Crasnick: Baldelli aiding Tampa Bay draft effort  —  Former 2000 first-round draft pick now scouting amateur players for Rays  —  Rocco Baldelli's new career as a troubleshooting scout for the Tampa Bay Rays got off to a shaky start this spring when he suffered a case of food poisoning that necessitated a trip to the emergency room.

Nix sits on Thursday in favor of Ankiel, Bernadina  —  PHOENIX — Although he has been the Nationals' most consistent hitter this season, outfielder Laynce Nix found himself on the bench against D-backs left-hander Zach Duke on Thursday.  —  Instead manager Jim Riggleman decided to play Rick Ankiel …

Medical updates on Hill, Matsuzaka  —  Lefthanded reliever Rich Hill, who left yesterday's game clutching his arm, has a serious injury according to a major league source and is likely to require season-ending surgery.  —  Hill and the Red Sox will seek a second opinion …

MLB resolves Yuri Sucart issue  —  The matter regarding Alex Rodriguez's cousin being at the New York Yankees' team hotel has been resolved, Major League Baseball said Thursday.  —  “Our position is, we told the Yankees, they agreed, that [Yuri Sucart] should not be allowed in any non-public areas …

Pujols, Crawford among big names on All-Disappointment team … At this point, with a third of the season in the books, it's fair to start taking performances seriously.  The stat-head warning — “small sample size” — is a bit less ominous as we get through 200 plate appearances for hitters …

Twins lose Thome, Kubel to 15-day DL  —  The Twins placed outfielder Jason Kubel and designated hitter Jim Thome on the 15-day disabled list, the club announced Thursday afternoon.  —  Kubel, who leads the Twins in RBIs (30) and batting average (.310) among position players this season …

Giants GM Brian Sabean rips Scott Cousins, says club would be happy if he never plays in big leagues again (31)  —  Buster Posey's season-ending collision with Marlins rookie Scott Cousins remains an emotional subject for the Giants, and clearly, one of those emotions is anger.

Manger Terry Collins blows up at team after 9-3 loss to Pirates  —  NEW YORK - The same old Mets finally brought out the old Terry Collins.  —  Before the seventh inning transpired Wednesday night, Citi Field seemed poised for an eventual celebration for the home team …

Mets sell $200M minority stake  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since August 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  Follow him on Twitter.  — RADIO - SHOP - TICKETS - ODDS  — NFL  — MLB  — NASCAR  — NBA  — NHL  — NCAA FB

Yankees' Phil Hughes takes the next step in his return  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Phil Hughes prepared as if he were pitching in an actual game.  He went through his typical pregame routine, rested for a few minutes as he would before a real start, then took the pitcher's mound.

Padres plan to take advantage of extra picks  —  With five of the first 58 selections, Draft a big day for franchise  —  SAN DIEGO — It's one thing to have the benefit of additional Draft picks to use in the First-Year Player Draft, but it's something else to have the luxury of extra picks in what is considered a very deep Draft.

Mauer catches again, tired but says he ‘felt good’  —  FORT MYERS, Fla.—Joe Mauer is back to crouching behind the plate, a bit tired but still committed to being a catcher.  —  The rehabilitating Minnesota Twins star caught three innings Thursday in an extended spring training game …