Madden: George finds out what money can't buy  —  The Babe had to be cringing.  Either that, or licking his chops for an at-bat against Damaso Marte.  —  And you thought the Citi Field opener was an embarrassment for the Mets?  Other than Jorge Posada from the old Stadium's diminished old guard christening …

Martis, Dunn help Nationals finally get their first win  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Adam Dunn and the Washington Nationals finally won a game, because they finally got decent pitching.  —  Dunn hit one of Washington's four homers, Shairon Martis threw 6 1/3 solid innings, and the Nationals avoided setting …

Mets' Pitching Woes Continue in Loss to Padres  —  Not yet two full turns through their rotation, the Mets have very little they can truly rely on yet, other than a left-hander named Johann Santana.  Mike Pelfrey is battling soreness in his right arm, Oliver Perez has been inconsistent …

Mientkiewicz separates shoulder  —  Utility man likely headed to DL; DeWitt, Paul may get call  —  LOS ANGELES — Dodgers utility man Doug Mientkiewicz suffered a dislocated right shoulder diving into second base on a two-run pinch-hit double Thursday night and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Angels sending Guerrero back to Los Angeles for exam  —  SEATTLE (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero is leaving a road trip and heading back to Los Angeles for further tests on an injured chest muscle.  —  Manager Mike Scioscia said an MRI Thursday revealed a strained pectoral muscle.

More tests scheduled for Nady's elbow  —  Until more is known, Yankees give Robertson roster spot  —  NEW YORK — Amidst all the pomp and all the grandeur of the home opener at the new Yankee Stadium, the home team also received a sobering dose of reality.

Figgy pulled after two in Buffalo; Sunday start looming?  —  Nelson Figueroa was pulled from Thursday's Triple-A Buffalo matinee after a scoreless second inning and 32 pitches against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  That would seem to indicate Figueroa is the choice to take Mike Pelfrey's turn Sunday …

Gordon placed on 15-day disabled list  —  Slugger needs surgery for labral cartilage tear of right hip  —  KANSAS CITY — Alex Gordon's right hip injury proved to be much more serious than imagined.  —  Gordon, the Royals' third baseman, was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday …

Francoeur's day dashed as Braves fall  —  Outfielder drives in Anderson twice as Atlanta drops finale  —  ATLANTA — All of the optimism the Braves created during their first six games of the season has been blurred by the upstart Marlins, who took advantage of costly mistakes and displayed …

Dodgers extend winning streak to five  —  Mistakes by Giants contribute to a three-game sweep.  Stults is now 2-0.  —  If only the Dodgers could play the Giants every day.  —  Wait, wasn't that the first sentence of the story in Thursday morning's paper?  Whatever.

Answer Man: Joakim Soria talks big TVs, wrestling and dentistry  —  Ever since they plucked him from the Padres organization via the Mexican League before the 2007 season, Joakim Soria been a rollicking success for the Royals.  He made the AL All-Star team and registered 42 saves in '08 and …

A little more luck helps  —  New stat says Red Sox aren't playing badly  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  Slice and dice the 2-4 road trip any way you'd like, the Red Sox [team stats] will still be sitting in the AL East cellar.  They got outhit and outpitched …