BLUE JAYS RELEASE DESIGNATED HITTER FRANK THOMAS  —  The Frank Thomas era in Toronto has come to an end.  —  TSN has learned that the 39-year old designed hitter has been released by the Blue Jays, one day after being benched as the teams' starting designated hitter.

Nomo designated for assignment  —  Career may be over for Japanese hurler attempting comeback  —  OAKLAND — Hideo Nomo, a pitching legend from Japan, was designated for assignment on Sunday, and his career may be over.  —  The move was prompted by the recall of pitcher Luke Hochevar …

MVP Rollins headed to DL for first time in career  —  PHILADELPHIA — Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday for the first time in his eight-year career because of a sprained left ankle.  —  Last year's NL MVP hurt the ankle on April 8 against the Mets …

Mets news and notes  —  Catcher Brian Schneider took a foul tip from Chase Utley squarely off his right forearm in the ninth inning, leaving a pair of fingers numb and significant swelling, but no apparent broken bones.  —  “It's just a lot of pain.  It doesn't have a lot of grip right now …

A-Rod leaves game with strained quad muscle  —  As if the Yankees didn't have enough problems right now, they can now add Alex Rodriguez to that list.  —  A-Rod left Sunday's game against the Orioles in the sixth inning, heading to the clubhouse with a strained right quadriceps muscle.

METS TAKE SHOTS AT PHIL FANS  —  A day later, the Mets were still furious with the fans at Citizens Bank Park for celebrating Jose Reyes' apparent head injury.  —  Much to the dismay of Willie Randolph and Mets closer Billy Wagner, among others, the fans loudly cheered when Reyes collided …

Another Growing Pain in Yanks' Young Arms  —  BALTIMORE — Brian Cashman did not count on the injuries, the suspensions or the offensive struggles of the Yankees' powerful lineup.  But Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, said he expected all along that the team's young starters would wobble early on.

Bannister digs into stats to pile up pitching feats  —  It had to happen sooner or later.  —  All those new-wave statistics that are taking baseball far beyond earned-run average, runs batted in and batting average.  All the cutting-edge research into what really is meaningful — and what isn't — in judging player performances.

Lowell close to return … Mike Lowell may be a lot closer to returning to the Red Sox [team stats] than anyone anticipated a few days ago.  —  The veteran third baseman, who sprained his left thumb April 9, took 35 pain-free swings off a tee prior to last night's 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers …