Padres' Peavy may be headed to DL

Reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy could be headed for the disabled list because of soreness in his pitching elbow. The San Diego Padres ace, who felt discomfort in his right elbow the last three or four starts, had an MRI exam yesterday. Manager Bud Black said he and general manager Kevin Towers planned to meet with Peavy and the medical staff before last night's game against St. Louis. "In this case, I'd say more than likely Jake could be missing more than one start," Black said . . . Atlanta Braves John Smoltz still has inflammation and discomfort in his right shoulder, leaving him unsure when he'll be able to pitch again. Smoltz has been out since April 29 . . . Alex Rodriguez is set to rejoin the New York Yankees tonight after finishing his rehabilitation of a strained right quadriceps yesterday in Tampa. Rodriguez has been sidelined since April 28 . . . Pedro Martinez threw 4 1/3 innings of a simulated game in St. Lucie, Fla., and the Mets plan to have him throw a bullpen session tomorrow or Thursday in Atlanta. Martinez has been out since straining his left hamstring April 1 . . . Outfielder Jacque Jones, cut by Detroit two weeks ago, signed with the Florida Marlins and is expected to become their starting center fielder . . . The MSNBC show "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" reported last night that Gino Castignoli, the Bronx cement mason and Red Sox fan who gained notoriety for burying a David Ortiz jersey in the foundation of the Yankees' new stadium, has been telling friends he also left an official program from the 2004 American League Championship Series in the wet cement.

Linebacker Odell Thurman was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals, one month after he was reinstated by the NFL from a two-year suspension. Thurman failed to attend the team's three voluntary workouts last week, when he was in Georgia following the death of his grandmother. Thurman, a second-round draft pick from Georgia, showed promise as a rookie in 2005, when he led the team in tackles and led all NFL rookies with five interceptions. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2006 season after failing to show up for a drug test. The punishment was extended to a full season when he was later arrested for drunken driving. Commissioner Roger Goodell turned down his request for reinstatement and kept him out of football for the 2007 season as well . . . Linebacker Dan Morgan retired, two months after the frequently injured former first-round draft pick signed with the New Orleans Saints . . . Former Houston Texans offensive lineman Steve McKinney signed with the Miami Dolphins . . . Andre Johnson recently had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee that will keep the receiver from practicing with the Texans until training camp in July . . . The Atlanta Falcons former Boston College wide receiver Tony Gonzalez as a rookie free agent . . . Minnesota Vikings great Carl Eller appeared in a Minneapolis court on charges stemming from an alleged scuffle with police April 9. The charges against Eller include assault on a police officer and making terroristic threats.

An independent panel concluded yesterday that 45 professional tennis matches from the past five years require further review because of suspicious betting patterns. The International Tennis Federation, the ATP Tour, the WTA Tour, and the four Grand Slam events published the findings of the panel in a 66-page report. The review said while "professional tennis is neither institutionally nor systematically corrupt, it is potentially at a crossroads." The review said it had examined 73 matches over the past five years, and 45 remain under suspicion "from a betting perspective." It didn't say which matches were under suspicion. The review was prompted by a series of events connected to gambling in tennis. Most prominently, an online betting site, in an unprecedented move, voided all bets on a match involving Nikolay Davydenko last year because of suspicious gambling patterns. The fourth-ranked Russian withdrew against 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello in the third set of a match in Poland, citing a foot injury . . . Davydenko, the top seed, eased past Rainer Eitzinger, 6-1, 6-1, in the first round of the Hypo Group International in Poertschach, Austria . . . The US beat the Czech Republic, 2-1, at the World Team Cup at Duesseldorf, Germany, despite having to use another doubles team because of an undisclosed injury to Bob and Mike Bryan. They were replaced by James Blake and Wayne Odesnik, who rallied past Tomas Berdych and Pavel Vizner, 0-6, 7-5, 10-8.

Tiger Woods intends to play in the Buick Open at Grand Blanc, Mich., and will host a golf clinic at Comerica Park in Detroit June 24, two days before the tournament begins. Woods hasn't played since undergoing knee surgery two days after the Masters, and isn't expected to return until the US Open in mid-June. Woods doesn't usually commit to tournaments until the last minute, but his plans are concrete enough that the Buick Open announced he will host a clinic . . . Charles Barkley said he will stop gambling, at least for now, less than a week after acknowledging he owed a $400,000 debt to a Las Vegas Strip casino. "I like to go into Vegas, it's a fun place, but you know what, I've got to stop gambling. That's the bottom line," Barkley said during TNT's pregame show before Game 7 between San Antonio and New Orleans. "For right now, the next year or two, I'm not going to gamble." . . . Jason Parker and Keith Sanderson qualified for the Beijing Olympics in three-position rifle and rapid-fire pistol, respectively, at the US shooting trials at Fort Benning, Ga. . . . Scott Savastano broke open a close game with a three-run home run in the sixth inning, lifting top-seeded Franklin Pierce to a 10-3 victory over second-seeded Bryant in the Northeast Regional final and securing a berth in the Division 2 College World Series.