Cervelli injured and Girardi is furious  —  The look on Joe Girardi's face said plenty.  Then he had plenty to say about the play in the ninth inning when Tampa Bay's Elliot Johnson rolled into Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli.  —  “I think it's uncalled for in spring training.

Beckett tweaks his back  —  As a precaution, he's scratched from start  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. - Red Sox ace Josh Beckett walked to the mound at City of Palms Park yesterday, threw one warm-up pitch, and put his hand to his lower back.  He tried five more tosses before alerting catcher Jason Varitek …

Yost plans to bat Kendall ninth in order  —  Unconventional batting order could help Brewers score more  —  PHOENIX — The sound will start to become more familiar to Brewers fans: “Batting ninth, Jason Kendall.”  —  What?  Kendall in the nine hole for a National League team?  —  Is manager Ned Yost joking?

Notes: Maholm continues solid spring  —  Pirates left-hander believes he's ahead of last year's pace  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — With another efficient and effective performance on Saturday, Paul Maholm continues to remind everyone he's not planning to be the forgotten guy in the Pirates rotation come the start of the season.

Frustrated Baldelli say illness rumors are unfounded … ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rocco Baldelli has heard the rumors.  He knows about the speculation surrounding his injury-prone major-league career.  And, he says, the word frustration doesn't put into perspective how he feels …

Infield in flux with LaRoche hurt  —  Colletti, Torre ponder options as injuries, ailments pile up  —  JUPITER, Fla. — With Andy LaRoche heading back to Los Angeles to have his thumb put back together, the Dodgers were left on Saturday to pick up the pieces from LaRoche's freak accident, which has created an infield problem.

Notes: Winds change Villone's plans  —  La Russa not worried about defense; no-go on Ponson  —  JUPITER, Fla. — On a day like Saturday, Ron Villone knew it was going to be tough to work on some of the things he'd planned to work on.  —  With winds blowing out to right in excess of 20 mph …

Jeter continues to set the bar for consistency  —  TAMPA - He's coming up on 34 years old, the shoulders still taut, the fade still working, the eyes still burning jade.  —  Thirteen years into this, Derek Jeter looks up from his chair in his familiar spring-time place.  Time and rigor have let his face be.

Role in fraud ruins dreams for Texas Rangers' prospects  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  SAN PEDRO DE MACORIS, Dominican Republic - On Jan. 30, Omar Beltre, a tremendously talented Texas Rangers prospect, loaded his car for the biggest assignment of his career.

Newest Mets return, make good impression  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - The Mets finally fielded something resembling a big-league lineup in Saturday's 12-4 split-squad loss to the Marlins, including successful returns from the injured ranks for former Washington teammates Brian Schneider and Ryan Church.

El Duque starts to talk the talk  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Orlando Hernandez hasn't been able to allow the results to speak for themselves yet, so he might as well continue to approach any perceived battle for the No. 5 starter spot with emphatic words.  —  Despite his inability to pitch …

Buzz about Bonds is Barry funny  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - The Mets have an immediate hole in left field, and a lineup currently devoid of power with multiple sluggers sidelined with nagging injuries.  —  But asked last night if there is any remote merit to stories suggesting a pursuit …