In One Swing, Rodriguez Is an Instant Hit  —  Alex Rodriguez slapped his hands as he rounded first base yesterday afternoon and then nearly plowed into the third-base coach Larry Bowa as he rounded third.  Before touching home plate, he heaved his batting helmet toward the sky, a smile on his face every step of the way.

Atlanta 5, NY Mets 3  —  ATLANTA (AP) — The biggest moment for John Smoltz in his matchup with former teammate and golfing buddy, Tom Glavine, came in the fourth inning.  —  The Atlanta Braves were leading 2-1, but the New York Mets had the bases loaded with two outs and Glavine at the plate.

Carpenter on track for Tuesday  —  HOUSTON — Barring complications, Chris Carpenter will remain in the Cardinals' rotation after completing a "routine" side session Saturday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.  —  The 2005 National League Cy Young Award winner, who experienced elbow stiffness …

LA Angels 2, Oakland 1  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — By his own admission, John Lackey usually has a tough time at the beginning of the season.  —  That's not the case this year, although at least two members of the Oakland Athletics weren't particularly impressed with his latest outing.

300 Strikeouts?  Not When Starters Don't Finish  —  While it may not have the resonance of a 50-home-run season, or the aura of a no-hitter, the benchmark for a power pitcher is a 300-strikeout season.  Accomplished only 33 times since 1901, it is a feat that does not happen by chance.

Doubleheader postponed in Cleveland  —  Traditional doubleheader between clubs scheduled for Sunday  —  CLEVELAND — Burned once by the snow, the Indians and Mariners aren't going to press their luck again Saturday.  —  Both games of a hastily scheduled day-night doubleheader at Jacobs Field …

No Saturday Afternoon Delight for MLB.TV fans  —  It came to a surprise to me that as a MLB.TV subscriber, I will not be able to view MLB games on Saturday afternoons (up until 7pm) throughout the regular season.  This is because of Fox network's deal with MLB.  —  According to MLB.TV Mosaic Blog,

Season Preview Scott Miller's Take  —  This is the year of manager Clint Hurdle on the griddle, and don't expect it to end happily.  Hurdle is entering the final year of his contract, and the Rockies still don't have enough to contend in the NL West — not unless two key rookies …

Buehrle's arm, hand still swollen  —  Mark Buehrle's lower left arm was sore and his hand swollen Saturday, but it didn't keep the White Sox southpaw from venturing into the cold to play some catch at U.S. Cellular Field.  —  Buehrle was hit in the left forearm by a line drive off the bat …

Notes: Gonzalez in 'defensive funk'  —  Bigger role eyed for Billingsley; Valdez, Lieberthal get starts  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Luis Gonzalez is one of the most approachable, personable, go-to veterans in baseball, even when he's on the hot seat, as he was Saturday.

Notes: Bergmann encouraged to relax  —  Pitching coach St. Claire says righty's not trusting his stuff  —  WASHINGTON — A day after having a less than stellar outing on Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Nationals right-hander Jason Bergmann had a conversation with general manager Jim Bowden behind …

A-Rod rescues Yanks  —  Rodriguez cracks dramatic grand slam in ninth for win  —  NEW YORK — With two outs and the bases loaded, Alex Rodriguez belted a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning on Saturday to beat the Orioles, 10-7.  It was his sixth walk-off homer in his career.

Wakefield outdueled in loss  —  Veteran continues to find little success in Arlington  —  ARLINGTON — When Tim Wakefield pitches on the road against the Rangers, it seems like he's either off his game or the Boston bats are off theirs.  The latter of those scenarios took place Friday …

First JoeChat of 2007!  —  Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.  —  Buzzmaster: We're getting Joe right now.  Send in your questions!  —  Ken Tremendous: Oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God!  —  Jay (Hermosa Beach, CA): Will ARod be AL MVP this season?