Mets have a plan post-Minaya  —  PHOENIX - High-ranking personnel within the Mets organization believe John Ricco ultimately will emerge as Omar Minaya's successor as GM, the Daily News has learned.  —  Ricco, 41, joined the organization as assistant GM in April 2004 after spending 12 years working …

Yanks' seven-game win streak ends  —  Bombers unable to rally after Mitre falters against Jays  —  NEW YORK — Just as the Yankees spent much of their two-game series in Toronto last week playing the Blue Jays and dodging questions about the Red Sox, they spent their pregame hours Monday discouraging talk …

The Nats' GM Search Narrows  —  The Washington Nationals are narrowing their search for a permanent general manager, with Mike Rizzo, Boston assistant GM Jed Hoyer and Arizona player personnel vice president Jerry Dipoto emerging as the primary candidates, according to industry sources.

New York Yankees' Ian Kennedy throws off mound  —  TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees pitcher Ian Kennedy threw off a mound for the first time since undergoing surgery May 12 to remove an aneurysm from beneath his right biceps.  —  Kennedy threw 25 pitches during a bullpen session Tuesday.

Report: Smoltz clears waivers  —  John Smoltz, the veteran righthander who was designated for assignment Friday after eight underwhelming starts with the Red Sox, has cleared waivers, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  —  Smoltz, who won 210 games and saved 154 during his stellar 20-year career …

For Tigers, Tazawa is one that got away  —  Detroit (59-52) at Boston (63-48), 7:10 p.m. ET  —  BOSTON — This wasn't exactly the way the Tigers would have liked to see Junichi Tazawa's first Major League start.  —  Detroit was one of the handful of teams interested in the Japanese youngster …

A-Rod on fire since caught kissing actress Kate Hudson at Yankee Stadium  —  A-Rod may have a new lucky charm.  —  The Yankee slugger's latest girlfriend, movie star cutie Kate Hudson, loves to cheer him on from the stands - and he's been on top of his game ever since they went public.

Rockies roll again behind Tulo's cycle  —  Team takes three of four as De La Rosa shuts down Cubs  —  DENVER — It's OK for the Rockies to dream big as long as Troy Tulowitzki and the offense produce big.  —  Tulowitzki achieved the fifth cycle in Rockies history and set career highs …

Kemp's big hit helps Kuroda beat Giants  —  Dodgers outfielder smacks three-run double in opener  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Fights in the stands, cops on the field, hecklers hollering at Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers couldn't have been more comfortable.  —  Even though they played at AT&T Park …

Selig's saving grace: Return records to Maris, Aaron  —  will be remembered as a joke and the commissioner himself as a failure, the man who presided over an era in which baseball's only real currency, its hallowed history and its sacred numbers, became as worthless as Confederate money.

Orioles, Tolliver Agree On $200,000  —  The Orioles and fifth-round pick Ashur Tolliver have agreed on a $200,000 bonus, pending the results of a physical today.  MLB's recommendation for Tolliver's draft slot (146th overall) was $174,600.  Tolliver's bonus matches Daniel Tuttle's (Reds …

Wakefield to return next week?  —  Red Sox manager Terry Francona just completed his pregame briefing during which he announced the following:  — Tim Wakefield will start for Triple A Pawtucket on Friday, with George Kottaras behind the plate.  If all goes well, Wakefield could be pitching for the Sox as soon as next week.

How Best to Measure a Team's True Talent  —  One of the first sabermetric principles that many people learn about is how a team's winning percentage can be predicted by the number of runs scored and allowed.  This Pythagorean winning percentage takes the following form: WPCT= RS^1.81/(RS^1.81 + RA^1.81).

Merlyn Mantle dies at age 77  —  Merlyn Mantle, the widow of Mickey Mantle who was by turns the adoring, troubled and stoic partner in a 43-year marriage to the Yankee icon, died Monday in a hospice in Plano, Tex. She was 77.  —  The cause of death was the effects of Alzheimer's disease, the Yankees said in a statement.