So now the details of the Armando Benitez trade to the Florida Marlins are available.
Benitez will pitch in sunny Florida. In exchange, the Marlins sent Randy Messenger to the Giants. Also, the Giants will pick up nearly all of the remainder of Benitez's salary.
The big question for fantasy leaguers chasing saves remains -- who will close games for the Giants and Marlins?
Kevin Gregg remains the closer for the Fish.
Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez also confirmed it. The fact the Giants are picking up a huge chunk of Benitez's contract also takes pressure away from the team forcing him into a role.
While Gregg has pitched very well in May (6-for-6 in save opportunities) he will be on a shorter leash. His ability to pitch multiple innings also will make it very tempting to move him from the ninth-inning role, too.
As for the Giants, Brad Hennessey will get first crack at the closer's job.
He's converted two chances for San Francisco. He's not an ideal choice, so if he struggles, Kevin Correia could be worth a flier.

Roger Clemens is ready to start, and you should be ready to put him in your lineup.
Clemens' first start is against the Pirates, and we all know that the Pirates aren't exactly the best team going.
Plus, the Yankees are at home and playing better.
A bad recipe for the Pirates.

Braves pitcher John Smoltz has been bothered by a sore shoulder, although you wouldn't be able to tell from his results.
Smoltz is 7-3 with a 2.83 ERA but doesn't know if he'll start Sunday.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Smoltz said his shoulder was doing well, but his status for Sunday's home game against Chicago won't be determined before he throws in the bullpen on Saturday.
Unless you hear he's out, keep him active.

Everyone wants to be the first to grab the next best thing.
With baseball minor league players it's a bit more difficult than, say, football or basketball.
Football or basketball players can be expected to help a team immediately after they're drafted. Baseball? Well, it could take three year, four year, five years or longer for a player to reach the bigs.
Fantasy leaguers could use help now.
So, who could be up from this year's crop?
The three best bets:
David Price, the first pick in the draft, could be playing in Tampa Bay before the year is out. He went 11-1 this year and led Division I with 194 strikeouts.
Casey Weathers could be the next closer in Colorado.
Daniel Moskos wasn't exactly a fashionable pick by the Pirates. They tend not to rush players, but they need help in the bullpen. If the Bucs sign him quickly, he could move along.

John Smoltz will not start Sunday.
Despite saying he felt good when throwing Saturday, Smoltz will miss the start with inflammation in his right shoulder.
The Braves haven't put him on the DL, so just sit tight until we hear more.

From the interesting development department, Troy Percival will try to make a comeback with the Cardinals.
It was interesting to see the Cards sign him when other teams like the Phillies and Tigers were interested in him.
The Cards have one of the better bullpens in the NL, and didn't seem to need the added pitcher.
Keep him on your radar, but he shouldn't be rostered in any format at this time.

A lot was said about the first round of MLB draft last week, but Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News had this team of steals from the draft:

An All-Star team of players who were drafted in the 28th round or later or signed as undrafted players:
— Catcher: Mike Piazza, 62nd round, Dodgers, 1988; Brad Ausmus, 48th round, Yankees, 1987.
— First base: Keith Hernandez, 42nd round, Cardinals, 1971; Jeff Conine, 58th round, Royals, 1987.
— Second base: Frank White, undrafted, Royals, 1970; Marcus Giles, 53rd round, Braves, 1996.
— Third base: Larry Parrish, undrafted, Expos, 1972; Don Money, undrafted, Pirates, 1967.
— Shortstop: Larry Bowa, undrafted, Phillies, 1965; Toby Harrah, undrafted, Phillies, 1966.
— Left field: Kevin Mitchell, undrafted, Mets, 1980; Jeffrey Leonard, undrafted, Dodgers, 1973.
— Center field: Claudell Washington, undrafted, Athletics, 1972; Dave Roberts, 28th round, Tigers, 1994.
— Right field: Al Cowens, 75th round, Royals, 1969; Bobby Bonilla, undrafted, Pirates, 1981.
— Starting pitcher: Kenny Rogers, 39th round, Rangers, 1982; Woody Williams, 28th round, Blue Jays, 1988.
— Relief pitcher: Dan Quisenberry, undrafted, Royals, 1975; Bruce Sutter, undrafted, Cubs, 1971.

The latest, greatest rookie pitcher to get the call to the majors is the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo.
Gallardo will replace Chris Capuano in the rotation Monday against the Giants.
If you can acquire Gallardo, now's the time to do it.
He led all of the minors with 110 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings.

Baseball wants money. Their next target is fantasy baseball companies.
Here's a story from the Associated Press:

Attorneys representing Major League Baseball argued Thursday that online fantasy baseball companies cannot operate without paying license fees to MLB to compensate players for the use of their names.
A federal appeals panel of three judges seemed skeptical that MLB could take financial control of a game that uses publicly available statistics and widely known names of players.
"MLB is like a public religion. Everyone knows (the players') names and what they look like," said U.S. Judge Morris Arnold. "This is just part of being an American, isn't it?"
Major League Baseball Players Association lawyer Virginia Seitz said online fantasy games exploit players by effectively turning them into game pieces and using their names to draw more customers.
"There's no way of escaping the fact that players' names are on the product," Seitz said.
Major League Baseball is appealing a lower court judgment last year that ruled St. Louis-based CBC Distribution and Marketing Inc. does not have to pay licensing fees for MLB players' names and statistics as fodder for online fantasy league games.
The fantasy league industry generates more than $1.5 billion annually and millions participate. Big media companies like Yahoo, ESPN and CBS pay MLB millions in annual fees to operate online fantasy leagues.
Players make fake teams comprised of real MLB players. Over the course of a season, fantasy league players crunch statistics to judge how well the players of their fake team are performing.
If MLB wins its suit against CBC, it would effectively give the league monopoly rights over publicly available statistics and other information that is used by fantasy leagues across the country, said CBC's attorney Rudy Telscher.
"If we lose this case, hundreds of companies go out of business," Telscher said.
A key issue in Thursday's arguments was the publicity rights of MLB players. Seitz argued that fantasy leagues are similar to a company that steals a player's image to sell T-shirts, coffee cups or posters. Without using the players' names, fantasy leagues would be an unprofitable practice of statistics crunching, she said.
"There is much less interest in predicting the crime rates of major American cities," she said.
Telscher said fantasy leagues were not unlike newspapers, which use sports players' names in their pages to draw readers. He said customers paid to use CBC's Web site because it automatically process statistics for them, so the company essentially conveys public information.
"There's not any affidavit from players who say they feel like they have been damaged" by fantasy leagues, Telscher said.
It is not known when the panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will rule.

Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News has a quick and helpful read on the top minor league player on each team in his weekly notebook:

ARIZONA is encouraged by the play of Justin Upton at both Class A Visalia and AA Mobile this year, where he has hit .350 in the four weeks since being promoted. He could be in the big leagues by season's end given the struggles of RF Carlos Quentin.
CHICAGO is comfortable with Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot sharing second base, but Eric Patterson, younger brother of former Cub and current Oriole Corey Patterson, hit .306 with eight home runs his first 59 games at Class AAA Iowa. He also had nine stolen bases.
CINCINNATI is getting a look at 1B Joey Votto in left field at AAA Louisville, adding to big-league speculation that OF Adam Dunn is on the trading block.
COLORADO 3B Garrett Atkins has picked a bad time to struggle. Heir apparent Ian Stewart is starting to show big-time power at AAA Colorado Springs, where he has hit .306 with a team-high nine home runs and 38 RBI, which ranks second on the team.
HOUSTON made the big move when it brought up CF Hunter Pence. The only other viable candidate is LHP Troy Patton, who opened the season at Class AA Corpus Christi, going 4-5 with a 2.48 ERA.
LOS ANGELES has solid pitching, but when manager Grady Little sent Jonathan Meloan to minor-league camp during the spring, he said Meloan would be in the bigs before the end of the season, and Meloan has reaffirmed his status so far. He is 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 10 saves in 23 appearances at AA Jacksonville. He also has struck out 44 in 31 innings.
MILWAUKEE has enough youth and enough success to be patient this year, but RHP Yovani Gallardo forced the issue with his outstanding pitching. The right-hander went 8-3 with a 2.90 ERA in his 13 starts at Class AAA Nashville before being called up on Thursday.
PITTSBURGH is upbeat about the progress of former first-round picks Jason Van Benschoten (2000) and Bryan Bullington (2001), both right-handed pitchers coming off shoulder surgery in 2005. Van Benschoten was 6-4 with a 2.73 ERA his first 12 starts at AAA Indianapolis, and Bulling was 9-3 with a 2.83 ERA in his first 13 starts.
ST. LOUIS struck out with Rick Ankiel as a pitcher when he suddenly lost the ability to control his pitches, but he has been reborn as an outfielder, and had 15 home runs and a .276 batting average in his first 54 games at Class AAA Memphis.
SAN DIEGO doesn't have impact players on the horizon, but the Padres could find room for Craig Stansberry in a utility role. He hit .324 with 22 doubles and six home runs in his first 58 games at AAA Portland.
SAN FRANCISCO already has given calls to RHP Tim Lincecum and OF Nate Schierholz. Next could be RHP Chris Begg, who made the move from Class AA to AAA when Lincecum got the call to the bigs. Begg was 5-1 with a 3.28 ERA in his first eight starts at Fresno.
AROUND THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
BALTIMORE gave RHP Jim Hoey a big-league glimpse last year but returned him this year to Class AA Bowie, where he allowed 17 baserunners and had 14 saves in 18 2/3 innings in his first 20 appearances. That earned him a June 1 move to Class AAA Norfolk.
BOSTON needs help for struggling CF Coco Crisp and SS Julio Lugo, which could open a spot for leadoff-hitting CF Jacoby Ellsbury, who had 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts in his first 34 games at AAA Pawtucket.
CHICAGO has been encouraged by the work of RHP Gavin Floyd, a key part of the winter trade that sent Freddy Garcia to Philadelphia. Floyd was 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA in his first 11 starts at AAA Durham. OFs Brian Anderson (.264) and Ryan Sweeney (.284) haven't had the dominant seasons the Sox anticipated.
CLEVELAND was impressed during the spring by RHP Adam Miller, and he opened the season at Class AAA Buffalo by going 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA before being sidelined with a strained tendon in his middle finger. He's supposed to be back on the active roster within a week, and that puts him in place for a second-half promotion.
DETROIT needs bullpen help and promoted RHP Eulogio de la Cruz from Class AA, where he was 4-3 in 10 starts, to Toledo, where he is now working in relief to see if he could give the big-league team a lift.
KANSAS CITY OF Billy Butler got a brief look at the big leagues and could be back long-term if he shows stability in the outfield. He is more fitted for the DH role, but with Mike Sweeney entrenched in the big leagues, that blocks Butler, who has 13 home runs in 52 games at AAA Omaha.
LOS ANGELES brought up LHP Joe Saunders to fill in when Bartolo Colon was on the disabled list, and after seeing him go 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts, the Angels won't delay bringing him back when a need arises.
MINNESOTA pushed Glen Perkins, Scott Baker and Kevin Slowley past RHP Matt Garza to the big leagues, but Garza will be back to the bigs before long. He's only 3-5 at Class AAA Rochester, but his 72 strikeouts in 74 innings are a better indication of his ability.
NEW YORK brought up RHP Phil Hughes, and now the focus is on RHP Ian Kennedy, who after going 6-1 at Class A Tampa, won his first two decisions at AA Trenton.
OAKLAND is finally getting a look at LHP Dan Meyer, the lone remnant from the Tim Hudson trade with Atlanta. Meyer spent most of the last two years battling shoulder trouble. This year he's 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA in nine starts at Class AAA Sacramento.
SEATTLE could move OF Ichiro Suzuki, which would open center field for Adam Jones, who is hitting .327 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI at AAA Tacoma.
TAMPA BAY has been impressed by the quick adjustments of 3B Evan Longoria, the Devil Rays' first-round pick a year ago. He opened at AA Montgomery this season and hit .270 with 14 home runs in his first 64 games.
TEXAS DH Jason Botts has hit close to .370 since May 1, giving the Rangers reason to see if they can deal Sammy Sosa, and if that doesn't work by the All-Star break, possibly giving Sosa his release.
TORONTO is in a dry period in the minors. There's no a prospect making a strong push for a big-league look.

