Clemens announces to crowd he'll play for Yanks  —  NEW YORK — The seventh-inning stretch was ending when the low, familiar voice of public-address announcer Bob Sheppard told fans at Yankee Stadium to direct their attention to the owner's box behind home plate.

Lawrence signs with Mets  —  Cincinnati - Unable to crack the Rockies' rotation, Brian Lawrence will attempt to restart his career with the New York Mets.  —  Lawrence signed with the Mets on Sunday, according to his agent.  He is expected to make some minor-league starts to rebuild arm strength.

Twins place Mauer on 15-day DL  —  Minnesota calls up catcher Heintz from Triple-A Rochester  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins will be without starting catcher Joe Mauer for at least two weeks after an MRI revealed a strain in his left quad muscle and the team placed him on the 15-day disabled list.

Outfield not Piniella's favorite topic, OK?  —  With Felix Pie getting a reprieve, it seemed like a fair line of questioning to ask about his role in the still crowded Cubs outfield.  —  But manager Lou Piniella got testy when asked about the rookie's future during his pregame media briefing Sunday, finally ending it abruptly.

Peavy stymies Marlins in brilliant outing  —  Ace fans 10, allows just one run, one hit over seven frames  —  MIAMI — When the Padres signed Greg Maddux to a one-year, $10 million contract in December, they did so to bolster their starting rotation, not because they were seeking a clubhouse tutor.

D-backs snap losing skid  —  Hernandez in control as club ends Mets' mastery in Arizona  —  PHOENIX — The end of the weekend is usually a time to wipe the slate clean and get ready for a fresh start in a new week.  —  That's exactly what the D-backs did on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field …

Sabathia, Nixon lead Tribe past O's 9-6  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — Trot Nixon went 5-for-5 with four RBIs, C.C. Sabathia remained unbeaten despite allowing nine hits, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-6 Sunday.  —  Casey Blake and Jason Michaels each drove in two runs for the Indians …

Mets Come Up Empty in Their Bag of Tricks  —  Mike Pelfrey and John Maine were sitting around the Chase Field clubhouse Thursday reminiscing about the bad old days.  The conversation centered on last July, when Maine fell to -3 with a loss to the Florida Marlins but had pitched well enough …

Chipper takes umpire to task  —  Chipper Jones finally agreed to rest Sunday, but it wasn't exactly a leisurely afternoon for the Braves third baseman.  —  Pinch-hitting in the five-run seventh inning, he struck out on a checked-swing attempt and got ejected by third-base umpire Bob Davidson …

Phils' Garcia hurts leg, may miss start  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Phillies right-hander Freddy Garcia was injured Sunday night when he ran into an equipment cart that had stopped along the warning track in San Francisco's ballpark.  —  Garcia bruised his left leg in the collision …

Inside the Pirates: Many ways to define defense  —  Despite team's low error total, fundamentals appear lacking  —  The most conventional numbers will show, unambiguously, that the Pirates are not a good defensive team but a very good one.  —  Stay with us here.

Hunter slams M's, Weaver  —  Mariners starter knocked around as Twins rout Seattle  —  There was a time in Tuesday's game with Minnesota when the Mariners, although trailing, still had a chance of pulling out a victory.  —  The Twins were up 3-1 in the fifth and had the bases loaded.

Young players struggling at the plate  —  May. 6, 2007 12:00 AM It is only May, but is it time for the Diamondbacks to start shouting "May Day!" when it comes to the scuffling that so many of the club's youngsters are doing at the plate?  —  Arizona entered Saturday night's …

Angels interested in Atkins, two others  —  Cincinnati - The Los Angeles Angels have discussed Colorado names to bolster their offense.  If the Angels had their way, they would replace Garret Anderson's bat - he's out for several weeks with a torn right hip flexor - with Garrett Atkins'.