Rangers' Romero whiffs 12 Jays for first shutout  —  TORONTO (AP) — Ricky Romero struck out 12 in his first career shutout, Jose Bautista hit two home runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 6-0 on Saturday.  —  Romero (4-1) allowed just five singles and walked one.

Blalock could join Rays today  —  Though the Rays can't confirm anything at this point, it appears that Hank Blalock will be joining the team at Tropicana Field today when they face the Mariners.  —  Blalock, a two-time All-Star, had no big-league offers when he signed with the Rays during spring training …

Game 36: Yankees vs. Twins  —  YANKEES (23-12)  —  TWINS (22-13)  —  UMPIRES: HP Tim Timmons, 1B Tim Tschida, 2B Bob Davidson, 3B Alfonso Marquez  —  WEATHER: Perfectly beautiful day here in the Bronx.  Great day for a game.  —  Sorry for the lack of pregame notes.

Don't hold your breath on Oswalt  —  Roy Oswalt's name is out there as a potential reinforcement for a team in need of pitching help, but don't expect the Mets to inquire.  —  Oswalt, the Astros right-hander, recently said he's willing to waive his no-trade clause if Houston wants to deal him.

Yanks' Nick Johnson Is Facing Wrist Surgery  —  Nick Johnson, the Yankees' often-injured designated hitter, may require surgery on his right wrist, General Manager Brian Cashman said Saturday.  —  Johnson, who went on the disabled list May 8 with what was called an inflamed tendon …

Reyes to Bat Leadoff, Pagan Third  —  MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jose Reyes will be back in his familiar leadoff role for Saturday night's game against the Florida Marlins, and Angel Pagan, who has been hitting first, will move the No. 3 spot.  —  The complete lineup for the game has not been posted yet …

Angels' GM Tony Reagins says roster doesn't need an overhaul  —  The Angels have struggled on offense and defense this season, but Reagins says the team just needs for the players to perform at a higher level.  —  The help wanted sign still hasn't gone up.

Soft landing for Byrnes in Menlo Park  —  Eric Byrnes' game didn't start until 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday, which explains why at 7:20 p.m. he was walking through a Menlo Park eatery with a pitcher of beer in each hand.  —  Such a late start required that The Dutch Goose slow-pitch softball players …

A chance to change, but a familiar ending  —  The Grapes of Wrath or the Wrath of Grapes?  —  Only the Bruins could lose a 3-0 lead twice in the same series.  —  Only the Bruins could lose a Game 7 on a power-play goal after getting called for too many men on the ice.  —  Are you kidding me?

Rehabbing Igarashi could return in a week  —  Mets on Twitter  —  MIAMI — Ryota Igarashi could rejoin the Mets' bullpen by next weekend.  —  The right-hander is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as today for Single-A St. Lucie and move to Triple-A Buffalo later in the week.

Hardy could rejoin Twins in Boston  —  NEW YORK — Shortstop J.J. Hardy is not currently on the Twins' current three-city, seven-game roadtrip as he rehabs from his bruised left wrist back in Minnesota.  —  Hardy is eligible to return from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday …

Decision time for Nats on Morse  —  On Monday, the Nationals will have to make a decision on outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list and is close to finishing up his rehab assignment.  —  The Nationals could bring Morse back on 25-man roster or outright him to Triple-A Syracuse.

GAME 34: Yankees vs. Charlotte Knights  —  feat.  Romulo Sanchez rhp (0-2, 6.48)  —  Charlotte  —  Brent Lillibridge ss  —  Jordan Danks cf  —  Dayan Viciedo 1b  —  Tyler Flowers dh  —  Stefan Gartrell rf  —  Josh Kroeger lf  —  C.J. Retherford 2b  —  Donny Lucy c  —  Javier Colina 3b

David Ortiz heats up  —  Two-homer game lifts average over .200  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  DETROIT - David Ortiz [stats]' first home run last night went an unscientific 450 feet in distance, a Ruthian shot.  —  The next one went a more modest, but still impressive, 394 feet.

Mr. Perfect: Braden deals next with Angels  —  A whirlwind week that commenced with the 19th perfect game in Major League history and has included appearances on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Early Show” and a regional cover of Sports Illustrated will come to a close on Friday for Dallas Braden.

Ollie appears out of rotation  —  Oliver Perez appears unlikely to make his next scheduled start, Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.  Jerry Manuel would not confirm such a maneuver, saying he first needed to meet with the left-hander Saturday.  But Manuel met with Omar Minaya …