That's good stuff for those who like to stay on top of the top young pitchers and hitters close to getting the call.

Michael Barrett should see most of the playing time in San Diego now that he's a member of the Padres.
The loser in the deal was Josh Bard, who was a decent catcher in fantasy formats, but he'll lose playing time to be considered keeping in all but the deepest of formats.
If you're looking for someone to pick up, take a chance on Rob Bowen, who the Cubs picked up from the Padres in the deal.

Those in NL-only leagues searching for pitching help might want to take a shot on Mike Maroth.
The Tigers sent him to the Cardinals on Friday.
If Jeff Weaver can pitch well in St. Louis, Maroth has a good chance at success too.

Here are a couple rumors making the rounds, as reported by Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News:

-- The Yankees are willing to give up young pitching to acquire first baseman Mark Teixeira from Texas, but they won't deal right-hander Philip Hughes.
-- The $925,000 salary of Florida's Aaron Boone makes the first baseman an attractive trade prospect, particularly in Minnesota, where the Twins want help at third base and could use Boone as a fill-in at first.

And then there's the what would have happened if ...? Ringolsby looks back at what teams were trying to do in the offseason.

ARIZONA couldn't win for losing. The Diamondbacks made a strong push for LHP Mark Mulder, who has been sidelined again by injury. But without Mulder, they decided to bring back LHP Randy Johnson, only to have him sidelined by a ruptured disk in his surgically repaired back.
ATLANTA was set to trade 1B Adam LaRoche and 2B Marcus Giles to Baltimore for RHP Hayden Penn and 2B Brian Roberts until Orioles owner Peter Angelos killed the deal. The Braves wound up finding an answer at second from within with Kelly Johnson, who has provided a lift for the team, then picked up not only reliever Mike Gonzalez from Pittsburgh for LaRoche, but also infield prospect Brent Lillibridge.
CHICAGO never got serious about pursuing the big-name pitching free agents, Barry Zito and Jason Schmidt, despite reports linking them to negotiations. And with the way things have turned out, that's just as well, because they have gotten more out of LHP Ted Lilly and RHP Jason Marquis.
CINCINNATI was reluctant to move LF Adam Dunn, and now it's not finding the market it would like for the high-priced, strikeout-prone outfielder who is better suited to be a designated hitter.
COLORADO was looking to pursue RHP Jeff Suppan, but his strong postseason shot his salary level out of the Rockies' comfort level. That led to them trading two minor league pitchers to Baltimore for RHP Rodrigo Lopez, who has provided a quality middle-of-the-rotation effort.
FLORIDA was trying to persuade RHP Danys Baez to be its closer, but the Marlins weren't about to come close to the three-year, $19 million contract Baltimore coughed up for a pitcher who was 0-4 with a 6.52 ERA before being placed on the disabled list.
HOUSTON refused to spend the money to sign the likes of Suppan, Marquis and Lilly, so it settled for Woody Williams, who is in the first year of a two-year, $12.5 million deal and so far is 3-9 with a 5.50 ERA.
LOS ANGELES was trying to give away RHP Brad Penny but found no takers because of his salary. Penny seemed to find incentive to prove people wrong, and he has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League this year, going 9-1 with a 2.12 ERA.
MILWAUKEE decided to convert SS Bill Hall into a center fielder after failing to lure free-agent Dave Roberts, who, fortunately for the Brewers, opted for San Francisco.
NEW YORK didn't make a serious run at any player it failed to acquire, but it was counting on Duaner Sanchez being back from shoulder surgery, and that failure has forced LHP Scott Schoeneweis into assuming a bigger role that has been too much for him.
PHILADELPHIA tried to send CF Aaron Rowand to San Diego for RHP Scott Linebrink, but the Padres balked, and Rowand has turned into a key factor in the Phillies' hopes for 2007.
PITTSBURGH finally got lucky and didn't get stuck with another in its series of bad free-agent contracts when Tomo Ohka turned down a two-year offer for a one-year deal from Toronto, which released him after only 10 starts.
ST. LOUIS wanted to re-sign RHP Jeff Weaver, but only to a one-year deal. Weaver was insulted, so he took a one-year deal in Seattle instead, and the Mariners are paying for it. Weaver, making $8.325 million, is 1-6 with an 8.56 ERA.
SAN DIEGO wanted to pursue Schmidt but didn't have the money to get into the bidding for the now-injured right-hander. But the Padres wound up adding the veteran leadership of RHP Greg Maddux.
SAN FRANCISCO unfortunately got the free agents it wanted -- Dave Roberts, left-hander Zito and 1B Rich Aurilia -- and they haven't given the Giants much in the way of rewards.
WASHINGTON was wondering about having ignored offseason trade offers for closer Chad Cordero when he slumped earlier this year, but he has begun to pitch better lately and build back his value.
AROUND THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
BALTIMORE made strong bids for reliever Justin Speier, who signed with the Angels and has been out since April 30 because of a virus, and starter Jason Schmidt, who signed with Los Angeles and had season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday. The Orioles also backed off a proposed trade of 2B Brian Roberts to Atlanta, which was fortunate in light of the fact he has been their best player.
