Young outruns cycle, Tigers clinch rare series win. Dmitri Young hit a single, two triples and two homers. It was the first two-triple, two-homer game since Willie Mays in 1958, as Baseball Musings points out. (ESPN.com)

Beat 'em like they stole something (Part Two). Aaron Gleeman on the 1976 A's, who stole 341 bases. (Aaron's Baseball Blog)

Grudzielanek trade works out for Cubs. So far. (Rockford Register Star)

The Can't Miss Kid isn't missed. Mike Nadel on Bobby Hill, who wasn't in Chicago for Bobby Hill Bobblehead Day (he was in AAA). (Peoria Journal Star)

Getting a better read on balls and strikes. Rob Neyer likes Questec. (ESPN.com)

Alan Schwarz interviews Eric Chavez.

Question: You told me last year that you hate playing third base (rather than shortstop) because the game looks goofy to you from that angle. The Gold Glove third baseman hates the position?

Chavez: [Laughs.] I don't dread it like I used to. It's still not my favorite position on the field. His [points to Miguel Tejada] is. But I'm definitely feeling better there now. It's the same thing as lefties -- me running out there and getting used to it.

(ESPN.com)

Nen's season ends before it can begin.

The shoulder surgery on Giants closer Robb Nen today not only will end his season but also could end his career, a team official said Tuesday.

Nen, 33, has a partially torn right rotator cuff.

"Make no mistake about it, this is a serious surgery," trainer Stan Conte said. "There are no guarantees in any of this, and Robb knows that. Is it career-threatening? Absolutely."

(The Mercury News)

Brian Carstens went to see the Cubs® play the Rockies in Denver. "Anyway, I really was impressed with Coors Field. It's in downtown Denver, and unlike Minute Maid Park in Houston, it actually feels like it belongs downtown. We sat in the upper deck, but I felt much closer to the field than I do in the upper deck in Arlington." (The [Untitled] Cubs Page)

Advance Scout: Rangers, May 6-8. "So the Jays have turned things around with pitching and defence. It should be all too fresh in the Jay hurlers' minds, though, that the Rangers lineup can put up a lot of crooked numbers (sometimes, sadly, even with a straight number preceding it)." (Batter's Box Baseball Blog)

Jays jack five homers in romp past Rangers. The Blue Jays were the ones putting up most of the crooked numbers last night. (ESPN.com)

Derek Zumsteg: "[Todd] Jones has the right to spout off and say whatever he wants. If he wants to join the International Flat Earth Society, more power to him. However, baseball is a business that depends on the goodwill of the general population, and baseball is right to take a strong stance against players who have these views, and if that includes running them out of the game, so be it." (Baseball Prospectus)

Prospectus Triple Play: Red Sox, Reds, Padres. "When Jeremy Giambi started the season hitting .158/.333/.368, the Red Sox front office could not have been happy, although they could take solace in the fact that he was still walking and hitting for power (when he did hit). However, since then Giambi has virtually disappeared, with the stathead fave hitting just .056/.190/.111 in limited playing time since then." (Baseball Prospectus)