Minaya explains Randolph's dismissal  —  Mets general manager: ‘I had to make a decision’  —  ANAHEIM — Shortly after Willie Randolph arrived back at his hotel on Monday night, fresh off a victory, Mets general manager Omar Minaya called him into his own hotel room.

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.

Blog Archives  —  Home › Sports › Columns & Blogs › Rockies Farm Report  —  Rockies Farm Report  —  Kendall Albaugh, a blogger at purplerow.com, writes a weekly Farm Report for the Rocky Mountain News.  You can reach Kendall at girl_rox@yahoo.com.  —  Casper and Tri-City Season Previews

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.

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.

‘The wrong thing to do’ … What is your reaction to the move?  —  I'm not surprised that he was fired.  There was a lot of heat on him.  The team had underperformed, in the estimation of his bosses.  It appeared, as of last week, that he would be fired soon.  The thing that's hard to believe is the timing of it.

REYES HURT AS MANUEL LOSES DEBUT  —  ANAHEIM — Jerry Manuel's debut started ominously last night and got worse from there.  —  Manuel and the Mets lost Jose Reyes to a tight left hamstring just four pitches into the game, then watched ace Johan Santana look mortal in a 6-1 interleague loss to the Angels.

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.

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.

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,” …

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.

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.

Joba: Don't call me the Yankee ace  —  With Chien-Ming Wang shelved for a minimum of 10 weeks, one would think the Yankees need a new ace - and soon.  But as fiery as Joba Chamberlain is, he is not volunteering to be that guy just yet.  —  When asked Tuesday if he is feeling pressure …

Riske looks good in rehab assignment  —  Injured hurler may be set for return after another outing  —  MILWAUKEE — David Riske was very sharp in a 38-pitch simulated inning on Saturday afternoon, and he was even better in his rehab assignment Tuesday night for Triple-A Nashville.