BOSTON tried to work a deal for 1B Todd Helton from the Rockies but refused to put pitching prospects Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen in the deal that would have included Mike Lowell. Lowell, along with Kevin Youkilis, who would have been moved from first to third to replace Lowell, have been key factors in the Red Sox's success.
CHICAGO has been struggling this season, but the White Sox are at least relieved that they didn't meet the three-year, $18 million contract that CF Dave Roberts signed with San Francisco. Looking to shore up center field, the Sox had targeted Roberts on the free-agent market.
CLEVELAND had a two-prong plan that didn't work out, much to its pleasure. The Indians made inquiries about RHP Jeff Weaver, with the idea of trading RHP Jake Westbrook to Cincinnati for OF Adam Dunn, who is making $10.5 million this year, but are thankful they backed off. Weaver signed an $8.325 million deal with Seattle and is 1-6 with an 8.56 ERA in nine starts. The Reds, meanwhile, are looking for someone to take Dunn off their hands.
DETROIT made its only desired move, adding Gary Sheffield, but to this day the Tigers remain thankful that RHP Carl Pavano turned his back on a better offer from the Tigers than the four-year, $39.95 million deal he signed with the Yankees before 2005. Pavano is 5-6 in 19 starts since signing that deal, making 17 starts in 2005, none last year and two at the start of this season before going back on the disabled list.
KANSAS CITY had a modest shopping list in the offseason and was pleased with the way its efforts turned out. The Royals didn't sign Miguel Batista - he took Seattle's three-year, $25 million deal instead of the Royals' $24 million offer - but they did sign RHPs Gil Meche and Octavio Dotel.
LOS ANGELES tried to package prospects to land a first baseman - Adam LaRoche from Atlanta or Helton from Colorado - but struck out, and finally gave Casey Kotchman a chance. Kotchman, making $382,500, was hitting .333 with eight home runs and 35 RBI before being sidelined because of a concussion last weekend.
MINNESOTA talked to the Rockies about RHP Jason Jennings and balked at the price of the young arms the Rockies wanted, which included Matt Garza. After watching Jennings battle elbow and shoulder problems, the Twins feel fortunate, particularly since Houston, which eventually did acquire Jennings, now has said talks about a contract extension have ended. If the Texas native doesn't want to sign with the Astros, the Twins doubt they would have been able to retain him.
NEW YORK was tempted to deal OF Melky Cabrera to Pittsburgh for left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez. Gonzalez instead went to Atlanta and is out for the season because of an elbow injury, and Cabrera has an expanded role with the Yankees because of CF Johnny Damon's ongoing injury woes.
OAKLAND failed to lure OF Trot Nixon but came up with Shannon Stewart instead, which is pretty much a wash.
SEATTLE was prepared to give LHP Barry Zito a six-year, $100 million deal and thought that right-hander Schmidt might be lured because he is a Washington native. While Zito is healthy, his numbers aren't, and Schmidt is done for the season thanks to surgery.
TAMPA BAY didn't get too involved in any offseason talks, making a minor attempt at signing Dotel and having only brief discussions with Atlanta about a Rocco Baldelli deal that would have involved Braves pitcher Chuck James, but it didn't get serious.
TEXAS was unable to sign RHP Keith Foulke, who wound up out of baseball. The Rangers also pushed for Zito, but the $88 million offer didn't even get them into final consideration.
TORONTO was rejected in four-year, $40 million offers to Meche, who signed with Kansas City, and LHP Ted Lilly, but then made no attempt to sign Jeff Suppan, which has forced the Blue Jays to settle for the likes of Josh Towers, Victor Zambrano, Tomo Ohka and Dustin McGowan to fill out the final two spots in the rotation.

Now that he has 3,000 hits, Craig Biggio should take a seat on the bench of the Houston Astros.
The Astros (32-46 entering Thursday) aren't going anywhere in the NL Central, where the second-place team is below .500.
With five hits Thursday, Biggio increased his average to .250. He also have five home runs and 27 RBIs. Decent statistics, but nothing to get excited about.
It's a nice milestone and he was a great player, but it's time for Biggio, 41, to step aside now that he has 3,000 hits and allow the Astros to rebuild.

I've said it often enough, but it bears repeating again, the Pirates stink.
There's been lots of changes over the past 15 years, but season after season the end result is the same -- a losing season.
What's a fan to do?
Protest.
That's what Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has outlined in an article.
The protest is schedule for Saturday's game against the Nationals. A sellout crowd is expected for a Bob Walk bobblehead giveaway.
If you're there, leave your seat in the third inning. Anything can help.
The Pirates could use it.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche hit his second home run in three days Saturday night against the Washington Nationals.
LaRoche, who had a big second-half last year with the Braves, could be finding the groove (he's 7-for-18).
It's hard to recommend many Pirates, but he's a good buy-low candidate.

