Mets swept by Braves in Atlanta  —  ATLANTA - Willie Randolph's job wasn't considered in imminent danger Thursday afternoon, but the manager will be in trouble if the Mets don't salvage the remainder of their seven-game trip that continues tonight in Colorado, the Daily News has learned.

Cano delivers walk-off heroics vs. O's  —  Yanks second baseman cashes in Kennedy's strong start  —  NEW YORK — From the comforts of his manager's office, with its wide desk and leather couch, Joe Girardi sat on Thursday night and watched about five minutes of baseball.

Texas Rangers exploring long-term contract for Hamilton  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  MINNEAPOLIS - The latest contractual trend in baseball is to lock up players with less than two years' experience to deals that extend well past eventual free agency.  —  In the wake of several recent deals …

Andrew Miller, Marlins finish stifling sweep of Diamondbacks  —  MIAMI GARDENS — The ball settled into right fielder Jeremy Hermida's glove to end the top of the seventh inning when the crowd began to rise.  —  With the applause building, Andrew Miller walked slowly to the dugout having allowed …

Who's Calling the Shots, the Yankees or Ortiz?  —  David Ortiz is a mammoth, powerful and gregarious left-handed hitter, the kind of slugger who would not need acting lessons to imitate Babe Ruth.  Ortiz, the modern-day Ruth from the Boston Red Sox, will get that interesting chance …

Ramirez tops order, but who'll bat third?  —  MIAMI GARDENS - Hanley Ramirez was back atop the lineup for Thursday's game.  His statistical history suggests he'll dominate there, so while the Marlins have solved their need for a dynamic presence in that spot, now they're faced with remedying a deficiency in another key position.

Prospect Hot Sheet: May 23  —  Usually if a player gets traded three times before he reaches Double-A, it's a sign that he's unwanted.  In Max Ramirez's case, that's not the case.  —  Who wouldn't want a catcher who can hit in the middle of the order?  And while there remain some questions …

Kershaw could be called up to bigs  —  Lefty exits Minors start after one frame, prompting speculation  —  Dodgers phenom left-hander Clayton Kershaw had the kind of start for Double-A Jacksonville on Thursday night that will only fuel speculation he's about to become a Major Leaguer.

Baseball's Nerd Machine  —  The baseball box score, bless its little numerical heart, is dead.  It lived a nice, long life — about 140 years — but it has outlived its usefulness.  Its archaic statistics, pilloried for years by serious statisticians, tell you only what players have done, not what they're capable of doing.

What are the odds?  —  At last, a clubhouse fit for Pete Rose.  —  While Major League Baseball says it's doing all it can to keep tabs on packages coming in and out of stadium clubhouses, always on the lookout for performance enhancers, there apparently is less interest in the betting odds …

Piniella: Edmonds needs to start hitting  —  The relationship between Jim Edmonds and Lou Piniella may be in the incubation stage, but it's off to an interesting start.  —  Edmonds is 2-for-15 in his first four games as a Cub, which is worse than the production Piniella received …

Jekyll and Hyde Pitching Staff  —  The Cincinnati Reds lost to the San Diego Padres Thursday night 8-2.  It's another example of a very strange season for the Reds pitchers.  Look at the home/road splits for the team:  —  Reds 2008HomeRoad Runs per Game  —  4.5  —  Runs Allowed per Game

Yanks keep ‘Joba Plan’ close to vest  —  Righty will throw Saturday, but details remain a mystery  —  NEW YORK — The surprise of Joba Chamberlain's reassignment to the rotation has faded.  Now for the logistics.  —  Chamberlain will pitch on Saturday — that much is all but certain.