Rangers set rotation; Darvish will debut April 9  —  Lewis handed Opening Day assignment, followed by two lefties  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Two Japanese baseball icons will go head to head when the Rangers play the Mariners on April 9 at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Aceves, Doubront both sparkle in starts  —  Pitchers make strong cases for job in Boston's 2012 rotation  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Pitching at the same time but on different fields, Alfredo Aceves and Felix Doubront both made strong cases Thursday afternoon that they could be productive members of the Red Sox's starting rotation.

Pregame notes: Yankees prepared for all rotation options  —  Yesterday Joe Girardi spoke in glowing terms about Freddy Garcia, and today he left very open the possibility of optioning either Ivan Nova or Michael Pineda to Triple-A to start the season.  —  “There's no gaurantee that the sixth starter goes to the bullpen,” Girardi said.

Sanchez shows Marlins shoulder is OK  —  JUPITER, Fla.—JUPITER, Fla. — Anibal Sanchez put to rest any questions about the Miami Marlins' rotation.  —  Sanchez allowed a run in five innings, including Carlos Beltran's second homer, and the Miami Marlins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 Thursday.

Angels, Indians in Abreu trade talks  —  The Los Angeles Angels are discussing a trade that would send designated hitter/outfielder Bobby Abreu to the Cleveland Indians, according to major-league sources.  —  A deal is not certain to be completed, with one source describing the possibility as “50-50.”

Montero looking for V-Mart deal; no chance to get it with D-Backs  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Improving Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero is said to be looking for a deal similar to Victor Martinez's $52-million, four-year contract, and the chances for him to make a deal with Arizona appear slim under those conditions.

A long Los Angeles nightmare ends  —  THERE has never been a shortage of examples to illustrate the old adage that life isn't fair.  But few can compete with the tale of Frank McCourt, the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, now that he has agreed to sell the club for an eye-popping $2.15 billion.

Final score: Mets 9 Astros 1  —  The Mets (7-16-2) defeated the Astros (13-13) by the score of 9-1 tonight in Port St. Lucie.  —  For a full recap and box score, check out SNY.TV.  —  The Least You Should Know:  — Mike Pelfrey threw 6 1/3 innings and allowed one run on three hits, while striking out three and walking nobody.

Harang works six strong innings in defeat  —  Starter allows one run; Lindblom gives up decisive homer  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — Trayce Thompson homered off Josh Lindblom in the seventh inning as the White Sox edged the Dodgers on Thursday, 3-1.  —  Starters Aaron Harang of the Dodgers …

Albert paces 20-hit Halos attack in victory  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — First basemen Albert Pujols and Eric Hosmer had big days, the Angels hit back-to-back-to-back homers and both teams combined for 16 runs on 23 hits in the first three innings of a slugfest the Halos eventually won, 11-8, at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Thursday.

Pierre makes Phillies roster  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Juan Pierre appeared in 158 games and batted 711 times in 2011 with the Chicago White Sox, his 12th year in the majors, but came to Phillies camp never completely assured of a job.  —  On Thursday, he finally was.

Hamels strikes out seven in strong outing  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels looks more than ready for his 2012 regular-season debut.  —  Hamels allowed three hits, one run and struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings on Thursday in a 2-1 victory over the Rays at Bright House Field.

Wren searching for upgrades as season nears  —  Roster mostly set, but depth still a concern  —  VIERA, Fla. — Braves general manager Frank Wren has spent the past month evaluating his club as it progressed through the Grapefruit League season.  Now, like his peers, he will spend …