Pudge's pro attitude as backup helps Nats  —  NEW YORK — The Nationals are grateful they are not going through a catching controversy like the Yankees experienced with catcher Jorge Posada recently.  —  Last month, Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez took the news well after manager Jim Riggleman told …

Carlos Peguero's sun hit in 9th gives Seattle 2-1 win  —  SEATTLE - Nine-time Gold Glover Torri Hunter lost Carlos Peguero's fly ball with two outs in the ninth inning in the sun, allowing Jack Cust to score and give the Seattle Mariners a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday afternoon.

Jamie McCourt wants Dodgers sale  —  LOS ANGELES — Attorneys for former Los Angeles Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt have asked a judge to order the sale of the team in order to prevent a possible seizure of the club by Major League Baseball from her ex-husband.  —  Jamie McCourt filed court …

Jake Peavy basks after redemptive start  —  CHICAGO — It was hard to tell who had a better night at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday, Jake Peavy or his doctor.  —  It appeared to be a draw as Peavy and surgeon Antony Romeo hugged following Peavy's dominating shutout over the best-hitting team …

No surgery for Daisuke Matsuzaka  —  Plan is to rehab sprained elbow  —  Rehab, and not surgery, is expected to be enough to get Daisuke Matsuzaka [stats]'s sprained right elbow healthy again, a team source said yesterday, but it might be July before he will pitch for the Red Sox [team stats].

Posada at 1B, batting 7th for Yankees vs. O's  —  BALTIMORE — Jorge Posada is back in the New York Yankees lineup, but not at DH.  —  Manager Joe Girardi has Posada in the field for the initial time this year — at first base.  Posada is batting seventh, followed by Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner.

Morneau leads Twins as Minnesota sweeps Athletics  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Justin Morneau homered and had three hits and Rene Rivera hit his first home run in nearly five years, and the suddenly resurgent Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 11-1 on Thursday.

Holliday, Berkman suffer injuries vs. Astros  —  Left fielder's left quad tightens up; right fielder hurts right wrist  —  ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals lost both of their starting corner outfielders to injuries during Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Astros.  —  Left fielder Matt Holliday departed …

Gee flirts with no-hitter; Mets blank Nationals 1-0  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Dillon Gee shut down Washington once again, tossing hitless ball until pitcher Livan Hernandez grounded a clean single with two outs in the sixth inning, to lead the New York Mets over the Nationals 1-0 Thursday.

Cubs almost twins  —  Series features teams with much in common  —  The Cubs and Red Sox are baseball cousins.  Along with RBI, ERA, and OPS, the Cubs and Red Sox share DNA.  Stephen King once told us that a Cubs-Red Sox World Series would be a sign of the apocalypse.

Aubrey Huff willing to play 3rd  —  (05-18) 04:00 PDT Los Angeles — It's so crazy, it just might work.  Why not move Aubrey Huff to third base and recall Brandon Belt to play first?  —  The idea supposedly came up as a way to ignite the offense, and might gain more traction following …

Another Yankee Contract Set to Expire  —  After Nearly 4,000 games in the Radio Booth, John Sterling's Contract Ends This Season; a Few Words for His Critics  —  For months, the Yankees have struggled to deal with a delicate matter: the inevitable winding down of two of the team's cornerstone players, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.

Bernie: Cards' success breeds jealousy  —  What's the deal with the Cardinals and grumpy old broadcasters?  First we heard from Houston's Milo Hamilton, yelling something about Lance Berkman's physical conditioning.  And then the Cincinnati curmudgeon, Marty Brennaman …

Slowed by Injuries, and Weather, the Mets Push Through to Victory  —  Before thousands of empty green seats, with black storm clouds practically tripping over the light stanchions at Citi Field, the Mets left-hander Jon Niese threw his first pitch at 7:11 p.m. Wednesday, even though it might have made more sense to take the night off.