A-Rod to DH due to sore shoulder  —  Yankees third baseman skips throwing session  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has a sore right shoulder and is scheduled to be the designated hitter in Friday's game against Houston.  —  Rodriguez said he felt discomfort Thursday …

Orioles' Patton headed for surgery; out until '09  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Troy Patton will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, delaying the left-hander's debut with the Baltimore Orioles until at least 2009.  —  Obtained in the December trade that sent Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros …

Yankees-Astros: The live blog  —  Good afternoon and welcome to Legends Field.  It's a balmy 79 degrees and mostly sunny here in Tampa as the Yankees prepare to play the Houston Astros.  —  The Yankees beat the Astros 7-6 on Monday and you can bet Houston will be itching for revenge.  Or maybe not.

Braves' Hampton leaves with groin injury  —  KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP)—Oft-injured pitcher Mike Hampton of the Atlanta Braves left his spring training start Friday because of a strained right groin.  —  Hampton, who hasn't pitched in a major league game since August 2005, made it to the second inning …

Baseball Taps Wisdom of Fans  —  If you've ever dreamed of being a Major League Baseball scout, your day has come.  —  Last month, the St. Louis Cardinals announced a novel contest: Fans are invited to submit scouting reports on promising college ballplayers.

Baseball Hall of Fame Considering “Steroid Exhibit”  —  It's been called the “Steroid Era” in baseball, and now, the Baseball Hall of Fame may be creating a “Steroid Exhibit”.  Today, Jeff Idelson, the vice-president of communications and education for the Hall of Fame was on the Dan Patrick Show, where Patrick brought up the topic.

Spring training Game 7: Astros at Yankees  —  YANKEES  —  Pitching  —  Andy Pettitte (2-3 innings, 40 pitches)  —  ASTROS  —  Pitching  —  Notes: Mike Mussina will start tomorrow against the Leave Out The Devil Rays.  Jefff Kartstens will follow along with Kyle Farnsworth, Jon Albaladejo and Ross Ohlendorf. ...

Lee says Hunter told him Cubs never called  —  MESA, Ariz. — Forget what White Sox general manager Ken Williams says.  Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee says it's the Cubs who really lost out on center fielder Torii Hunter over the winter.  —  Lee said he was “shocked” when his longtime friend Hunter told …

All-you-can-eat seats for 2008  —  At least thirteen of Major League Baseball's 30 teams are offering all-you-can-eat seats for all or part of the 2008 season.  —  Ticket prices for these seats range from $30 at the low end with the Atlanta Braves to $200 at the high end with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Notes: Patterson happy and relaxed  —  Right-hander healthy for first time since 2005  —  VIERA, Fla. — Right-hander John Patterson was scheduled to pitch against the Mets on Thursday night at Space Coast Stadium, but the game was canceled because of rain.

Preview 2008: San Diego Padres  —  by Lindy's  —  For a guy whose professional trademark is consistency, Trevor Hoffman certainly traversed the peaks and valleys in 2007.  —  Hoffman became the first closer in baseball history to notch 500 career saves.  He ranked third in the league …