Marquis tosses brilliant three-hitter  —  Righty gets first complete game since '05; Soriano goes deep  —  CHICAGO — Jason Marquis gave the Cubs exactly what they needed Wednesday night.  —  Alfonso Soriano hit his 34th career leadoff homer to back Marquis' three-hit shutout and lift …

WIL GETS FIRST HIT SINCE '02  —  Derek Jeter Jeter and Robinson Cano couldn't help laughing, and with good cause.  Wil Nieves finally mustered his first hit in the majors since 2002, and the first thing he did was get thrown out.  —  The Yankees' backup catcher was caught stretching …

Good Side Effects  —  Dice-K's Extra Work Pays Off  —  TORONTO — To say that Daisuke Matsuzaka corrected the flaws in his mechanics Wednesday night was hardly a stretch.  —  After three consecutive mediocre starts - and with observers from two continents diagnosing his problems pitching …

Notes: Green suffering haircut remorse  —  Minaya joins bald brigade; Reyes considering getting buzzed  —  SAN FRANCISCO — It was the morning after the night before, and Shawn Green was suffering with hair hangover.  The Mets right fielder, aka Shorn Green, was no more comfortable …

Roger snaps at photog  —  LEXINGTON, Ky. - Roger Clemens went from George Steinbrenner's pulpit at the Stadium on Sunday to his own bully pulpit yesterday.  —  After watching his son Koby play in the Class-A Lexington Legends' 5-3 loss to Lake County yesterday morning …

Paying the Price For a Plan  —  Stan Kasten is an idiot.  Admit it, that's what you want to scream.  The Washington Nationals' president gambled that his team's luck wouldn't be too bad this season.  That way, despite a payroll purge, he might avoid having a historically awful team.  So, what happens?

Patriotism, Defined and Enforced  —  The most patriotic moments at Yankee Stadium can also be the most confining.  —  Seconds before "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" are played, police officers, security guards and ushers turn their backs to the American flag in center field …

Howard's pinch slam powers Phillies  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Ryan Howard hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 9-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.  —  Howard, who entered hitting .198, hit reliever Brandon Medders' (1-1) …

Krukow: Curt Schilling is a 'horse's ass'  —  By Betting Fool of SFGate.com And so it begins, Giants fans.  No, not the countdown to home runs No. 755 and 756, but the war of words between the people who support Bonds and the people who don't like him at all.

Why the defending World Series champs struggle  —  Maybe the Cardinals turn this around.  They are, after all, the Cardinals, defending World Series champions, a post-season club six of the past seven seasons, the team with perhaps the best G.M./manager/pitching coach combination in the game.

Smoltz, Braves beat Padres  —  It was a classic pitching matchup for the (middle) ages, and its outcome was ultimately decided by the Joneses.  —  Chipper Jones drove in the tying run, and Andruw Jones drove in the winning run on consecutive pitches in the seventh inning …

Fisher delivers in every way  —  SALT LAKE CITY — It was Derek Fisher's night ... and for that, he can thank his former teammates.  —  Fisher forced a key turnover in the final seconds of regulation, then hit a key 3-pointer in overtime to clinch the victory as Utah beat Golden State 127-117 …

Notes: Acta says attitude is important  —  Nats skipper likes effort; hitting hasn't meshed with pitching  —  MILWAUKEE — Despite watching his team lose seven out of its first eight games on this current road trip, Nationals manager Manny Acta continues to be optimistic that his team can turn the season around.