Park unable to prop up Mets in opener  —  Fill-in starter touched for seven runs; Beltran hits sixth homer  —  NEW YORK — Eight up, eight down.  Just like that, Chan Ho Park was carving through the young Marlins lineup, leaving those thoughts of the Minor Leagues far behind.

Pitcher had close call days before death  —  Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was in a potentially serious traffic accident less than three days before the one that took his life Sunday, according to police reports.  —  Hancock walked away from that early Thursday morning crash uninjured …

Notes: Sheets ready to start Tuesday  —  Right-hander recovers from strained right groin  —  MILWAUKEE — Ben Sheets was declared a "go" for his start on Tuesday against the Cardinals after undergoing a battery of tests Monday to test the strength of his strained right groin muscle.

Braves put Wickman on disabled list  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Braves closer Bob Wickman went on the disabled list with an upper back injury on Monday, one day after the veteran blew a save for the second straight time.  —  The team called the injury a strain.  Wickman said he has tendinitis …

Jays farmhand hit with 50-game ban  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Toronto minor league pitcher Matt Roney was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a drug of abuse.  —  Roney, a 27-year-old right-hander, is 2-0 with an 0.90 ERA in five relief appearances at Triple-A Syracuse.

Ordonez named AL Player of the Week  —  Tigers outfielder posts 1.095 slugging percentage  —  The Tigers might have suffered some heart-breaking losses as of late, but the team sure is happy to see Magglio Ordonez find his stroke.  —  Ordonez was named winner of the Bank of America Presents …

Eyes on other team from NYC  —  This is what the New York Mets' clubhouse has come to: Future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine walks by unnoticed before disappearing through a side door.  —  If not rocked by scandal - former clubhouse assistant Kirk Radomski pleaded guilty to steroids distribution …

Schilling playing his way into payday?  —  Right-hander Curt Schilling always seems to get the last word, and suddenly it's possible that he might regain leverage in his negotiations for a new contract with the Red Sox.  —  The Braves signed John Smoltz to a contract extension last week …

Nationals recall OF/INF Kory Casto from Columbus, designate D'Angelo Jimenez for assignment  —  The Washington Nationals today recalled outfielder/infielder Kory Casto from Columbus of the Triple-A International League and designated infielder D'Angelo Jimenez for assignment.

Crasnick: Piazza fitting in with youthful A's … The Oakland Athletics' staff is doing just fine with Jason Kendall behind the dish, but longtime catcher Mike Piazza wants the pitchers to know he's available for counsel — on all sorts of matters.  —  Recently, Piazza has been racking …