Mussina earns career win No. 253 as Yanks beat Tribe with five-hit effort  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Their record is barely above average, one of their superstars is still limping around and their everyday catcher is on the disabled list.  —  The New York Yankees aren't themselves.

Giants send struggling pitcher Barry Zito to bullpen  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Barry Zito was demoted to the bullpen Monday by the San Francisco Giants, who hope the former ace can correct his problems by working in relief.  —  Zito, who only 16 months ago signed a $126 million …

Sox-Orioles game suspended after 11 innings  —  The White Sox and Baltimore Orioles were tied at 3 when play was suspended after 11 innings Monday because of rain.  —  The game will resume later this season, but no date was immediately announced.  All the statistics from Monday count.

Krivsky's final say  —  Wayne Krivsky is finding it difficult to sever his ties with the Cincinnati Reds after he was fired and says, “I must be crazy because I hope the Reds win every game the rest of the year and I still get on-line every morning to check how the minor-league teams did.”

Schneider gets swell news  —  Catcher Brian Schneider remained in the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan Monday receiving intravenous antibiotics for an infection in his left thumb.  Still, the catcher could be on the field soon.  General manager Omar Minaya said that when Schneider is released …

Lieberthal to retire as a Phillie  —  Mike Lieberthal, who spent 13 of his 14 major league seasons as a catcher with the Phillies, will retire as a member of the organization on June 1, the Phillies announced today.  —  The last player to retire as a Phillie in this manner was outfielder Doug Glanville in 2005.

Late-inning clutch hitting at root of Jays' slide  —  As the old baseball proverb says, “the more you win early, the less you have to win late.”  —  Where would the Jays be if they had not got off to a good start?  A win is a win and now that the Jays are 11-15 and in last place in the American League East.

Lasorda to be guest conductor for the Jr. Philharmonic Orchestra  —  Join Tommy as he leads the orchestra in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”  —  LOS ANGELES — Hall of Fame Manager and Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda will participate in the Jr. Philharmonic's “Battle of the Batons,” it was announced today.

Q & A with Carlos Delgado  —  So here are THE NUTS and BOLTS questions and answers from Carlos Delgado's entertaining 20 minutes of give and take with reporters a little while ago about the most talked-about “curtain” since Jamie-Leigh Curtis' mom had hers shredded in the original “Psycho” (Read: Not the one with Vince Vaughn!!)

Braves' Smoltz to have sore shoulder examined … ATLANTA (AP) — After lasting only four innings Sunday in New York, Braves pitcher John Smoltz returned to Atlanta on Monday and is to have his troublesome right shoulder examined on Tuesday.  —  Smoltz gave up seven hits and four runs in the 6-3 loss to the Mets.

Prospectus Today  —  Reality Check  —  Four weeks into the season, we have to start making calls.  It's still a little early in most cases, but we have enough information to reach tentative conclusions about some players, teams, and issues.  For the next three days, that's what we'll do …

Monday Ten Pack  —  Bastardo can be seen as one of those “is what he is” kind of players: a short lefty with average velocity.  However, beyond his left-handedness, he's also got fantastic command and a killer changeup.  That's enough to make him some kind of prospect …