A-Rod on 'roids for years, new book claims … Alex Rodriguez may have bulked up with steroids as early as high school - and was suspected of juicing while playing for the Yankees, a bombshell new book reports.  —  Although the slugger insists he dabbled in steroids only while with the Texas Rangers …

Pitching remains Dodgers' downfall  —  Changes coming after Stults' early departure vs. Giants  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Despite a trip-ending defeat Wednesday night, the Dodgers are still in first place, which makes you wonder how great life would be if they had a solid starting rotation.

Marlins 4, Mets 3: Manuel ruffling feathers, but why?  —  Jerry Manuel's affable personality gives him a lot of admirers, but Wednesday's late-game managing really dumbfounded me.  —  Manuel had an explanation for why he dispatched Omir Santos to pinch-hit for Ramon Castro with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth.

Red Sox-Rays scouting report  —  AT TROPICANA FIELD  —  TONIGHT - RHP Josh Beckett [stats] (2-1, 6.00 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Garza (1-2, 4.97).  TV - NESN, MLB Network.  Radio - WRKO-AM (860).  7:08 p.m.  —  TOMORROW - RHP Justin Masterson (2-0, 2.70) vs. RHP Andy Sonnanstine (0-3, 7.78).

So far, Jim Hendry's off-season moves look bad  —  Chicago Cubs miss Mark DeRosa  —  Mike Norton, a Tribune subscriber living in California, makes good points.  He also has a nice sense of history.  —  Our kind of guy.  —  “Having followed the Cubs pretty closely since 1954 …

Smoltz setback not considered serious  —  CLEVELAND - John Smoltz has been shut down for what looks like a “10-14” day period according to a team source.  —  The veteran righthander was backed off from throwing late last week and then was scheduled to throw batting practice on Thursday, but that was scratched.

Sore shoulder sends Pronk to DL  —  Tribe DH to visit doctor for offseason surgery follow-up  —  CLEVELAND — The troublesome right shoulder that cost Travis Hafner half of the 2008 season is not entirely a thing of the past.  —  Just 3 1/2 weeks into his regular-season return …

Ellis, Garciaparra placed on DL  —  Infielders among four A's injured in Tuesday's game  —  ARLINGTON — Having tied the club record by using the disabled list 22 times in 2007, the A's eclipsed that dubious mark by three a year ago.  —  Now they're on a pace that could set the record again.

Josh Hamilton hopes to avoid DL as sore rib cage heals  —  ARLINGTON — Josh Hamilton said the medicine for his ailing left rib cage has made him feel better and he hopes to avoid a trip to the disabled list.  —  “I'm hoping so,” said Hamilton, who benefited from a free day off Wednesday because of the rainout.

Hope for Lidge, Hamels  —  The Phillies have endured injuries to both their ace and their closer this week, but they remain hopeful that both issues will be resolved by the weekend.  —  Cole Hamels, who suffered a mild sprain of his left ankle Tuesday, is set to throw a bullpen session tomorrow …

Vazquez victimized by big inning in loss  —  Braves starter roughed up in fifth as series slips away  —  ATLANTA — While Javier Vazquez couldn't explain how he garnered such results with a rather impressive performance, the Braves were left to wonder how they managed to lose a series during …

Nationals finally get some relief  —  The amount of tinkering the Washington Nationals have had to do to get to this point - to earn a road victory that required nothing more than a simple, clean effort - is almost unfathomable.  —  Their go-ahead RBI came from an outfielder who played himself …

Separating early MLB fact from fiction … We hold these truths to be self-evident.  The [Florida Marlins] Toronto Blue Jays are this year's Tampa Bay Rays.  David Wright is a bum.  Yankee Stadium is the new Coors Field.  —  We're just over three weeks into the MLB season …

False alarm halts Tigers-Yanks game  —  Emergency alert sounds at Comerica in bottom of eighth  —  DETROIT — Most of the current Tigers weren't around during the first few years of Comerica Park, when one of the stadium's kinks included an emergency alarm system that was a bit sensitive.