Short dose of Yankees highlights  —  Rivera makes first spring appearance, striking out two  —  ASTROS 9, YANKEES 5  —  Astros at the plate: Victor Diaz blasted an 0-1 offering from starter Andy Pettitte out of the park to put the Astros up 2-0 in the first inning.

Road to recovery has been painfully slow for Liriano … FORT MYERS, Fla. — The future of the Minnesota Twins' franchise watched telenovelas (Spanish-speaking soap operas) for entertainment and comfort; he went out to eat, often alone, to avoid a kitchen he could not navigate …

WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION  —  YANKS WORRIED OVER JOBA'S FOCUS  —  This is a new season and a new set of Joba Rules.  —  Manager Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman made that clear yesterday.  They want Joba Chamberlain to continue to be his outgoing self - but they also want to make sure …

Martínez's Changeup: Less Talk, More Action  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Shortly after 10 a.m. Friday, Pedro Martínez prepared to throw his first pitch of the day.  He looked in to see Damion Easley, his teammate, wearing a windbreaker and limbering up in a batting cage.

Notes: Lefties vying for relief role  —  Candidates include O'Flaherty, Jimenez and Feierabend  —  MESA, Ariz. — Manager John McLaren is taking a different approach in selecting a left-handed setup reliever than he used when arranging the numerical order of the starting rotation.

Playing at The Cell  —  The ISFA already runs and operates U.S. Cellular Field, so if the Cubs begin a $250 million renovation of Wrigley, Kenney said it's likely they would play part of a season on the South Side with a little scheduling help from Major League Baseball.

Destination: San Diego  —  Some pitchers agree to take less in order to enjoy perks of Padres, Petco  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - When shopping for pitching, something all 30 major league clubs do year-round, the Padres have a slight advantage because many pitchers view San Diego as one of the better destinations.

Thumb injury sidelines Dodgers' LaRoche  —  Third baseman, who was competing with Garciaparra for the starting job, will have surgery and miss at least eight weeks.  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — Andy LaRoche has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and will return to Los Angeles …

Notes: Injuries worrying Leyland  —  Skipper says plenty of work remains before Opening Day  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Just past the midway point of Spring Training, Tigers manager Jim Leyland is a little antsy.  —  It's not necessarily an alarm bell.

O's, Cubs put Roberts deal on hold  —  Talks have cooled as teams can't agree on package; standstill may push potential trade to Opening Day or later  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Orioles and Chicago Cubs have not had any recent talks about All-Star second baseman Brian Roberts …

McCarthy suffers setback in recovery  —  Soreness in right elbow/forearm area may put starter on shelf  —  PHOENIX, Ariz. — The possibility of Brandon McCarthy being ready for the start of the season appears to be diminishing rapidly.  The possibility of Luis Mendoza being needed at the Major League level is rising.