Yankees Fire Strength Coach  —  ARLINGTON, Texas - A day after the Yankees' baffling run of hamstring injuries claimed another victim in Phil Hughes, the team fired its new strength coach.  —  Marty Miller, who was hired last winter to the newly created position of director of performance enhancement …

Cabrera-Minaya chat raises eyebrows  —  · Marlins President David Samson and General Manager Larry Beinfest could not have been pleased at what they observed from the Shea Stadium visitors' dugout Tuesday.  —  While the Mets were taking batting practice and the Marlins were stretching …

Heilman aims to move past struggles  —  Mets' primary setup man hopes to overcome tough stretch  —  NEW YORK — The mind of Aaron Heilman is a finely-tuned, well-equipped, strong and quite functional entity of which Notre Dame can be proud.  It holds a lot.  And sometimes, a lot is too much.

Mariners win, eclipse .500; Washburn good again  —  The Mariners' rotation has had its share of disappointments early in this season, from the injury to No. 1 starter Felix Hernandez to the poor performance of Jeff Weaver.  —  Jarrod Washburn, among the disappointments a year ago, hasn't been on that list this year.

Saenz's single is sign of victory  —  Olmedo Saenz comes off the bench to drive in winning run with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning.  —  These Dodgers don't hit home runs.  They don't deliver with the bases loaded.  —  But they kill earthworms with the best of them.

Walt Jocketty speaks out on Hancock  —  Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said Tuesday the club had little knowledge about pitcher Josh Hancock's off-field activities and that the responsibility for policing players' activities lies with the players.  —  Answering questions …

National crisis: Capital franchise in turmoil  —  It was more than a minor news item.  —  A little-known farm director and three low-level front-office employees left the Washington Nationals in mid-February.  Four-fifths of the team's player-development department, gone.

Notes: Walker reflects on Tigers  —  O's reliever looks back on five seasons in Detroit  —  DETROIT — Money has changed Jamie Walker's surroundings, but it hasn't changed Jamie Walker.  —  "No, same old me," he joked.  "I'm too old to change.  Can't teach an old horse new tricks."

Notes: Alou ready to shoulder load  —  Outfielder shakes off injury to start for Mets on Tuesday  —  NEW YORK — It's going to take more than a couple of stitches to keep Moises Alou off the field.  —  A day after slamming into the left-field wall, cutting his chin and aggravating …

Pirates Notebook: Season-ticket sales dropped 20 percent  —  Shortstop Jack Wilson flips ball to Freddy Sanchez at second for the force out in the seventh inning.  —  Wondering why the Pirates' attendance has fallen off?  —  Look no further than the foundation of the business.

Rangers have to go the distance with McCarthy  —  Brandon McCarthy will pitch Friday.  Might very well get bombed.  Again.  —  And if he does, here's what the Rangers should do about it: Repeat the process all over again.  —  Let's be straight on this, McCarthy has been awful in his last three starts.

Angels Quietly Show How To Build a Club  —  What does a team have to do to get some respect?  The Angels haven't had a lightning-rod bestseller like Michael Lewis's "Moneyball" written about them.  That's understandable — a lot of what general manager Bill Stoneman and manager Mike Scioscia do is just great talent management.

Buck stops it here on Sox  —  A's win in 10 after getting to Papelbon  —  Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was perfect in 2007.  Oakland closer Huston Street was perfect against the Red Sox in his career.  Only one of those streaks remained intact last night.

Hurler may need elbow operation  —  Pitcher Cesar Carrillo, drafted 18th overall by the Padres in 2005, departed Monday's game with Triple-A Portland because of an elbow injury, and the Padres are concerned that the 23-year-old might need season-ending reconstructive surgery.

The Big Picture: Run Optimum by David Pinto  —  Run Optimum  —  What is the optimum level of scoring for Major League Baseball?  The answer to the question tells us when we need to tinker with the game.  If a long-term trend shows runs are too far from the optimum, steps can be taken to restore balance.