing urine samples from baseball players for future testing.

State of the NBA Finals  —  Forget about who's winning the championship.  I'm starting to feel like the future of the NBA is at stake.  —  We just spent the past two months raving about the "New And Improved" NBA — end-to-end action, loads of points, dramatic endings …

Seat-diving, wall-crashing players … Where there's a wall, there's a way.  —  Where there's a will, there's a wall.  —  Something like that.  —  We're working on a slogan here, a slogan we'll be posting over the clubhouse door for our new favorite team:  —  The All-Run-Through-A-Wall team.

Angels Hitters Are Baffled Again  —  Cain, 21, comes within four outs of a no-hitter as L.A.'s offense remains in its slump in a loss to the Giants.  Escobar is a tough-luck loser again.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — A sense of urgency seemed to permeate the Angels' clubhouse Monday afternoon …

Notes: Pitching staff down to 12  —  Barnwell called up, Simpson designated for assignment  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers made a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday afternoon to allow veteran right-hander Rick Helling to join the starting rotation and to bolster the infield depth behind him.

It's A-Rod Season!  —  I just noticed the following entry over at NoMaas.org - … Related, Peter Abraham has an A-Rod "clutch" stat in his blog today: … Around three weeks ago, I looked at A-Rod's numbers this season in a different light.  —  And, I thought that I would re-look at them today.