A-Rod powers potent Yankees past Braves  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Alex Rodriguez is starting to get his groove back.  —  “We needed that,” he said.  “I needed it.  I felt like my body was reacting pretty well.”  —  GAME REPORT: Yankees 11, Braves 7  —  A-ROD: Girardi says Rodriguez will face Mets this weekend

2009 Futures Game Rosters  —  The 25 U.S. and 25 World members of the 2009 Futures Game.

Chicago Cubs' Geovany Soto tested positive for marijuana at World Baseball Classic  —  Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto said he has been informed by the International Baseball Federation that he tested positive for marijuana at the World Baseball Classic.  —  “While I fully acknowledge …

Sources: Drug Enforcement Agency eyes Miami doc for supplying Manny Ramirez PEDs  —  As Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez nears the end of his 50-game suspension, Drug Enforcement Administration investigators are looking at a Miami doctor and his son as the source …

Pirates option Snell to Indianapolis  —  The Pirates today optioned starter Ian Snell to Class AAA Indianapolis.  A corresponding move will be announced before the game tomorrow.  —  Snell is 2-8 with a 5.36 ERA, each figure the worst on the staff.  —  Details to come.

Stark On Lee, DeRosa, Phillies, Rays, Beltre  —  Jayson Stark of ESPN.com calls this one of the slowest-moving trade markets in a while, but provides lots of rumors anyways:  — Teams are making introductory calls now to set the tone for the next five weeks.

John Smoltz starts rough  —  Encouraged despite loss in Red Sox debut  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email + Bio  —  WASHINGTON - Being an avid golfer, John Smoltz is well-acquainted with the mulligan.  —  In that spirit, let's just agree his Red Sox [team stats] career began in the second inning last night.

Aybar fills in admirably as Rays rout Phillies in World Series rematch  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Willy Aybar homered and drove in three runs as a replacement for an injured Evan Longoria on Thursday night, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 10-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies …

Byrd takes Conte's supplements without apology  —  Buzz up!  —  Marlon Byrd  —  wouldn't be pulling down $3 million as a Major League baseball player without getting a second chance from an obscure community college after he nearly had a leg amputated more than a decade ago.

Frank Thomas says he's 95 percent certain he's going to retire  —  Frank Thomas said he's getting close to announcing his retirement, and the 41-year-old slugger said he's having fun being a member of the media.  —  The Chicago White Sox's all-time leader in home runs, RBI and runs …

For A-Rod and Yanks, a slump brings whispers  —  The question ricochets among talent evaluators these days as they watch Alex Rodriguez take 4.7 seconds to run to first base, as ground balls scoot by him at third base, as he struggles to catch up to fastballs.

Cardinals Zero In On Mateo  —  Despite an economic recession, bonus records will fall when the international signing period begins on July 2.  —  The latest buzz in Latin America is that the Cardinals are expected to sign 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo for a bonus of approximately $3 million on July 2.

Berkman's four RBIs lead Astros past Royals  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Lance Berkman homered twice and drove in four runs to help the Houston Astros overcome an error-filled day and beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Thursday.  —  Berkman entered the game needing to drive in one run to become …

Note: Hello, Fernando Nieve  —  The 26-year-old Fernando Nieve pitched six scoreless innings last night in a win against the Cardinals, during which he struck out five batters.  —  Nieve is 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA in three starts, during which opponents are batting 152 against him.