So now the details of the Armando Benitez trade to the Florida Marlins are available.
Benitez will pitch in sunny Florida. In exchange, the Marlins sent Randy Messenger to the Giants. Also, the Giants will pick up nearly all of the remainder of Benitez's salary.
The big question for fantasy leaguers chasing saves remains -- who will close games for the Giants and Marlins?
Kevin Gregg remains the closer for the Fish.
Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez also confirmed it. The fact the Giants are picking up a huge chunk of Benitez's contract also takes pressure away from the team forcing him into a role.
While Gregg has pitched very well in May (6-for-6 in save opportunities) he will be on a shorter leash. His ability to pitch multiple innings also will make it very tempting to move him from the ninth-inning role, too.
As for the Giants, Brad Hennessey will get first crack at the closer's job.
He's converted two chances for San Francisco. He's not an ideal choice, so if he struggles, Kevin Correia could be worth a flier.

Roger Clemens is ready to start, and you should be ready to put him in your lineup.
Clemens' first start is against the Pirates, and we all know that the Pirates aren't exactly the best team going.
Plus, the Yankees are at home and playing better.
A bad recipe for the Pirates.

Braves pitcher John Smoltz has been bothered by a sore shoulder, although you wouldn't be able to tell from his results.
Smoltz is 7-3 with a 2.83 ERA but doesn't know if he'll start Sunday.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Smoltz said his shoulder was doing well, but his status for Sunday's home game against Chicago won't be determined before he throws in the bullpen on Saturday.
Unless you hear he's out, keep him active.

Everyone wants to be the first to grab the next best thing.
With baseball minor league players it's a bit more difficult than, say, football or basketball.
Football or basketball players can be expected to help a team immediately after they're drafted. Baseball? Well, it could take three year, four year, five years or longer for a player to reach the bigs.
Fantasy leaguers could use help now.
So, who could be up from this year's crop?
The three best bets:
David Price, the first pick in the draft, could be playing in Tampa Bay before the year is out. He went 11-1 this year and led Division I with 194 strikeouts.
Casey Weathers could be the next closer in Colorado.
Daniel Moskos wasn't exactly a fashionable pick by the Pirates. They tend not to rush players, but they need help in the bullpen. If the Bucs sign him quickly, he could move along.

John Smoltz will not start Sunday.
Despite saying he felt good when throwing Saturday, Smoltz will miss the start with inflammation in his right shoulder.
The Braves haven't put him on the DL, so just sit tight until we hear more.

From the interesting development department, Troy Percival will try to make a comeback with the Cardinals.
It was interesting to see the Cards sign him when other teams like the Phillies and Tigers were interested in him.
The Cards have one of the better bullpens in the NL, and didn't seem to need the added pitcher.
Keep him on your radar, but he shouldn't be rostered in any format at this time.

A lot was said about the first round of MLB draft last week, but Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News had this team of steals from the draft:

An All-Star team of players who were drafted in the 28th round or later or signed as undrafted players:
— Catcher: Mike Piazza, 62nd round, Dodgers, 1988; Brad Ausmus, 48th round, Yankees, 1987.
— First base: Keith Hernandez, 42nd round, Cardinals, 1971; Jeff Conine, 58th round, Royals, 1987.
— Second base: Frank White, undrafted, Royals, 1970; Marcus Giles, 53rd round, Braves, 1996.
— Third base: Larry Parrish, undrafted, Expos, 1972; Don Money, undrafted, Pirates, 1967.
— Shortstop: Larry Bowa, undrafted, Phillies, 1965; Toby Harrah, undrafted, Phillies, 1966.
— Left field: Kevin Mitchell, undrafted, Mets, 1980; Jeffrey Leonard, undrafted, Dodgers, 1973.
— Center field: Claudell Washington, undrafted, Athletics, 1972; Dave Roberts, 28th round, Tigers, 1994.
— Right field: Al Cowens, 75th round, Royals, 1969; Bobby Bonilla, undrafted, Pirates, 1981.
— Starting pitcher: Kenny Rogers, 39th round, Rangers, 1982; Woody Williams, 28th round, Blue Jays, 1988.
— Relief pitcher: Dan Quisenberry, undrafted, Royals, 1975; Bruce Sutter, undrafted, Cubs, 1971.

The latest, greatest rookie pitcher to get the call to the majors is the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo.
Gallardo will replace Chris Capuano in the rotation Monday against the Giants.
If you can acquire Gallardo, now's the time to do it.
He led all of the minors with 110 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings.

Baseball wants money. Their next target is fantasy baseball companies.
Here's a story from the Associated Press:

Attorneys representing Major League Baseball argued Thursday that online fantasy baseball companies cannot operate without paying license fees to MLB to compensate players for the use of their names.
A federal appeals panel of three judges seemed skeptical that MLB could take financial control of a game that uses publicly available statistics and widely known names of players.
"MLB is like a public religion. Everyone knows (the players') names and what they look like," said U.S. Judge Morris Arnold. "This is just part of being an American, isn't it?"
Major League Baseball Players Association lawyer Virginia Seitz said online fantasy games exploit players by effectively turning them into game pieces and using their names to draw more customers.
"There's no way of escaping the fact that players' names are on the product," Seitz said.
Major League Baseball is appealing a lower court judgment last year that ruled St. Louis-based CBC Distribution and Marketing Inc. does not have to pay licensing fees for MLB players' names and statistics as fodder for online fantasy league games.
The fantasy league industry generates more than $1.5 billion annually and millions participate. Big media companies like Yahoo, ESPN and CBS pay MLB millions in annual fees to operate online fantasy leagues.
Players make fake teams comprised of real MLB players. Over the course of a season, fantasy league players crunch statistics to judge how well the players of their fake team are performing.
If MLB wins its suit against CBC, it would effectively give the league monopoly rights over publicly available statistics and other information that is used by fantasy leagues across the country, said CBC's attorney Rudy Telscher.
"If we lose this case, hundreds of companies go out of business," Telscher said.
A key issue in Thursday's arguments was the publicity rights of MLB players. Seitz argued that fantasy leagues are similar to a company that steals a player's image to sell T-shirts, coffee cups or posters. Without using the players' names, fantasy leagues would be an unprofitable practice of statistics crunching, she said.
"There is much less interest in predicting the crime rates of major American cities," she said.
Telscher said fantasy leagues were not unlike newspapers, which use sports players' names in their pages to draw readers. He said customers paid to use CBC's Web site because it automatically process statistics for them, so the company essentially conveys public information.
"There's not any affidavit from players who say they feel like they have been damaged" by fantasy leagues, Telscher said.
It is not known when the panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will rule.

Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News has a quick and helpful read on the top minor league player on each team in his weekly notebook:

ARIZONA is encouraged by the play of Justin Upton at both Class A Visalia and AA Mobile this year, where he has hit .350 in the four weeks since being promoted. He could be in the big leagues by season's end given the struggles of RF Carlos Quentin.
CHICAGO is comfortable with Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot sharing second base, but Eric Patterson, younger brother of former Cub and current Oriole Corey Patterson, hit .306 with eight home runs his first 59 games at Class AAA Iowa. He also had nine stolen bases.
CINCINNATI is getting a look at 1B Joey Votto in left field at AAA Louisville, adding to big-league speculation that OF Adam Dunn is on the trading block.
COLORADO 3B Garrett Atkins has picked a bad time to struggle. Heir apparent Ian Stewart is starting to show big-time power at AAA Colorado Springs, where he has hit .306 with a team-high nine home runs and 38 RBI, which ranks second on the team.
HOUSTON made the big move when it brought up CF Hunter Pence. The only other viable candidate is LHP Troy Patton, who opened the season at Class AA Corpus Christi, going 4-5 with a 2.48 ERA.
LOS ANGELES has solid pitching, but when manager Grady Little sent Jonathan Meloan to minor-league camp during the spring, he said Meloan would be in the bigs before the end of the season, and Meloan has reaffirmed his status so far. He is 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 10 saves in 23 appearances at AA Jacksonville. He also has struck out 44 in 31 innings.
MILWAUKEE has enough youth and enough success to be patient this year, but RHP Yovani Gallardo forced the issue with his outstanding pitching. The right-hander went 8-3 with a 2.90 ERA in his 13 starts at Class AAA Nashville before being called up on Thursday.
PITTSBURGH is upbeat about the progress of former first-round picks Jason Van Benschoten (2000) and Bryan Bullington (2001), both right-handed pitchers coming off shoulder surgery in 2005. Van Benschoten was 6-4 with a 2.73 ERA his first 12 starts at AAA Indianapolis, and Bulling was 9-3 with a 2.83 ERA in his first 13 starts.
ST. LOUIS struck out with Rick Ankiel as a pitcher when he suddenly lost the ability to control his pitches, but he has been reborn as an outfielder, and had 15 home runs and a .276 batting average in his first 54 games at Class AAA Memphis.
SAN DIEGO doesn't have impact players on the horizon, but the Padres could find room for Craig Stansberry in a utility role. He hit .324 with 22 doubles and six home runs in his first 58 games at AAA Portland.
SAN FRANCISCO already has given calls to RHP Tim Lincecum and OF Nate Schierholz. Next could be RHP Chris Begg, who made the move from Class AA to AAA when Lincecum got the call to the bigs. Begg was 5-1 with a 3.28 ERA in his first eight starts at Fresno.
AROUND THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
BALTIMORE gave RHP Jim Hoey a big-league glimpse last year but returned him this year to Class AA Bowie, where he allowed 17 baserunners and had 14 saves in 18 2/3 innings in his first 20 appearances. That earned him a June 1 move to Class AAA Norfolk.
BOSTON needs help for struggling CF Coco Crisp and SS Julio Lugo, which could open a spot for leadoff-hitting CF Jacoby Ellsbury, who had 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts in his first 34 games at AAA Pawtucket.
CHICAGO has been encouraged by the work of RHP Gavin Floyd, a key part of the winter trade that sent Freddy Garcia to Philadelphia. Floyd was 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA in his first 11 starts at AAA Durham. OFs Brian Anderson (.264) and Ryan Sweeney (.284) haven't had the dominant seasons the Sox anticipated.
CLEVELAND was impressed during the spring by RHP Adam Miller, and he opened the season at Class AAA Buffalo by going 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA before being sidelined with a strained tendon in his middle finger. He's supposed to be back on the active roster within a week, and that puts him in place for a second-half promotion.
DETROIT needs bullpen help and promoted RHP Eulogio de la Cruz from Class AA, where he was 4-3 in 10 starts, to Toledo, where he is now working in relief to see if he could give the big-league team a lift.
KANSAS CITY OF Billy Butler got a brief look at the big leagues and could be back long-term if he shows stability in the outfield. He is more fitted for the DH role, but with Mike Sweeney entrenched in the big leagues, that blocks Butler, who has 13 home runs in 52 games at AAA Omaha.
LOS ANGELES brought up LHP Joe Saunders to fill in when Bartolo Colon was on the disabled list, and after seeing him go 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts, the Angels won't delay bringing him back when a need arises.
MINNESOTA pushed Glen Perkins, Scott Baker and Kevin Slowley past RHP Matt Garza to the big leagues, but Garza will be back to the bigs before long. He's only 3-5 at Class AAA Rochester, but his 72 strikeouts in 74 innings are a better indication of his ability.
NEW YORK brought up RHP Phil Hughes, and now the focus is on RHP Ian Kennedy, who after going 6-1 at Class A Tampa, won his first two decisions at AA Trenton.
OAKLAND is finally getting a look at LHP Dan Meyer, the lone remnant from the Tim Hudson trade with Atlanta. Meyer spent most of the last two years battling shoulder trouble. This year he's 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA in nine starts at Class AAA Sacramento.
SEATTLE could move OF Ichiro Suzuki, which would open center field for Adam Jones, who is hitting .327 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI at AAA Tacoma.
TAMPA BAY has been impressed by the quick adjustments of 3B Evan Longoria, the Devil Rays' first-round pick a year ago. He opened at AA Montgomery this season and hit .270 with 14 home runs in his first 64 games.
TEXAS DH Jason Botts has hit close to .370 since May 1, giving the Rangers reason to see if they can deal Sammy Sosa, and if that doesn't work by the All-Star break, possibly giving Sosa his release.
TORONTO is in a dry period in the minors. There's no a prospect making a strong push for a big-league look.

