Germano looks to stay hot vs. Brewers  —  Milwaukee (28-20) at San Diego (27-21), 7:05 p.m. PT  —  Lately, all Justin Germano seems to be doing is winning games for the San Diego Padres.  —  With his 2-0 record, it appears to be the perfect time to give the right-hander a shot at the Milwaukee Brewers …

Wakefield aims to rebound  —  Boston (32-15) at Texas (18-30), Saturday, 8:05 p.m. ET  —  Tim Wakefield didn't care to talk Friday about his next scheduled start in Texas.  But he knows he won't escape scrutiny if his knuckleball doesn't provide some answers Saturday against the Rangers.

McAnulty will return; Giles to DL  —  Left fielder Paul McAnulty is returning to the Padres, and right fielder Brian Giles is going on the disabled list.  —  Giles missed his fifth consecutive start last night because of the bone bruise in his right knee, which Giles said has bothered him …

Notes: Furcal sits with knee soreness  —  Broxton not worried about setback; Schmidt delayed by flu  —  LOS ANGELES — No sooner had Dodgers manager Grady Little announced that he would platoon Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal in the leadoff spot of the batting order came word that Furcal wouldn't be batting anywhere Saturday.

Nats Get Help All Around In Win  —  Their Improbable Run Continues: Nationals 5, Cardinals 4  —  There is no way Austin Kearns should have made the sprawling catch he did in the sixth inning Friday night, and at another point in the Washington Nationals' season, he might not have.

Dodgers rally in eighth, top Cubs 9-8  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dodgers were cruising along with a five-run lead when the Cubs got to their bullpen for seven runs.  —  Los Angeles responded by returning the favor against Chicago's bullpen.  —  Juan Pierre hit a sacrifice fly to drive …

John Donovan: A Byrd's eye view of high-flying Indians  —  High-flying Indians making up for '06 disappointment  —  The Indians were positively pumped coming out of spring training.  It was clear to anyone who bothered to look their way that this was a team that could win — it has been …

Cox's 130th ejection one shy of record  —  ATLANTA (AP) — After being tossed from a game for the second straight day on Saturday, Bobby Cox was in no mood to talk about where he stands on the career record for ejections.  —  "I don't want to talk about the record," Cox said.  "Talk about the game."

Slumping Bonds  —  Barry Bonds finished Friday's game going 0 for 3 with a walk.  That game is typical of his recent performance.  Through May 8th (the last time he homered), Barry was on fire, hitting .338 with a .527 OBA and an .805 slugging percentage.  He drew 31 walks in 28 games; a lot but not outrageous for Barry.

VALENTIN NEARLY SET FOR RETURN  —  In a surprising revelation, Jose Valentin is almost ready to come off the disabled list.  —  Valentin has been out since April 29 due to a partially torn ACL, but yesterday Mets GM Omar Minaya said it's possible the second baseman could be back for the Mets within two weeks.

Pirates top Reds, 10-4, in 10th  —  Sanchez, Paulino get key hits as 8-run rally marks end of troubling five-game slide  —  Xavier Nady beats the throw to catcher Chad Moeller to score one of the Pirates' eight runs in the 10th inning last night against the Cincinnati Reds.

Sosa so tough to cheer: 600th HR not worthy of any praise  —  ARLINGTON, Texas - So goes the saying: No cheering in the pressbox.  Yet as Sammy Sosa approaches a milestone, there are those of us who can't cheer and won't care.  —  The Red Sox [team stats] and Texas Rangers were scheduled …

Martinez upbeat during visit with Mets  —  Scheduled to return in August, ace righty offers glowing report  —  MIAMI — Veteran right-hander Pedro Martinez, out until possibly August while recovering from Oct. 5 surgery for a right rotator cuff tear, is feeling so good from his intense workout program …

Soriano gets dose of Stark reality  —  ESPN.com writer lists leadoff man among overrated  —  LOS ANGELES — Alfonso Soriano is the first to admit he's not producing as well as he would like to in the first year of his eight-year, $136 million contract with the Cubs.

El Duque has strong return, Mets win  —  MIAMI (AP) — The game was a gem for seven innings, with the New York Mets and Florida Marlins scoreless.  —  Florida's wobbly defense ended the pitchers' duel.  —  The Mets scored their first two runs on errors, and Carlos Beltran's two-run double broke …