Slumping Mets eye major shakeup  —  ST. LOUIS - Jerry Manuel shook up his lineup Thursday afternoon, but the tinkering became irrelevant when the Mets' starting pitching again faltered.  —  Now, a more significant shakeup may be looming, with coaches on the firing line and Mike Pelfrey's …

Hamels OK after line drive tattoos him in Phillies' loss to Brewers  —  IT IS easy to imagine the types of thoughts that fly through a pitcher's mind when a line drive comes screaming off a bat headed directly toward the front of the mound, particularly when the hitter is Prince Fielder …

The road not taken: Alex Rodriguez's career with Boston  —  The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox renew their rivalry this weekend without Alex Rodriguez, who is rehabbing from hip surgery at the Yankees' training facility in Tampa, injury merely the latest twist in his tortured saga in pinstripes.

More on Wang's day  —  OK, finally have the definite numbers on Wang:  —  7 innings  —  9 hits  —  5 runs  —  4 earned  —  0 walks  —  11 strikeouts  —  91 pitches / 70 strikes  —  “Good day,” Wang said.  “Sinker down more, but sometimes got higher and the ball didn't sink.”

Out until healthy, Bradley adjusting  —  Outfielder speaks about injury, relationship with media  —  CHICAGO — This is not how Milton Bradley wanted to start his tenure with the Cubs.  —  The outfielder knows he's battled a series of injuries, and now he's sidelined with a nagging groin injury.

What they're saying about Sox-Yanks  —  There's a perception around these parts that the Sox-Yankees rivalry has lost some of its luster and contentiousness in recent years — particularly during a three-game series in April — but George Costanza's favorite author tells us this morning that he doesn't believe that's the case.

Opinion: The Clock is Ticking on Sheffield  —  The Mets will face Nationals LHP Scott Olsen tonight, marking the first time this season the team will face a left-handed starting pitcher.  —  Yesterday, Jerry Manuel told reporters he will likely start the right-handed hitting Fernando Tatis …

O'Day would like to stay with Rangers a long while  —  Darren O'Day has the Texas Rangers to thank for giving him another shot at the major leagues this season, but he owes a Florida beer-league team for turning him into a big league-quality pitcher.  —  The right-hander had given up on baseball …

A random thought regarding the Dodgers' bullpen problems  —  This isn't something I'm hearing from a source, either on the record or off.  It's pure speculation on my part.  But I'm wondering if Jeff Weaver might be in a big-league uniform pretty soon.  He has had four relief appearances at ABQ …

So Much Baseball Season Left to Play  —  Fernando Perez was supposed to spend this spring and summer helping the Tampa Bay Rays defend their American League East division title, using his speed and glove to get them to another World Series.  But a wrist injury in spring training knocked …