That's good stuff for those who like to stay on top of the top young pitchers and hitters close to getting the call.

Michael Barrett should see most of the playing time in San Diego now that he's a member of the Padres.
The loser in the deal was Josh Bard, who was a decent catcher in fantasy formats, but he'll lose playing time to be considered keeping in all but the deepest of formats.
If you're looking for someone to pick up, take a chance on Rob Bowen, who the Cubs picked up from the Padres in the deal.

Those in NL-only leagues searching for pitching help might want to take a shot on Mike Maroth.
The Tigers sent him to the Cardinals on Friday.
If Jeff Weaver can pitch well in St. Louis, Maroth has a good chance at success too.

Here are a couple rumors making the rounds, as reported by Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News:

-- The Yankees are willing to give up young pitching to acquire first baseman Mark Teixeira from Texas, but they won't deal right-hander Philip Hughes.
-- The $925,000 salary of Florida's Aaron Boone makes the first baseman an attractive trade prospect, particularly in Minnesota, where the Twins want help at third base and could use Boone as a fill-in at first.

And then there's the what would have happened if ...? Ringolsby looks back at what teams were trying to do in the offseason.

ARIZONA couldn't win for losing. The Diamondbacks made a strong push for LHP Mark Mulder, who has been sidelined again by injury. But without Mulder, they decided to bring back LHP Randy Johnson, only to have him sidelined by a ruptured disk in his surgically repaired back.
ATLANTA was set to trade 1B Adam LaRoche and 2B Marcus Giles to Baltimore for RHP Hayden Penn and 2B Brian Roberts until Orioles owner Peter Angelos killed the deal. The Braves wound up finding an answer at second from within with Kelly Johnson, who has provided a lift for the team, then picked up not only reliever Mike Gonzalez from Pittsburgh for LaRoche, but also infield prospect Brent Lillibridge.
CHICAGO never got serious about pursuing the big-name pitching free agents, Barry Zito and Jason Schmidt, despite reports linking them to negotiations. And with the way things have turned out, that's just as well, because they have gotten more out of LHP Ted Lilly and RHP Jason Marquis.
CINCINNATI was reluctant to move LF Adam Dunn, and now it's not finding the market it would like for the high-priced, strikeout-prone outfielder who is better suited to be a designated hitter.
COLORADO was looking to pursue RHP Jeff Suppan, but his strong postseason shot his salary level out of the Rockies' comfort level. That led to them trading two minor league pitchers to Baltimore for RHP Rodrigo Lopez, who has provided a quality middle-of-the-rotation effort.
FLORIDA was trying to persuade RHP Danys Baez to be its closer, but the Marlins weren't about to come close to the three-year, $19 million contract Baltimore coughed up for a pitcher who was 0-4 with a 6.52 ERA before being placed on the disabled list.
HOUSTON refused to spend the money to sign the likes of Suppan, Marquis and Lilly, so it settled for Woody Williams, who is in the first year of a two-year, $12.5 million deal and so far is 3-9 with a 5.50 ERA.
LOS ANGELES was trying to give away RHP Brad Penny but found no takers because of his salary. Penny seemed to find incentive to prove people wrong, and he has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League this year, going 9-1 with a 2.12 ERA.
MILWAUKEE decided to convert SS Bill Hall into a center fielder after failing to lure free-agent Dave Roberts, who, fortunately for the Brewers, opted for San Francisco.
NEW YORK didn't make a serious run at any player it failed to acquire, but it was counting on Duaner Sanchez being back from shoulder surgery, and that failure has forced LHP Scott Schoeneweis into assuming a bigger role that has been too much for him.
PHILADELPHIA tried to send CF Aaron Rowand to San Diego for RHP Scott Linebrink, but the Padres balked, and Rowand has turned into a key factor in the Phillies' hopes for 2007.
PITTSBURGH finally got lucky and didn't get stuck with another in its series of bad free-agent contracts when Tomo Ohka turned down a two-year offer for a one-year deal from Toronto, which released him after only 10 starts.
ST. LOUIS wanted to re-sign RHP Jeff Weaver, but only to a one-year deal. Weaver was insulted, so he took a one-year deal in Seattle instead, and the Mariners are paying for it. Weaver, making $8.325 million, is 1-6 with an 8.56 ERA.
SAN DIEGO wanted to pursue Schmidt but didn't have the money to get into the bidding for the now-injured right-hander. But the Padres wound up adding the veteran leadership of RHP Greg Maddux.
SAN FRANCISCO unfortunately got the free agents it wanted -- Dave Roberts, left-hander Zito and 1B Rich Aurilia -- and they haven't given the Giants much in the way of rewards.
WASHINGTON was wondering about having ignored offseason trade offers for closer Chad Cordero when he slumped earlier this year, but he has begun to pitch better lately and build back his value.
AROUND THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
BALTIMORE made strong bids for reliever Justin Speier, who signed with the Angels and has been out since April 30 because of a virus, and starter Jason Schmidt, who signed with Los Angeles and had season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday. The Orioles also backed off a proposed trade of 2B Brian Roberts to Atlanta, which was fortunate in light of the fact he has been their best player.
