Players mostly relieved it's over  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Some expressed sympathy, others surprise.  But overall, what the Mets felt the most after learning about the fate of Willie Randolph and two of his fired coaches late Monday night was a sense of relief.

Cubs call Murton back up, but only as trade bait?  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Cubs recalled Matt Murton from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and sent Eric Patterson back down, though they may just be showcasing Murton for a possible deal.  —  “We hated to send Patterson out, we really did,” manager Lou Piniella said.

Cubs' Soriano hopes to return for All-Star Game  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Alfonso Soriano said Tuesday he's hoping to make it back from his broken hand in time to play in the All-Star Game on July 15 game at Yankee Stadium, where he began his major-league career.

Chatting with Sandy Alderson (Part 3)  —  This is the third of a three-part interview (Part 1 is here; Part 2 is here) with San Diego Padres CEO Sandy Alderson.  Big thanks to Mr. Alderson for taking time out of his busy schedule to make himself available, and also to his assistant …

Sox matinee today  —  Today is a day to soak in the Celtics win, but the Red Sox have some unfinished business in Philadelphia this afternoon as they try to take the rubber game of a three-game set with the Phillies.  —  The Sox will send rookie Justin Masterson (3-1, 2.90 ERA) to the mound in 1:05 p.m. start.

Johnson to make Class A rehab start  —  Right-hander advancing in recovery from Tommy John surgery  —  SEATTLE — Encouraged by a couple of Gulf Coast League starts, the Marlins are advancing Josh Johnson to pitching in games for Class A Jupiter in the Florida State League.

Reuniting Zito with old coach makes sense  —  (06-17) 20:09 PDT — Rick Peterson was Barry Zito's pitching coach through the pitcher's best years in Oakland.  Now that Peterson is unemployed, would it not make sense for the Giants to hire him as a special instructor to work with Zito and help right him?

Carpenter gets upbeat news  —  Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter returned from his trip to Alabama for a second opinion on his right elbow with reassuring news that he shouldn't hesitate to restart his rehab.  —  “All of my tests were fine; my ligament and my reconstruction looks good,” …

Texas Rangers' Blalock waits his turn  —  rdurrett@dallasnews.com  —  ARLINGTON - Hank Blalock will have to stay patient a little longer.  The newest Rangers first baseman won't play this weekend in Washington as previously planned.  The target date for his return is now Tuesday in Houston.

Renteria gets 2,000, Thames homers again  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Marcus Thames has been hitting home runs at a rate that not even Barry Bonds could match.  —  Thames homered in his fifth straight game and Kenny Rogers pitched seven strong innings to help the Detroit Tigers beat the San Francisco Giants 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Who might replace Bavasi?  —  An ex-GM helps the P-I develop list of potentials  —  Mariners president Chuck Armstrong said Monday he has some candidates in mind to replace the fired Bill Bavasi as general manager.  —  He didn't name names, of course, but Armstrong is well connected after 25 years in the game.