Wang and Bullpen Shutout Rays  —  Manager Joe Girardi returned Sunday, and so did the Yankees' bats.  Or at least the bats returned just long enough with Chien-Ming Wang back on the mound to avoid a three-game losing streak and shut out the Tampa Bay Rays.  —  The Yankees also escaped losing …

Lee, Zambrano lift Cubs over Astros 3-2  —  CHICAGO (AP)—Derrek Lee had another big hit for the Chicago Cubs, and he was more interested in talking about teammate Alfonso Soriano's play in the field.  —  Lee hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh and Soriano threw out a runner at the plate …

VandenHurk optioned to Double-A  —  Nolasco, Badenhop and Volstad candidates to replace righty  —  MIAMI — Not able to work deeper than three innings in two straight starts, Rick VandenHurk was optioned to Double-A Carolina after the Marlins lost, 9-2, to the Pirates on Sunday afternoon.

Griffey hits 594th home run in Reds' win  —  CINCINNATI (AP)—Ken Griffey Jr. doesn't give much thought to his statistics— not even the big one that's fast approaching.  The day to talk about that one will come soon enough.  —  For the moment, he's more wrapped up in smoothing out his swing …

Beckett back from DL  —  TORONTO — The Boston Red Sox activated Josh Beckett off the 15-day disabled list before Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, allowing the right-hander to make his season debut against Toronto's Roy Halladay.  —  To make room on the roster, the Red Sox designated Kyle Snyder for assignment.

Pirates place Wilson on disabled list, promote Bixler  —  MIAMI — The Pirates this morning placed shortstop Jack Wilson on the 15-day disabled list, a first in his career, and promoted shortstop Brian Bixler from Class AAA Indianapolis.  —  Wilson's left calf was strained after a hard slide …

The Silly Season  —  Prognostication Perils  —  Opening week is a great time to watch baseball, but also one to read inane baseball predictions.  I'm as much of a sucker for idle stat-based pre-season speculations as the next guy, but there are limits.  Really, there are.

Is Jake Peavy a cheater?  —  An eagle-eyed viewer of the Dodgers/Padres game noticed something strange on Jake Peavy's fingers after he tossed a complete game, 2-hitter for the win yesterday:  —  Is he cheating?  Is it just a coincidence that the 3 fingers that grip the ball have a mysterious substance on them?

Sternberg: Payroll Will Remain Flexible  —  NEW YORK - The Rays' bank vault swung open again last week when the team locked up reliever Dan Wheeler through at least 2010 for a guaranteed $10.5 million.  —  Coming on the heels of an offseason that saw Carlos Pena and James Shields rewarded …

Baseball beat: Yankees' Hughes feels Pedro's pain  —  in focus, by peter abraham  —  When Pedro Martinez tore his left hamstring on Tuesday, the news spread quickly through the Yankees' clubhouse.  Phil Hughes winced and unconsciously rubbed the back of his own leg when he was told what transpired in Florida.

Finale in Toronto  —  TORONTO - Good morning from Toronto.  —  Terry Francona has confirmed that Kyle Snyder was designated for assignment and now goes through the waiver process over the next 72 hours.  It appears Snyder could get claimed off waivers.  Don't be surprised if Snyder received interest from a few teams.

Cape Cod teammates Zito, Sheets set to duel  —  (04-06) 04:00 PDT Milwaukee — Barry Zito and Ben Sheets, the Giants' and Brewers' Opening Day starters, will meet on the mound for the first time today, which is not to say they have not met.  Ten years ago, they were teammates for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod summer league.

M's lose again; Bedard out Sunday  —  BALTIMORE — The idea to begin the season was for Seattle to get off to a good start against a relatively weak American League schedule.  —  Five games into the season, that's not happening.  —  And now Erik Bedard is injured.