Rick Peterson, Tom Nieto facing ax but Willie Randolph safe - for now  —  Omar Minaya refused to guarantee that his on-field staff would remain intact for Monday night's game in Anaheim, further fueling speculation that at least two of Willie Randolph's coaches could be axed during the Mets' series against the Angels that opens tonight.

Yankees claim Wang has sprain  —  The Yankees did not reveal much about Chien-Ming Wang's injured right foot.  —  “We're saying it's a sprained foot,” Joe Girardi said.  The manager said the injury was to Wang's foot, not his Achilles tendon or ankle.  They would not say whether he had a fracture.

Cardinals catcher removed on stretcher in neck brace  —  ST. LOUIS (AP)—Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was taken off the field on a stretcher with a brace around his neck after getting run over on a tag play in the ninth inning Sunday.  —  Molina was taken to a hospital for evaluation of neck and back pain.

Fresno State Rolls in C.W.S. Opener  —  Danny Muno, Alan Ahmady and Jordan Ribera hit three-run homers, and the Bulldogs' surprising postseason run continued Sunday with a 17-5 victory over Rice in Omaha.  —  The Bulldogs, heavy underdogs as the first No. 4 regional seed to reach Omaha …

Is Willie Bloomquist Waiting for His Chance to Leave Seattle?  —  Willie Bloomquist says he can't tell you why the Seattle Mariners are losing, but he can tell you why the Mariners might be losing his services after the season — if not sooner.  —  Bloomquist, the South Kitsap High School product …

Late rally not enough to save Dodgers from defeat  —  Dodgers shortstop Angel Berroa breaks his bat during a swing in the third inning Sunday.  Berroa got enough of the ball to get a hit.  —  Chan Ho Park gives up five runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief as the Tigers sweep the series and hand L.A. a fifth consecutive loss.

CHURCH TO BEGIN WORKING OUT TOMORROW  —  WON'T TRAVEL WITH TEAM, BUT EXPECTS TO BE BACK WHEN THEY RETURN HOME  —  Ryan Church has been basically sleeping and watching television during his DL stint, but he's going to try to amp things up tomorrow in what could be an important self-test.

De La Rosa, Taveras steal road show  —  Strong starting pitching and five stolen bases lead to a shutout in Chicago.  —  The Denver Post  —  Rockies outfielder Willy Taveras steals second base during the seventh inning Saturday night in Chicago.  (Jerry Lai, The Associated Press )

Wade feeling out trade market  —  Astros GM looking ahead to deadline dealing  —  HOUSTON — Astros general manager Ed Wade was extremely busy during the offseason, signing Kazuo Matsui, Darin Erstad, Doug Brocail, Geoff Blum, Brian Moehler and Shawn Chacon and trading for Miguel Tejada …

Drug secret helped Mets get Keith Hernandez  —  The 25th anniversary of the most significant trade in Mets history includes a historic footnote.  It might never have occurred if the Mets' front office knew why the Cardinals were unloading Keith Hernandez.  —  Years before he became …

YANKEES MONITOR C.C. SWEEPSTAKES  —  Indians GM Mark Shapiro is both a realist and an executive who is willing to act quickly.  And his club has played so poorly and has so many key injuries (Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez) that he is leaning more toward trading free-agent …

Hernandez caps wild win for Orioles  —  Catcher hits walk-off single in ninth after Salazar's homer ties it  —  BALTIMORE — If the Orioles have proved one thing this season, it's that no opponent's lead is safe — 19 of the team's 34 wins have been come-from-behind victories.

Byrd likely to play into doubleheader  —  Texas (34-35) at New York (32-34), Sunday, 12:10 p.m. CT  —  NEW YORK — Marlon Byrd, out of the starting lineup for the first two games of the Rangers' series with the Mets, could be back on the field on Sunday at Shea Stadium.