BOSTON tried to work a deal for 1B Todd Helton from the Rockies but refused to put pitching prospects Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen in the deal that would have included Mike Lowell. Lowell, along with Kevin Youkilis, who would have been moved from first to third to replace Lowell, have been key factors in the Red Sox's success.
CHICAGO has been struggling this season, but the White Sox are at least relieved that they didn't meet the three-year, $18 million contract that CF Dave Roberts signed with San Francisco. Looking to shore up center field, the Sox had targeted Roberts on the free-agent market.
CLEVELAND had a two-prong plan that didn't work out, much to its pleasure. The Indians made inquiries about RHP Jeff Weaver, with the idea of trading RHP Jake Westbrook to Cincinnati for OF Adam Dunn, who is making $10.5 million this year, but are thankful they backed off. Weaver signed an $8.325 million deal with Seattle and is 1-6 with an 8.56 ERA in nine starts. The Reds, meanwhile, are looking for someone to take Dunn off their hands.
DETROIT made its only desired move, adding Gary Sheffield, but to this day the Tigers remain thankful that RHP Carl Pavano turned his back on a better offer from the Tigers than the four-year, $39.95 million deal he signed with the Yankees before 2005. Pavano is 5-6 in 19 starts since signing that deal, making 17 starts in 2005, none last year and two at the start of this season before going back on the disabled list.
KANSAS CITY had a modest shopping list in the offseason and was pleased with the way its efforts turned out. The Royals didn't sign Miguel Batista - he took Seattle's three-year, $25 million deal instead of the Royals' $24 million offer - but they did sign RHPs Gil Meche and Octavio Dotel.
LOS ANGELES tried to package prospects to land a first baseman - Adam LaRoche from Atlanta or Helton from Colorado - but struck out, and finally gave Casey Kotchman a chance. Kotchman, making $382,500, was hitting .333 with eight home runs and 35 RBI before being sidelined because of a concussion last weekend.
MINNESOTA talked to the Rockies about RHP Jason Jennings and balked at the price of the young arms the Rockies wanted, which included Matt Garza. After watching Jennings battle elbow and shoulder problems, the Twins feel fortunate, particularly since Houston, which eventually did acquire Jennings, now has said talks about a contract extension have ended. If the Texas native doesn't want to sign with the Astros, the Twins doubt they would have been able to retain him.
NEW YORK was tempted to deal OF Melky Cabrera to Pittsburgh for left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez. Gonzalez instead went to Atlanta and is out for the season because of an elbow injury, and Cabrera has an expanded role with the Yankees because of CF Johnny Damon's ongoing injury woes.
OAKLAND failed to lure OF Trot Nixon but came up with Shannon Stewart instead, which is pretty much a wash.
SEATTLE was prepared to give LHP Barry Zito a six-year, $100 million deal and thought that right-hander Schmidt might be lured because he is a Washington native. While Zito is healthy, his numbers aren't, and Schmidt is done for the season thanks to surgery.
TAMPA BAY didn't get too involved in any offseason talks, making a minor attempt at signing Dotel and having only brief discussions with Atlanta about a Rocco Baldelli deal that would have involved Braves pitcher Chuck James, but it didn't get serious.
TEXAS was unable to sign RHP Keith Foulke, who wound up out of baseball. The Rangers also pushed for Zito, but the $88 million offer didn't even get them into final consideration.
TORONTO was rejected in four-year, $40 million offers to Meche, who signed with Kansas City, and LHP Ted Lilly, but then made no attempt to sign Jeff Suppan, which has forced the Blue Jays to settle for the likes of Josh Towers, Victor Zambrano, Tomo Ohka and Dustin McGowan to fill out the final two spots in the rotation.

Now that he has 3,000 hits, Craig Biggio should take a seat on the bench of the Houston Astros.
The Astros (32-46 entering Thursday) aren't going anywhere in the NL Central, where the second-place team is below .500.
With five hits Thursday, Biggio increased his average to .250. He also have five home runs and 27 RBIs. Decent statistics, but nothing to get excited about.
It's a nice milestone and he was a great player, but it's time for Biggio, 41, to step aside now that he has 3,000 hits and allow the Astros to rebuild.

I've said it often enough, but it bears repeating again, the Pirates stink.
There's been lots of changes over the past 15 years, but season after season the end result is the same -- a losing season.
What's a fan to do?
Protest.
That's what Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has outlined in an article.
The protest is schedule for Saturday's game against the Nationals. A sellout crowd is expected for a Bob Walk bobblehead giveaway.
If you're there, leave your seat in the third inning. Anything can help.
The Pirates could use it.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche hit his second home run in three days Saturday night against the Washington Nationals.
LaRoche, who had a big second-half last year with the Braves, could be finding the groove (he's 7-for-18).
It's hard to recommend many Pirates, but he's a good buy-low candidate.