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 …

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).

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.

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 …

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.

Joel Zumaya: 'I can't stand the Yankees'  —  Detroit — With two scoreless innings of relief in the Tigers' 8-6 loss Wednesday night, Joel Zumaya was back at his best against the team he likes the least.  —  The Yankees.  —  When it comes to his opinion of them, there's just no holding back.

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 …

Yankees' Patrons in Not-So-Cheap Seats Also Deserve a Break  —  Why not cut more ticket prices at Yankee Stadium, not just the really expensive ones?  —  The Yankees' move on Tuesday to slash the price of slower-selling premium seats, including the $2,500 perches, and give away others affects a few hundred seats.

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 …

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.